A new study published in Scientific Reports analyzed over 3 million nights of sleep using data from the Sleep Cycle app. The research found that hitting the snooze button disrupts important REM sleep stages, leading to grogginess and poorer sleep quality.
Heavy users of the snooze alarm spent an average of 20 minutes between snooze alarms and showed more erratic sleep schedules than other categories of users. The study also revealed that nearly 56% of sleep sessions ended with someone hitting the snooze button, with people in the US, Sweden, and Germany most likely to do so.
Experts recommend setting the alarm for the latest possible time and avoiding the snooze button altogether. Dr. Rebecca Robbins, lead author of the study, notes that pressing the snooze button can interrupt critical stages of sleep, leading to light sleep and grogginess instead of refreshed wakefulness.
Instead, experts suggest sticking to a consistent sleep schedule, going to bed earlier, and creating a calming morning routine to reduce the need for multiple alarms. By making these simple changes, individuals can improve their sleep health and start their day feeling more refreshed.
Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/health/story/alarm-snooze-disrupts-sleep-and-reduces-sleep-quality-harvard-study-reveals-2727590-2025-05-20