You haven’t lived until you’ve hit the snooze button a good three or four times, and then turned your alarm off altogether and given up.

I’ve always been told that the best way to wake up is to get out of bed the second the alarm sounds. I’m on the iPhone’s ‘Radar’ sound, which is both horrendous and effective.

Whilst smashing the snooze button does offer some temporary relief, sadly, you’re only delaying the inevitable.

Steven Bender is a facial pain specialist and has extensively studied sleep and how it impacts painful conditions. He says that “poor sleep has been shown to be associated with a number of health disorders, including high blood pressure, memory problems and even weight control”.

Steven penned this article on the Conversation, which tackles the merits of the snooze button:

 While there are no scientific studies that address this topic specifically, the answer is probably not. Our natural body clock regulates functions through what’s known as circadian rhythms – physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle…

The use of snooze buttons often starts during the teenage years, when our circadian rhythms are altered somewhat, causing us to want to stay up later and get up later in the morning. Delaying getting out of bed for nine minutes by hitting the snooze is simply not going to give us any more restorative sleep.

In fact, it may serve to confuse the brain into starting the process of secreting more neurochemicals that cause sleep to occur, according to some hypotheses.

Bottom line: It’s probably best to set your alarm for a specific time and get up then. If you are consistently tired in the morning, consult with a sleep specialist to find out why.

Given that sleep forms a part of the four pillars of good health, you really shouldn’t take your eyes off the ball on this one.

You could always set your alarm to something truly terrible, like Black Eyed Peas’ ‘I Gotta Feeling’, in which case the sheer terror of hearing that awful song once more should get you up at the first alarm.

[source:conversation]