How to Stop Hitting Snooze and Get out of Bed Happy!

Hitting snooze is a tough habit to break. Many of us, especially those of us who are not morning people, find ourselves hitting the snooze button daily, and it’s hard to get up on time.

We crave those few extra minutes and never feel like we’ve had a good night’s sleep.

Going to bed earlier isn’t always enough to stop hitting snooze and get up on time. We need to get enough quality sleep to break that snooze button habit and prevent sleep inertia.

Is there such a thing as an early bird or a night owl? Are early birds happier? Maybe.

Can you stop hitting the snooze button if you dislike early mornings?

Yes, you can.

Focus on your sleep health to stop snoozing. Create a bedtime routine, change up your alarm clocks, and achieve your ideal wake-up time!

Here’s how to stop hitting snooze and become a morning person!

Is Snoozing Bad?

While some argue hitting the snooze button eases the sleeping-to-waking transition, it’s important to understand the negative effects of hitting the snooze button repeatedly.

If your alarm clock goes off at a set time, it may wake you in the middle of deep sleep or rem sleep. When you hit snooze for a few more minutes of sleep you are getting fragmented sleep, which leads to sleep inertia.

Interrupting sleep cycles leaves us feeling groggy with sleep inertia, as it disrupts our body’s preparation for waking. Each time you press the snooze button, you’re interrupting your sleep at a different stage, making it even harder to wake up feeling rested.

Moreover, hitting snooze can also lead to a false sense of extra sleep. Those few minutes in between alarms may seem like an extra dose of rest, but they are not enough time for your body to complete a new sleep cycle and truly recharge.

Consistent snoozing disrupts our sleep schedule, affecting circadian rhythm and overall well-being. We feel sleep-deprived because our brain tells us we are.

Here are 10 things you can do to stop snoozing, get up earlier, and have an amazing morning routine

Practice a healthy bedtime routine for good sleep hygiene

In addition to avoiding snoozing, there are other practices we can incorporate into our daily routines to improve our sleep quality and overall well-being. This is known as sleep hygiene.

Work on falling asleep and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Having a consistent sleep schedule will help regulate your body’s internal alarm clock and make it easier to get restful sleep and wake up without the snooze.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed

Caffeine can interfere with your sleep quality, making it harder to fall asleep and stay that way. Similarly, consuming alcohol close to bedtime can disrupt your sleep patterns and lead to poor sleep quality.

Create a comfortable sleep environment

Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet. Invest in a good mattress and pillows that support your body’s natural alignment. Consider using blackout curtains or a white noise machine to block out any external light or noise that may disrupt your sleep.

Avoid electronic devices at least an hour before bed

The blue light emitted from electronic devices can suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps you sleep. So put away your phone, tablet, and laptop before bedtime to give your brain time to wind down.

Don’t eat a heavy meal close to bedtime

Eating a large meal or snacking right before bed may cause discomfort and disrupt your sleep. Try to have your last meal or snack at least two hours before bedtime. Intermittent fasting can help with this habit.

Practice relaxation techniques

Engage in activities like deep breathing, meditation, or gentle stretches before bedtime to calm your mind and relax your body. This can help promote a restful night of deep sleep.

Only use melatonin sparingly

While melatonin can help regulate your sleep-wake cycle, it should only be used sparingly and under the guidance of a healthcare professional. It’s important not to become reliant on melatonin or other sleep medicine to help you fall asleep.

Use an alarm clock app, like Sleep Cycle, to wake you up within your lightest sleep state

Apps like Sleep Cycle use your phone’s accelerometer to track your sleep patterns and wake you up during the lightest stage of sleep, making it easier to wake up feeling refreshed and avoid that snooze button altogether.

This can also help improve your overall sleep quality. You’ll feel more rested when you wake up because the alarm clock goes off when you are in a stage of light sleep. You’ll avoid the grogginess of sleep inertia, and those annoying alarm sounds when you feel rested upon waking at the right time.

Give it a time frame of about 30 minutes, and it will wake you when you are in a lighter stage of your natural sleep cycle. Believe it or not, it really works with your body’s internal clock, and will have you up at the first alarm!

Move your alarm clock to the other side of the room to avoid hitting the snooze button altogether

This tip may sound extreme, but it can be an effective way to avoid hitting the snooze button and falling back asleep.

By placing your alarm clock on the other side of the room, you have to physically get up to turn it off, making it more likely that you will stay up and start your day.

Have an accountability partner CALL you (or poke you!) and make sure you are up!

Especially if you live alone, or are the first one to get up, this can be crucial.  Having a friend or family member hold you accountable can be a powerful motivator to get up, avoid the snooze button, and start your day.

A phone call works best so you can feel fully awake with a conversation and without pressing snooze.

Plus, the added interaction with another person can help stimulate your brain and make it easier to wake up fully.

Put a salt lamp next to your bed to turn on.

Salt lamps are known for their soothing properties, making them the perfect addition to your bedroom. By keeping a salt lamp next to your bed, you can turn it on in the morning to help stimulate your senses and gently wake you up.

In addition to helping with waking up, salt lamps can also improve the air quality in your bedroom. They release negative ions into the air which can help reduce allergens and pollutants, creating a more peaceful and healthy environment for you to sleep in.

So not only will a salt lamp help you wake up in the morning with natural light, but it can also improve your overall sleep quality. It’s a win-win situation!

Keep a glass of water next to your bed to drink first thing in the morning

Drinking a glass of water as soon as you wake up can help kickstart your metabolism and rehydrate your body. This is especially important after a night of sleep where you haven’t consumed any water for several hours.

Use a light therapy lamp to help wake you up more once you get out of bed.

If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (aka the Winter Blues, aka generalized depression) or just have trouble getting up when it’s dark outside, a light therapy lamp can be a game changer.

These lamps emit bright, artificial light that mimics natural sunlight and can help regulate your body’s circadian rhythm. Set it to turn on before your alarm goes off, so you wake up to a room filled with energizing light.

Keep your yoga mat in a place where you can just get on it and stretch to wake up more fully

Doing a few gentle yoga stretches in the morning can help get your blood flowing, loosen up your muscles, and increase your energy levels. Keeping your mat nearby makes it easy to incorporate this into your morning routine without having to search for or set up a space to practice.

Stretching doesn’t have to be complicated or a full morning workout – even just a few minutes of basic poses or a simple morning yoga routine will help you feel ready for the day.

Give yourself the promise of a comforting caffeinated beverage.

It’s easy not to hit snooze when you have something delicious to look forward to. I recently started buying Jot coffee and making my own cold foam cold cream (a lá Starbucks but way cheaper) and it’s amazingly motivating for the morning.

But even if coffee isn’t your thing, having something special to enjoy in the morning can give you that extra motivation to get out of bed. Whether it’s a cup of tea, hot cocoa, or a smoothie, find something that makes you excited to start your day.

Make your bed immediately after getting up.

It may seem like a small task, but making your bed can have a big impact on your mindset and productivity for the day. Not only does it give you a sense of accomplishment first thing in the morning, but it means you are less likely to crawl back into it.

Stop pressing the snooze button and improve your physical health!

Incorporating these simple morning habits into your routine can help set a positive tone for the rest of your day. With just a few small changes, you can stop hitting the snooze button, and start each morning feeling like you got enough sleep (and knowing you probably did with your impeccable sleep hygiene).

Remember, it’s all about finding what works best for you and creating a routine that is sustainable and enjoyable. So give these tips a try and see how they can transform your mornings!