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I have never been a morning person. As much as I try to get into the habit of waking up at the crack of dawn (and believe me, I’ve tried), I just can’t do it. When my alarm jolts me awake, I quickly slap the snooze button, snuggle back under the covers, keep the drapes pulled shut, and, if I’m lucky, I fall back asleep. Unless there’s some reason I have to get up, I repeat this pattern approximately X times.
I’m not the only one trying to delay the inevitable as long as possible: In a recent study, roughly 69% of respondents said they use the snooze function on their phones—usually on workdays, but also on weekends or their days off. The main reason many of us can’t stop snoozin’ the morning away? We’re not getting enough quality sleep, Lynelle Schneeberg, PsyD, a Yale Medicine sleep psychologist and the author of Become Your Child’s Sleep Coach, tells SELF. A bunch of factors can mess with your rest, but there are two biggies, according to Dr. Schneeberg: Turning in too late (oh, hello, bedtime procrastination) or having an inconsistent routine (staying up late or sleeping in on weekends, for example).
These behaviors confuse your circadian rhythm, the 24-hour internal clock that keeps many biological processes, including your sleep-wake cycle, on a set schedule, Dr. Schneeberg explains. So when your alarm goes off in the morning, you’re more inclined to think No, not yet! I couldn’t possibly! and hit snooze. This habit can be incredibly tough to break, so if you, too, have become a prisoner to that cruel temptress of a button, here’s Dr. Schneeberg’s best advice for breaking free.
Get some natural light as soon as your alarm goes off.
According to Dr. Schneeberg, seeing sunlight first thing in the morning is one of the best things you can do to stabilize your internal clock (and make it easier to get your butt out of bed). If you’re already in the throes of the snooze-repeat cycle, it’s probably going to be tough to force yourself to see the light immediately after your eyes pop open. However, Dr. Schneeberg assured me that if you keep up with it, it’ll eventually become easier to wake up at the same time every day, which means you’ll feel less sluggish when your alarm goes off—and, therefore, less inclined to reach for the snooze button.
Have a cup of coffee on your porch, get ready by a big window, or, my personal fave, pull your curtains wide open as soon as your alarm buzzes. (I recently started doing this and it’s a game-changer.) If it’s still dark out, or you don’t get much natural light in your bedroom, Dr. Schneeberg suggests putting a bright lamp on your bedside table that you can flip on when it’s time to wake up or sitting in front of a light box for 20 minutes or so (ideally, one that emits light at 10,000 lux, per the Mayo Clinic). Then try to go outside as soon as you can, even if it’s just a quick trip to the mailbox or walk around the block with your dog.
Set two alarms—five minutes apart, ideally on separate devices.
Many people tap snooze more than twice (I feel seen) and wind up lying in bed for another 30 to 60 minutes, says Dr. Schneeberg. A smart way to cut down on that lag time: Set two alarms, five minutes apart, ideally in separate locations. For one thing, knowing you’re only a few short minutes away from another disturbing sound can make snoozing the first alarm less tempting. Plus, if it takes some effort to shut off the second one, it’ll be easier to just keep moving, she says.
For example, if you need to get up at 7, you can set one alert on a bedside device, perhaps your phone or alarm clock, for 6:55 and another for 7 on, say, a tablet you leave on your dresser. “Once you have to stand up and leave the bed, you’re much more likely to stay up,” Dr. Schneeberg explains. With time, she adds, you’ll become accustomed to rising with your alarm(s) rather than grasping for a few more minutes of snooze-afforded sleep.
While you’re at it, keep your alarm sounds pleasant, if you can. Shrill beeping or buzzing can be an extra rude awakening, whereas birds chirping, the gentle ebb and flow of ocean waves, or mellow music can help you ease into the day, Dr. Schneeberg says. In fact, a 2020 study found that people who woke up to melodic sounds or songs—“Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys (great tune) and the Cure’s “Close to Me,” to be specific—were less groggy and more energized than those who chose relentless beeps.
The researchers’ theory: Gentle tunes or natural sounds help support the brain’s natural transition into a waking state, whereas a startling alarm (beep, beep, BEEP) disrupts this process. (Sad to confess my husband woke up to “Work from Home” by Fifth Harmony for years and I cannot listen to that song ever again, so my advice: Choose carefully.)
Reward yourself for kicking the sheets off.
Having something to look forward to each morning can make the snooze button (a little) less enticing. Maybe that’s a fresh pot of hot coffee brewing in the kitchen, a satisfying breakfast waiting for you in the fridge, or an a.m. playlist you can pump through a Bluetooth speaker in the shower.
The idea here is that rewards and other positive reinforcements are better motivators than punishments, Dr. Schneeberg explains. She likens it to the metaphor of using a carrot (a reward) instead of a stick (a punishment) to induce a desired behavior: ”Getting up for work can be kind of a ‘stick,’ and so I’m always trying to encourage the people I work with to get out of bed for the ‘carrot,’” she says. (Or the carrot-walnut muffin.)
It’s so easy to rely on your snooze button—a quick tap means you get to stay under the covers and get more sweet, sweet sleep! I get it. (I deeply get it.) But if you want to kick the habit to the curb, start with the steps above. Ripping the curtains open mere seconds after your alarm goes off might take some getting used to, but if it helped me, an actual sleep tyrant, I have a feeling it—or at least one of Dr. Schneeberg’s other tips—will turn you into a slightly earlier bird too.
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