Getting out of bed in the morning isn't always easy, and the chilly weather doesn't make it any easier — later sunrises mean it's still dark when the alarm goes off, and it's hard to crawl out from under those warm covers. Hitting the snooze alarm to catch a few extra zzz's may seem tempting, but the alarm delay can mess with your circadian rhythm sleep/wake cycle and throw off your day.

Here's why you should break the snooze-button habit.

1. You Feel Drowsier

According to a study published in the Public Library of Science, waking abruptly leads to a period of grogginess called sleep inertia. If you doze off every time you hit the snooze button, that means your alarm wakes you abruptly a few times each morning. “Hitting the snooze button can actually make sleep inertia worse," says Elika Kormeili, a clinical psychologist specializing in sleep. “It will leave you dragging throughout the day."

2. You Miss out on deep sleep

The fragmented sleep you get in between pressing the snooze button doesn't count toward your total hours, Kormeili says. Your body doesn't have time to fall back into restorative deep sleep. Instead of hitting the snooze button three times, consider setting an alarm 15 minutes later, or recharge with a 15-minute nap midday.

Fun Fact: People who consistently use the Sleep Number 360^® smart bed features and SleepIQ^® technology can improve their quality sleep by more than 15 minutes a night - which checks out to nearly 100 hours per year!**

3. productivity plummets

A study at the University of Surrey in the UK found that hitting the snooze button in the morning can affect cognitive functions throughout the day. Rather than feeling more well-rested, you may have trouble concentrating or making decisions.

4. your sleep cycle gets thrown out of whack

“In my experience, people 'snooze' repeatedly," Kormeili says. “This behavior causes havoc on your sleep patterns." When your alarm jolts you awake in the middle of a sleep cycle, you'll likely feel groggy, but you don't have time to complete a full sleep cycle after hitting the snooze button. So that extra five minutes doesn't help much. In fact, according to a study published in the journal Sleep Medicine, interrupted sleep can negatively impact your mood and attention span as much as getting no sleep at all.

“It’s important to get enough sleep and have a routine wake up time,” said Dr. Eve Van Cauter, professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago and Chair of the Sleep Number Scientific Advisory Board. 

“Set up your sleep-wake cycle, stay disciplined and keep to your schedule. Plan the day, and be careful not to let the evening drag on until wee hours,” advises Van Cauter. 

Your circadian rhythm doesn’t have to feel mysterious either. There’s helpful tech to help you get in sync with your circadian rhythm. Sleep Number’s 360^® smart beds have built-in SleepIQ^® technology that can determine your ideal bedtime and wake time, based on your individual internal clock. Customers who used this special circadian rhythm feature reported improving their bedtime and wake time consistency by 35 minutes.* 

5. your memory may lag

According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, we process new experiences and new skills during the REM stage of our sleep cycle. If you set your alarm earlier than necessary just to allow enough wiggle room to snooze a few times, you may be interrupting this important step in the sleep cycle. Set your alarm for when you need to get up — and consider putting your alarm clock out of arm's reach, so you have to physically get out of bed to turn it off.

Like diet and exercise, quality sleep has a profound impact on our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Because no two people sleep the same, Sleep Number 360^® smart beds, with SleepIQ^® technology, sense your movements and automatically adjust firmness, comfort and support to keep you both sleeping comfortably and provide proven quality sleep. Find your Sleep Number^® setting for your best possible night's sleep, and if you own a Sleep Number^® bed, log in to your InnerCircle℠ Rewards account to see your exclusive offers, refer friends and more.

*Based on SleepIQ^® data from 6/9/20 to 8/15/20 of sleepers who viewed the circadian rhythm feature vs. those who did not, with sleep timing capturing bedtime and wake time consistency. 

**Based on internal analysis of sleep sessions assessing sleepers who use multiple features of Sleep Number products. Claim based on sleepers achieving over 15 more minutes of restful sleep per sleep sessions.