Snoozing when the clock rings in the morning has long been claimed to have a negative impact on, among other things, sleep and the brain’s ability to wake up.
But according to Tina Sundelin, researcher at the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University and principal responsible for a new study in the area, this type of claim lacks a scientific basis.
– Our results show that those who snooze generally sleep a little shorter and to a greater extent experience drowsiness in the morning compared to those who never snooze, she says in a press release and continues:
– But we saw no negative effects of snoozing on cortisol secretion, morning fatigue, or mood, nor any disturbances on the quality of night sleep.
Snoozers performed better
In the first part of the study, where they investigated who snoozes and why, they found that it is especially common among younger adults and people who enjoy staying up late at night, and that the reason behind snoozing is often tiredness.
In the second part, 31 people were allowed to sleep in Stockholm University’s sleep lab. Then it was found that sleep was indeed disturbed during the snooze period, but that they simultaneously performed better on cognitive tests immediately after waking up – as they do not have to wake up from deep sleep.
– Overall, the study shows that a half-hour snooze has no negative effects on night sleep or sleep inertia, says Tina Sundelin in the press release.
– If anything, we rather saw some positive outcomes, such as a reduced probability of having to wake up from deep sleep. When the participants had a snooze, they were also a little more quick-thinking just when they got up.