Hit Snooze: How a 9-Minute Sleep Hack Is Taking Over Morning Routines

New research is sounding the alarm on the beloved “snooze” button—and on the millions who rely on it to steal “just nine more minutes.” A large-scale study released this week by sleep scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed smartphone data from 30,000 users in 11 countries and found that habitual snoozers rack up an average of 70 interrupted minutes every workday, eroding the deep-sleep cycles that restore memory, mood, and metabolic health. Why snoozing feels so good—yet leaves you groggy When the alarm first rings, the body is typically in the last stage of REM sleep, the phase most sensitive to disruption. Hitting snooze restarts a new sleep cycle that is abruptly cut short minutes later, releasing a surge of stress hormones and scattering the brain’s wake-up signals. “It’s the neurological equivalent of revving your engine and slamming the brakes,” says Dr. Lia Gomez, a behavioral sleep‐medicine specialist who was not involved in the study. Repeating that sequence three times can elevate heart rate variability and spike blood pressure for hours, the researchers warned. Hidden health costs • Cognitive fog: Participants who used multiple alarms scored 12 % lower on short-term memory tests the following morning. • Mood swings: Self-reported irritability was 22 % higher in chronic snoozers, echoing earlier Harvard data linking fragmented REM sleep to emotional dysregulation. • Metabolic drag: Wearable-tracker data showed a 6 % decrease in morning calorie burn, suggesting that the transition lag dampens energy expenditure throughout the day. Why we keep hitting it anyway Psychologists point to “social jet lag”—the widening gap between our biological clocks and work schedules. Late-night screen use pushes melatonin release past midnight, yet alarms still ring at 6 a.m. Snoozing becomes a coping mechanism, tricking the brain into thinking it’s reclaiming lost sleep even as it creates more debt. Five science-backed ways to retire the snooze button 1. Shift bedtime in 15-minute increments. Consistency across seven nights trumps “catch-up” marathons on weekends, which only intensify Monday snooze binges. 2. Park the phone across the room. Physical distance forces full verticality to silence the alarm and increases light exposure—an instant circadian cue. 3. Schedule a second-stage light. Smart bulbs that brighten gradually 30 minutes before wake time reduced snoozing frequency by 55 % in the new study’s pilot subgroup. 4. Caffeinate with caution. Delay coffee until at least 60 minutes after waking; early caffeine masks sleep inertia instead of solving it. 5. Anchor mornings with reward. Pair wake-up time with a pleasant ritual—playlist, stretch routine, or brief outdoor stroll—to rewire the alarm from threat to invitation. What it means for employers and app makers Corporate wellness programs are already taking note. Several Fortune 500 firms that subsidize sleep-tracking apps are adding “anti-snooze nudges” to morning notifications. Meanwhile, smart-alarm developers are experimenting with adaptive tones that escalate only if the user stays in bed, reducing shock while still preventing fallback sleep. The bottom line Snoozing may feel harmless, but the data suggest it silently chips away at cognitive sharpness, cardiovascular stability, and overall vitality. If you want to take your mornings off autopilot, start the change tonight—because tomorrow’s performance hinges on whether you wake when the alarm says so, not nine minutes later.