How to stop snoozing immediately in 7 ways

For most people, this is maybe the worst habit they don’t seem to get rid off. Snoozing is a real problem that has much more negative impact than most of us might think. In this blog we take a brief look at the negative effects of snoozing. But most importantly, you will get tips on how to stop snoozing. These seven tips are easy to implement and will help you immediately. 

The negative effects of snoozing

Snoozing multiple times in the morning is a bad habit of course. But it doesn’t end here. It has a lot more effect on your (mental) health. The first is that snoozing messes up your sleep cycle. 

Often when we hit the snooze button it happens in our REM sleep, this is the phase where you rest the most. Waking up in the middle of it and going back to sleep will make you feel foggy and disoriented, not really a good start to your day.

How to stop snoozing – things you can do in the morning

So, we know that snoozing is not only a bad habit but is also very bad for your health. But what can you do now to fix it? You can stop snoozing immediately by implementing any of these tips. Combining them is even better, ofcourse.

Do something exciting first things first in the morning

One of the biggest reasons for snoozing is that people have nothing exciting planned in the morning. Whenever you wake up and the first thing you have to do is go to work, and you don’t love what you are doing, it can be really hard to get out of bed.

Change it up by planning something exciting in the morning. This way, when the alarm goes off, you are actually excited to start your day. This can be combined with exercising in the morning or reading a good book in the morning. It doesn’t really matter what you plan, as long as it gets you excited.

Change up your alarm

If your alarm is in the same place, with the same sound and goes off at the same time everyday it is not weird that you get used to it. Your arm knows exactly where to hit your alarm clock to hit the snooze button. 

Change your alarm setup and you will see that you more easily stop snoozing. You can place your alarm clock on the other side of the bed or change the music. Your brains have to adjust and won’t hit the snooze button on autopilot. 

Even better is placing your alarm clock on the other side of the room. This way you have to get out of bed! 

Wake up naturally with the use of light

2.000 years ago people didn’t have alarm clocks that woke them up at a set time. Instead they woke up at a natural time due to the sun rising. One way to wake more naturally is opening the blinders a little. This way, the sun can come through in the morning and light up your room. 

Alright, in the winter you may wake up before the sun rises. A very good alternative is a wake up light. This slowly increases the light intensity in your room simulating the sun that is rising. See more about wake-up lights here. 

How to stop snoozing – things you can do in the evening

The way you wake up depends mostly on your quality of sleep. You can increase your sleep quality by implementing these tips in the evening. 

Cut caffeïne usage 

Caffeïne is known for how fast it kicks in and improves concentration. However, caffeine is not out of your body immediately. A cup of coffee stays in your blood for approximately 6 hours and has an effect as long as it’s in your blood.

Improve your sleep quality by having your last cup of coffee more than six hours before you go to bed. So when you want to go to bed at 11:00 pm, have your last cup of coffee before 5:00 pm.

Meditate before going to bed

During the day we experience a lot of impulses and thoughts. With the importance of social media usage in people’s lives we are mentally exhausted by the end of the day. All these thoughts in your head come with a lot of stress. Even if you don’t think so, it does in the background.

Calm your thoughts by meditating before you go to bed. This way you can reflect on your day and set your mind at ease. Stop worrying about everything that happened that day and you will feel much better. For those who think, ‘Meditating is not for me’ or ‘it takes a lot of time’ then I can assure you, I’ve been there. It takes a bit of training but mostly a lot of focus and it can be done in 5-10 minutes! What’s holding you back?

Stop looking at screens before going to bed

Almost everything we do involves a screen. From our laptops to our smartphones to our tv’s. All these devices emit blue light which triggers brain activity. We all know the ‘night shift’ mode on smartphones, these are a perfect example of this problem. It should reduce the amount of blue light that is emitted but the effect is only a little. 

The real solution is to stop looking at screens at least one hour before bedtime. This way your brain activity will decrease which improves sleep quality massively. 

Plan your morning the night before

Making sure what you are going to do the next morning by planning and preparing the next morning. Set your clothes and prepare your breakfast or morning shake the evening before. This way you know exactly what to do and can get out of bed more excited. 

Evening and morning routines to stop snoozing

Ritme is everything, there are tons of things you can do to stop snoozing in the morning. However, to make sure you hold it out longer than a week it is important to come up with a morning and evening routine. 

For example, plan an hour before bedtime for your evening routine. This could be as simple as a 20/20/20 routine where you write down your thoughts, read and meditate before going to bed.

Read more about habits here.