I think in this life that you are either a snoozer or a non-snoozer. I have spent decades admiring you non-snoozers by literally envisioning what life would be like if I heard my alarm, turned it off, took a nice morning stretch, and then planted my two feet on the ground to start my
It all began when I committed to Mel Robbin’s Mindset Reset program that started for the new year. One of the days she discussed what is happening in your brain when you hit snooze. I’ll give you the short version.
Our bodies go through 3 sleep cycles (if we are lucky, four cycles) per night. Around 5, 6, 7 am are body starts to come out of the last sleep cycle. (if we are sleeping at the proper times which is another story) When your alarm goes off and you hit the snooze button and actually fall back asleep for those 9 minutes, your body gets triggered into another sleep cycle. When the alarm goes off again you are woken up mid-cycle and this induces Sleep Inertia. Sleep Inertia lasts for up to 4 hours and the only way out of it is with an ice cold shower. (And who the heck would do this to themselves?) For the first four hours of your day, sleep inertia impacts your decision making, ability to focus, strategic thinking, and your speed of processing. Even though you may feel fine, your brain isn’t working at its maximum.
Over the years I have been tormented with the fact that every day begins with a broken promise to myself because every single night I am 100% positive that tomorrow is going to be the day that I will not hit snooze. I am serious. I really feel it. I truly feel that I am not going to hit snooze. And then, I do.
So blah blah blah, I finally made a decision to stop. And here is what happened:
I love myself even more than before
I look in the mirror when I wake up and I am like “Elli, you did it again baby! You are not a slave to your alarm. You are free. I am so proud of you.”
Yes I actually think this. I really am proud of myself! And for all you snoozers out there, you understand why. It makes me happy that I respect myself enough now to keep that promise that I make every night.
I have more time to prepare for my day
Growing up, my mother was the only one in our household of five that would wake up HOURS before she had to be somewhere. Even if it meant getting up at 5. She would take a nice shower, make her bed, have a coffee, tidy up, and still have time for more. She would leave early to reach her destination way before just being “on time.” My mother never stressed out about having to leave abruptly so she wouldn’t be late while dropping her keys and getting her scarf caught on the doorknob choking her in a backward motion. She never had to worry about getting to the car and realizing that her wallet was inside. Why? Because she didn’t suffer from sleep inertia people!
So, as I have finally gotten on the wagon of non-snoozers, I wake up hours before my appointments to perform my morning ritual and then actually think about one or two things I would like to accomplish for the day. My bag is packed and waiting by the front door, my coffee and water intake are complete, and sometimes I make a juice and am able to actually clean the juicer right away so I don’t come home to dried up fruit flesh that needs to be soaked to come off. I also have time to put away everything that was used in the bathroom and tidy up a bit more so everything is in its place and when I return, I enter a calm and organized home.
Knowing that I am not burdened by sleep inertia makes me feel more productive (even if I can’t tell exactly what is happening in my brain)
Knowing that my brain is clear and working at maximum capacity makes me feel like I can start a new company every single day. My brain is more active (which is another challenge because I have to contain all of the inspiration) and I feel this clarity like I have all the answers. I will say, that I normally feel very awake in the morning. I rarely feel groggy. So it really makes an impression that I feel even MORE awake and clear. It’s so great!
I just feel that I’m livin my life like it’s golden
Jill Scott knew what she was talking about when she wrote that song. I mean, I walk out into the street feeling free, organized, and ready to take on the world!
If you don’t have a snooze problem…
I have some advice for you. Wake up just a little bit earlier than usual and start a morning routine. Have a little more time to yourself to enjoy your coffee. Those extra minutes have the ability to make your day even better than it already will be. 🙂