Do you ever ask yourself?
“How do I get up early in the morning without hitting the snooze button?”
I confess I, too, am a ‘snooze button junkie! I thought I had created a solution to this problem by putting my alarm clock across the room or in the bathroom. My logic was that I wouldn’t want to go back to bed once I was up — WRONG! I jump up, hit the snooze button, and then gleefully jump right back into my nice warm bed. And, I will do it more than once! I know it’s a crazy habit.
If I am struggling with this issue, there are other ‘snooze button’ junkies in our community.
We all know that this is a habit, and we can change our practices IF we decide to do it. They say it takes 21 days to change a habit. So how do we take a habit from annoying, interfering with our sleep patterns, or embarrassing into actually creating a new routine for ourselves? Don’t you feel better when you decide to change and do it? Using the belief that it takes 21 days to change a pattern, start by understanding yourself:
How Hitting The Snooze Button Impacts Our Sleep
When you hit the snooze button, you disturb your REM cycle. If you fall back after hitting the snooze and hit it again, you are impacting the overall quality of your sleep.
After continuously hitting the snooze button, I am more tired and feel I have wasted precious time so early in my day when I finally get up.
You can also impact your schedule and feel rushed the first thing in the morning -not a fun way to start a day.
Why do you hit the snooze button?
- Are you getting enough sleep? If not, then, of course, you will want to continue to sleep. Try to modify your behavior and start slowly by going to bed 15 minutes earlier the first week, 30 minutes the second, and 1 hour the third week. Take the full 21 days to develop your new sleep pattern.
- Maybe you go to bed at a reasonable time but don’t sleep well. In this case, try doing relaxing activities before bed. You’ve probably heard about taking a bath, reading a book, or listening to good music. In essence, unwind with something relaxing. Forget eating, exercising, T.V., electronics, and talking on the phone before going to bed. Most people become stimulated doing any of them.
- Maybe it’s just a habit you are used to and need to change to stop the morning ambivalence.
Steps to Change
- Decide what you want to change and positively spin the words. For example, instead of stating, “I want to stop hitting the snooze button,” replace it with “I am getting out of bed and starting my day when the alarm rings.” See the difference? You are training your mind to think it will accomplish what you want.
- Select a date when you will complete this goal.
- Write down your goal (three times) every night before you go to bed – make sure you use positive wording. As you sleep, your mind can work for you.
- Stand up immediately when the alarm rings, intending to get up for the day.
I have used the above steps successfully in making changes in my life. Just keep it small and simple, and you will develop your “success muscles.” I plan to start this new goal tonight. Good luck to all of the ‘snooze button” junkies in our community! Let me know if you are successful in developing a new habit.
Your Thoughts
Has anyone in the community solve this problem in another way. Please share it with us, as it may be the perfect solution for another person.
Women’s Group Topics
Share your “snooze button” stories and frustrations and see if you can create accountability partners to support the morning routine change.
Be well,
Pat
“To fully enjoy the ‘richness’ of our lives, we need to stop long enough to visit with ourselves.”
(Pat Brill)
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