Stick to one alarm in the morning, not multiple, for better overall health, expert says

Published Sep 22, 2024  •  1 minute read

One sleep expert says waking up to one alarm is the best for your overall health. Photo by monkeybusinessimages / iStock /Getty Images

You snooze, you lose.

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Setting multiple alarms in the morning to ensure you get out of bed may not be the best for your overall health.

One expert says waking up more than once in the morning can leave you feeling groggy, disoriented and stressed out during the day.

It can also affect your overall sleep quality.

“My general advice is that you set one alarm,” Alicia Roth, a Ph.D. with the Cleveland Clinic, told Los Angeles ABC affiliate KABC.

“The more alarms you have, the harder it’s going to be for you to wake up in the morning.”

Hitting the snooze button only to wake up 10 to 15 minutes later will disrupt your body’s natural rhythm.

If you need help waking up, Roth suggests cutting down on the number of alarms by setting it for when you actually need to wake up and maintain the same time every day of the week.

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“So, a lot of us have a tendency to go to bed later and wake up later on weekends than on weekdays,” Roth said. “That makes it really difficult to wake up on Monday morning, and Tuesday morning, and might prompt us to have multiple alarms or multiple snoozes.”

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Roth also says keeping the alarm across the room and away from the side of your bed will help you get a better start to your day.

If you still find it difficult to wake up in the morning and need several alarms just to start your day, Roth says you may be dealing with a sleep disorder.

Seeing a sleep specialist may be the best option if your everyday life is being impacted, Roth added.

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