Despite being frowned upon by sleep experts, hitting the snooze button is a global morning ritual—one embraced by more than half of sleepers in a massive study.
From analyzing millions of nights of data, researchers found that snoozing may disrupt crucial REM sleep and make mornings even harder.
Waking Up Wrong? The Snooze Button Habit
If you reach for the snooze button in the morning, you’re in good company. While sleep experts typically advise against snoozing after your alarm goes off, a new study shows it’s an incredibly common habit.
Researchers at Mass General Brigham analyzed sleep data from over 21,000 people using the Sleep Cycle app, which tracks nighttime habits. What they found might surprise you: the snooze button was used in close to 56% of the 3 million sleep sessions studied. On average, people spent about 11 extra minutes in bed after their first alarm. Nearly half of the participants snoozed on more than 80 percent of mornings, with these “heavy snoozers” spending around 20 minutes per day hitting snooze.
Inside the Study: Key Snooze Statistics
“Many of us hit the snooze alarm in the morning with the hope of getting a ‘little more sleep,’ but this widely practiced phenomenon has received little attention in sleep research. In a global sample we found that more than half of sleep sessions end in a snooze alarm, and users spent an average of 11 minutes in between snooze alarms each morning before waking,” said lead author Rebecca Robbins, PhD, in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system.
Snooze patterns changed depending on the day of the week. People were far more likely to snooze during the workweek, especially from Monday through Friday. Usage dropped on the weekends, when people presumably felt less pressure to get out of bed at a specific time.
Short Sleepers vs. Heavy Snoozers
Snooze alarm utilization was lower among those sleeping five or fewer hours. According to the researchers, this could be because short sleepers are cutting sleep short due to occupational responsibilities, which would require them to wake up and start their day, leaving little time for a snooze. Heavy users of the snooze alarm (those relying on snooze alarm on more than 80% of mornings studied) spent on average 20 minutes in between snooze alarms. Heavy snooze alarm users also demonstrated more erratic sleep schedules than other categories of users.
People in the U.S., Sweden, and Germany had the highest snooze button use, while those living in Japan and Australia had the lowest.
Why Experts Warn Against Snoozing
“Unfortunately, the snooze alarm disrupts some of the most important stages of sleep,” said Robbins. “The hours just before waking are rich in rapid eye movement sleep. Hitting the snooze alarm will interrupt these critical stages of sleep and typically only offer you light sleep in between snooze alarms. The best approach for optimizing your sleep and next day performance is to set your alarm for the latest possible time, then commit to getting out of bed when your first alarm goes off.”
Reference: “Snooze alarm use in a global population of smartphone users” by Rebecca Robbins, Daniel Sääf, Matthew D. Weaver, Michael Gradisar, Stuart F. Quan and Charles A. Czeisler, 19 May 2025, Scientific Reports.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-99563-y
In addition to Robbins, Mass General Brigham authors include Matthew D. Weaver, Stuart F. Quan, and Charles A. Czeisler. Additional authors include Daniel Sääf and Michael Gradisar.
Dr. Robbins reports personal fees from Hilton Hotels International, Sonesta Hotels, Savoir Beds Ltd., Oura Ring Ltd., and Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi. Dr. Robbins serves on Medical Advisory Boards for Equinox Fitness Clubs, Somnum Pharmaceuticals, and Oura Ring Ltd.
Supported in part through in-kind contributions by Sleep Cycle and payment of the publication fee by Sleep Cycle.
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