No time to snooze

I’ve got a few words on an insidious invention that causes major problems for many in this world.

I’m talking about the snooze alarm.

Because of this invention, many people find themselves in a rush in the morning. This invention helps to sabotage carefully planned schedules, makes people (eventually) shoot out of bed in a hurry to make whatever meeting they planned. For nine minutes (or 18, or 27 or, God help us, 36) minutes of extra rest, we pay the price for the rest of the day, trying to catch up with our original schedule.

I first became acquainted with this form of sabotage when I was a teenager. Teens are notoriously sleepy in the morning. Studies show that they actually need more sleep than younger children. I was delighted to learn that my new clock radio not only had a feature that would shut the radio off after an hour so I could listen to my favorite station as I went to sleep, but there was a button I could push to give me an extra nine minutes of sleep.

I utilized this feature to the fullest extent, knowing that those extra minutes would make sure I was refreshed and energized for the busy day ahead.

I got a bit better in college at not using the snooze alarm, mostly because my roommate would kick the upper bunk if I hit it too many times. By the time I got out of college, I came to realize that if I put the alarm clock on the other end of the room, if I actually had to get up and walk to the clock, I was less likely to hit the snooze and more likely to get going for the day.

Sometime in the last 10 years, I forgot that important lesson, but it’s something I may have to do again.

For awhile, I only allowed myself one, maybe two snoozes. Actually, my wife only allowed me one, maybe two snoozes. Any more, and it was just like in college, where a little kick would nudge me and help get me going for the day. But lately, Jenny has been taking to wearing ear plugs to bed since her work schedule has her sleeping later in the morning. I find myself hitting the snooze once, twice, three, and sometimes four times before finally getting the message that it’s time to get up. Of course, I have learned to adapt. I now will set the alarm earlier than when I want to get up, so that the second or third snooze is my actual target time. I also will utilize the alarm feature on my phone as a backup, so that it goes off a minute or two after the first alarm. The phone also has a snooze feature, but it only gives me an extra five minutes, instead of the traditional nine. That way, I don’t fall back into the deep sleep that the nineminute cycle allows.

My morning ritual has adapted over the years, but the snooze has been a constant companion… one that has disrupted my schedule, yet at the same time, given me some valuable extra rest… nine minutes at a time.