There is nothing quite as satisfying as hitting the snooze button as your alarm incessantly rings in your ear early in the morning. It’s so simple. Just hit a button and you automatically grant yourself a few extra minutes of sleep. And why wouldn’t you? Extra sleep must be good for you, right? Not quite.

Research has proven that hitting the snooze button, in fact, has the opposite effect on us than we assume. When you hit the snooze button you are committing two disservices to your rest.

1. You’re fragmenting what little extra sleep you may be getting.

In other words, the extra sleep you are getting by snoozing is of very poor quality, and oftentimes, bad sleep can do more harm than no sleep.

2. You’re starting a new sleep cycle but not giving yourself the time to finish it.

By starting a new sleep cycle with every snooze, you will wake feeling groggy and disoriented. Not completing a sleep cycle slows your ability to make decisions, impairs your memory and makes it harder to perform every day tasks. It can take up to an hour and a half before you’re able to shake this grogginess.

So why is it so tempting to hit snooze when ultimately we are hurting our bodies? Research says it’s due to the fact that most Americans aren’t getting enough sleep. So how can you avoid hitting snooze? Try going to bed earlier. We know it sounds simple enough but even going to bed a half-hour earlier can help prevent the temptation to snooze in the morning. You can also try keeping your alarm clock on the other side of the room. This will force you to rise from bed in the morning to turn it off.

We know it will be hard to avoid snoozing, but give it a try for a few mornings and we’re confident you’ll see a big improvement in your morning energy level!