A medical professional has revealed why people shouldn’t schedule multiple alarms to wake up.
In a viral TikTok video, a nurse named Jordan Bruss advised people to stop scheduling multiple alarms to wake up, explaining the psychological and physical effects doing so has on the body. She noted that it could seriously disrupt your sleep cycle for the worse.
“If you’re somebody who sets multiple alarms, I have bad news for you,” she started the video. “Don’t come for me. I’m just trying to help. Waking to multiple alarms every morning can really disrupt your REM cycle, frequently.”
“This can actually cause sleep inertia, increased drowsiness, fatigue, mood swings, and it also raises your cortisol levels, “ she continued. “Every time your alarm goes off, you’re in that fight or flight response. Waking up like that multiple times in the morning is very stressful. So, when that alarm goes off in the morning, get up.”
In the video’s comment section, people were divided, with many claiming that scheduling multiple alarms was the only way they could wake up on time.
“Ya but then I accidentally fall back asleep, miss the gym, and am late to work,” one person wrote. “That’s the stuff that really raises my cortisol levels.”
“Jokes on you, I sleep through the alarms and that’s why I need several,” another chimed in. “Can’t have sleep inertia if you don’t wake up.”
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Bruss clarified that the first alarm in the morning may break your REM cycle leading to fragmented sleep. A REM sleep cycle includes increased brain activity, breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and rapid eye movements.
“In the early morning, before we wake up, we are in that active dreaming state,” she explained. “If you’ve had your full seven to nine hours when the alarm goes off, you should be ready to wake, and it won’t cause too much disruption. But, if an alarm goes off while you’re in deep sleep, it can activate your flight or fight response. The stress may be worsened by continuing to wake up to extra alarms.”
“Dipping in and out of REM repeatedly can cause grogginess, slow thinking, and disorientation,” Bruss added.
The nurse noted that people could optimize their sleep patterns by regulating their circadian rhythm, also known as the body’s natural clock that regulates sleep and awake cycles, determining when the body wakes up on its own. She added that a regular bedtime and a physically active lifestyle can lead to a better circadian rhythm.