The Rocket and Our Sleep

Do you snooze?  Stay with me here for a second.

I’m the world’s worst snoozer, for sure!  I have at least 5 or 6 alarms set on my phone to wake me up each morning.  BUT the more I learn about sleep and sleep cycles – the more I realize that good sleep habits are critical if I want to get the most benefit from sleep.

I just had to share this with you!

I’ve learned that there’s a problem with snoozing – it interrupts our sleep cycle.  

When we fall back asleep, we start a new sleep cycle, but then it’s interrupted shortly after is begins.  This causes us to feel groggy and more tired.

Here’s the thing with me – I have to know the reason why, especially when science is involved.  When I know why, it’s easier to change habits that aren’t serving me.
    
Now, on to the point.

The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins is one of my most favorite personal development books so far.  You HAVE to check this book out! 

She has a brilliant suggestion for stopping ourselves from using the snooze button. It’s her 5 second rule.  

Here’s how it works.  When our first alarm wakes us in the morning, think of ourselves as a rocket.  Begin to count backwards from 5.  

5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1…then LAUNCH out of bed like a rocket.  

This uses activation energy to help us start our day. 

Activation energy related to waking is the initial, huge push of energy that it takes for us to get out of bed.  But, once we’ve used our activation energy, the amount of energy that we need to exert to stay up and moving is much less than that initial activation.  

Once we make it through that initial launch, it’s smooth sailing for us to stay up and awake.

Back to the rocket, she suggests that when we launch out of bed using the countdown, it forces our brain and body to move.  Once our brain gets to “1” it will automatically want to move our body.

When you launch out of bed, it’s without the fanfare and smoke, but you know what I mean.  

You have to try this and let me know how it works for you!
Share your comments below once you've tested this on yourself!