Sleep and the Snooze Button: Why Hitting Snooze Makes You Sleepier
In Sleep and the Snooze Button: Why Hitting Snooze Makes You Sleepier, host Harith Iskander explains what happens when we hit the snooze button in the morning. Science shows that the body starts preparing to wake up when the alarm rings, but pressing snooze resets the body’s sleep cycle. This causes the body to go back to the beginning of the cycle, making you feel even sleepier. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Got Science?, a science magazine series that explores and explains science in everyday life.
Lesson Express
Q: Why does hitting the snooze button make you feel sleepier?
A: Pressing snooze interrupts the body’s natural wake-up process, causing it to return to the beginning of the sleep cycle, which makes you feel groggy.
Q: What does the body do when the alarm rings in the morning?
A: The body starts preparing to wake up by sending signals to the brain, signaling that it’s time to start the day.
Q: How do sensory receptors affect our sleep?
A: Sensory receptors help send sleep and wake-up messages to the brain, influencing how we feel when we wake up.
More Like This
In Sleep Paralysis: Understanding the Overlap of Wakefulness and Sleep, host Harith Iskander explores the phenomenon of sleep paralysis, a condition where the mind wakes up, but the body remains in a state of sleep. Learn how the brain transitions between sleep stages, particularly REM, and why the body remains immobile to prevent us from acting out our dreams. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Got Science?, a science magazine series that explores and explains science in everyday life.
In Heidi’s Dream World: Unlocking the Mysteries of Octopus Dreams, ecologist David Scheel’s pet octopus does something he’s never seen before: while sleeping, Heidi’s colors start shifting wildly and her skin texture changes. As she drifts into what appears to be a deep, dreamlike state, David wonders what could be causing these dramatic shifts, even speculating about the kind of dreams Heidi might be having. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: The Octopus in My House, a remarkable series about a professor and the extraordinary relationship he develops with an octopus when he invites it to live in his home.
In Sleep Paralysis: Understanding the Overlap of Wakefulness and Sleep, host Harith Iskander explores the phenomenon of sleep paralysis, a condition where the mind wakes up, but the body remains in a state of sleep. Learn how the brain transitions between sleep stages, particularly REM, and why the body remains immobile to prevent us from acting out our dreams. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Got Science?, a science magazine series that explores and explains science in everyday life.
In Heidi’s Dream World: Unlocking the Mysteries of Octopus Dreams, ecologist David Scheel’s pet octopus does something he’s never seen before: while sleeping, Heidi’s colors start shifting wildly and her skin texture changes. As she drifts into what appears to be a deep, dreamlike state, David wonders what could be causing these dramatic shifts, even speculating about the kind of dreams Heidi might be having. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: The Octopus in My House, a remarkable series about a professor and the extraordinary relationship he develops with an octopus when he invites it to live in his home.