Why You Feel Worse After Going Back to Sleep for "Just One More Hour"

Published June 16, 2025

We’ve all been there: it’s Sunday morning, your eyes snap open way too early, and you think, “Nope. Not today.” You roll over, pull the blanket up to your chin, and commit to that sweet, stolen extra hour of sleep. But when you finally get up? You feel like you’ve been hit by a truck.

So… what gives?

Turns out, that extra hour might be doing more harm than good.

It’s All About the Sleep Cycle

Sleep isn’t just one long, dreamy stretch of unconscious bliss. It actually happens in 90-minute cycles, with your brain shifting through light sleep, deep sleep, and REM (rapid eye movement) stages.

Dr. Greg Mahr, a psychiatrist with Henry Ford Health, explains that if you wake up naturally, your brain has likely completed a cycle and is easing into lighter sleep. But when you drift back to sleep only to be jolted awake by an alarm mid-cycle, you're probably coming out of a deep sleep phase—and that's why you feel like a zombie.

Basically, you went in for a top-up nap and came out mid-coma. Not ideal.

Your Snooze Button Might Be Sabotaging You

We love to hate it, but that snooze button is a little menace. According to sleep scientist Dr. Rebecca Robbins, hitting snooze repeatedly can seriously mess with your REM sleep—the dreamy, memory-boosting, emotionally-rebalancing stage that happens right before you naturally wake up.

Studies show that over half of people snooze at least once, and heavy snoozers average about 20 extra minutes in bed… but it’s mostly light, interrupted sleep. So while it feels like you’re squeezing in extra rest, you’re really just tricking your body and confusing your brain.

The 10-Alarm Wake-Up Club? Big Red Flag.

If you need five alarms and a foghorn to get out of bed, your sleep might not be as restful as you think. Dr. Rachel Salas of Johns Hopkins Medicine says that needing multiple alarms—or constantly relying on snooze—could be a sign of an undiagnosed sleep disorder or a messed-up sleep schedule.

It’s not about being lazy. Your body might literally be struggling to wake up properly.

So… What Should You Do Instead?

Here’s the surprising advice: Stay up when you wake up early—at least most of the time. If your eyes pop open naturally, it’s probably your body saying, “Hey, I’m good!” Trust it.

But if you're really tired and need to catch up, a nap might be the better move.

✔️ Try a nap before 3 p.m.
✔️ Keep it short—20 to 30 minutes max
✔️ Don’t nap too close to bedtime (you’ll just mess up your circadian rhythm more)

Dr. Salas says this kind of “power nap” won’t interfere with your natural sleep drive and can help recharge you without sending you into groggy territory.