‘I have bad news for you’: Expert warns against setting multiple alarms in the morning

If you're a heavy sleeper, you likely set multiple alarms to ensure you will wake up in the morning. However, a nurse says that setting more than one alarm may be doing more harm than good. In a viral TikTok, she explains why it can harm your sleep cycle and cause you to feel more exhausted than refreshed.

TikTok user Jordan (@jordan.bruss) says she's a nurse. She uses her platform to promote a healthy lifestyle. “If you’re somebody who sets multiple alarms, I have bad news for you,” she says in one of her most viral videos.

The TikTok was viewed over 1.5 million times.

The bad news is that “waking to multiple alarms every morning really disrupts your REM cycle frequently,” she says. 

What is REM sleep?

According to the Sleep Foundation, "Most adults need about two hours of REM sleep each night." "During REM sleep, your eyes move rapidly behind your closed eyes," the Sleep Foundation notes. Hence the name: Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. It's the fourth and final phase of sleep and is very important. According to the Sleep Foundation, it "plays a role in memory consolidation, emotional processing, brain development, and dreaming."

So when your alarm goes off, it can disrupt this cycle of sleep, according to Jordan. “This causes sleep inertia, increased drowsiness, fatigue, mood swings, and it also raises your cortisol levels,” the content creator elaborates.

“Every time that alarm goes off, you're in that flight or flight response," she says. "So, waking up like that multiple times in the morning is very stressful."

What is sleep inertia?

According to the Sleep Foundation, sleep inertia is “the groggy feeling upon waking, caused by abrupt disruption of sleep.” Sleep inertia reduces reaction time; inhibits short-term memory; and impairs cognitive functions, such as thinking, reasoning, remembering, and learning. 

So what should you do instead?

Jordan recommends waking up as soon as your first alarm goes off.

“Get up! Don’t keep traumatizing yourself," Jordan says.

Newsweek spoke with several sleep psychologists, and their remarks reiterate what Jordan said in her video. The experts recommend using light to wake up instead. Katherine Hall, a sleep psychologist, recommends getting a sunrise alarm clock instead.

"A sunrise alarm clock mimics a natural sunrise by gradually intensifying light, providing a gentle awakening similar to the body's response to daylight," Hall told Newsweek. "This gradual start allows for a more calming awakening which is less likely to leave you feeling groggy."

If you don't want a sunrise alarm clock, however, Hall's advice is similar to Jordan's: Stick to one alarm. Hall also recommends choosing a clam ringer and placing it away from you so that you have to get out of bed to turn it off.

@jordan.bruss Good sleep hygiene is a big part of my physical and mental health. I promise I would not be in the shape I am in without doing some serious research in the deep sleep department. Don't cause yourself extra physical and mental stress. Excess cortisol levels make you gain and hang on to weight. So when the alarm goes off, it's time, get up. You'll look and feel better! #fyp #sleep #sleephygiene #cortisol #cortisollevels #healthylifestyle #healthcoach #lifecoach #nursecoach ♬ original sound - Jordan

Multiple alarm setters weighed in

Jordan's video amassed 1.2 million views. It doesn't seem like the multiple alarm setters will be changing their ways anytime soon.

“But when you go back to sleep after the first one it’s the best feeling,” the top comment reads.

“Jokes on you, I sleep through the alarms and that's why I need several. can't have sleep inertia if you don't wake up,” a second remarked.

One woman who uses a sunrise alarm clock also weighed in. "A sunrise alarm clock changed my life! It works and it’s the most peaceful way to wake up. The first day I woke up I literally woke up with a smile on my face," she shared.

The Daily Dot reached out to Jordan via Instagram direct message.

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