Weekly Wave: Do we lose when we hit snooze?

DULUTH Any chronic snooze tappers out there?

My hand is raised high.

I must have heard the initial notes of Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks’ “Insider” half a dozen times this morning before pulling myself from bed and stumbling zombie-like into my day.

Maybe I should have woken up to Petty’s “Wake Up Time” instead?

Several sleep science studies show that 57% or more of us slap, push, tap, smack or hammer the snooze buttons on our alarm clocks or smart phones at least once a morning. Another study conducted by Mattress Nerd found that we take “an average of 24 minutes to actually get out of bed and start the day.”

And why not? Those extra nine minutes (or 18 or 27 …) can be spent blissfully tucked into bed, stalling the true start of the day.

Of course, the sleep scientists frown upon us snooze tappers. They say those blessed nine-minute intervals only serve to mess up our body’s inner sleep clock and leave us fatigued throughout the day.

I suppose that we could set our alarm clocks to the time we would typically snooze our way to, but where’s the fun in that? I probably would just continue hitting snooze anyway and really get a late start on my day.

Tap, tap, tap, zzzzz …

Maybe we should give that snooze button a rest this weekend, huh? That would keep the sleep scientists happy. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with sleeping in uninterrupted once in awhile.

Here are some DNT highlights from the past week:

Flying in a blue dream

Highlighted by thrilling performances from the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, the 2023 Duluth Air and Aviation Expo brought crowds to the Duluth International Airport to take in the soaring sights and sounds.

The DNT’s arts and entertainment reporter Jay Gabler and DNT photographer Clint Austin were on hand to chronicle the opening day’s events, which unfortunately included a serious injury during a demonstration by the U.S. Navy Parachute Team. But the most recent word is that the parachutist is in stable condition and recovering following the accident. 

After a 45-minute pause, the show resumed and ultimately culminated in the Blue Angels scorching and scraping the Northland skies. Tag along with Gabler and Austin here.

Moving day approaches

In a little more than a week, the shiny, new Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center will be open for business.

At a cost of approximately $900 million, there are a lot of impressive bells and whistles to check out. The public was invited to an open house Friday, July 21, but if you couldn’t make it, no worries.

DNT reporter Peter Passi and digital producer Dan Williamson took a media tour of the impressive facility earlier this week and shared this with readers.

The zoo turns 100

Minnesota Vikings fullback and proud Duluth Denfeld alum C.J. Ham held his annual youth football camp last weekend, and that means NFL training camps, preseason games and the kickoff of the 2023 season can’t be far away.

DNT sports editor Brandon Veale caught up with Ham and talked about his upcoming seventh season in purple and gold. 

Catch a wave

Here are a few more stories from the past week to check out:

Under review: Duluth City Council to introduce marijuana smoking ordinance On the ballot: Duluth School Board to ask voters to fund technology Water strider: ‘Silent sport fanatic’ Rauschenfels thrives with Duluth Rowing Club Bygones: 100 years ago, monkeys raced electric cars in Duluth Movie review: ‘Oppenheimer’ explores enigma behind atomic bomb

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