Why we struggle to get out of bed

Dark, wintry mornings don't make getting up any easier. Photo iStock

Are you finding it hard to get out of bed as the weather gets cooler?

Experts say hitting the snooze button can do you more harm than good.

Professor James Gangwisch, from Colombia University, says you should only set your alarm for when you need to get up, rather than setting it so you have some leeway for snooze time.

"We go through sleep cycles that last perhaps 45 minutes and you're not able to get through that entire cycle within that 10-15 minutes duration after you've hit that snooze button," he told TechInsider.

As most of us have experienced, interrupting a sleep cycle can leave you feeling groggy and sluggish.

According to The Sun, some of the key reasons we struggle to get out of bed include:

Altering bed times

Late nights and an ever-changing schedule of sleep times can mess with your circadian rhythm, which is created by the brain to determine when we feel sleepy.

Sleeping in on weekends

This can cause problems with your body clock, and can leave you with a feeling similar to jet lag.

It's in your genes

Scientists have pinpointed 15 genes that play a part in making someone a "morning person." Interestingly, early birds are also likely to have a thinner body shape than night owls.

Blame winter

As our sleep patterns are designed around light patterns, our body is programmed to be asleep when it's dark, which isn't so good for winter mornings.

-nzherald.co.nz