Hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock once in a while might actually support the brain’s process of waking from deep sleep, according to a new study. People sometimes want to go right back to sleep even after the alarm goes off in the morning, using the snooze button in clocks and cell phones. Decades of previous research suggested that hitting snooze can have negative effects, both on sleep and the brain’s ability to wake up, but until now there hasn’t been any direct evidence of this, say scientists. The new study, published in the Journal of Sleep Research, assessed how common snoozing is and what effects this behaviour has on sleep, sleepiness, mood, and the brain’s cognitive abilities. Researchers found that those who snooze on an average sleep slightly shorter and feel more drowsy in the morning compared to those who never snooze. But they also saw that there were no negative effects of snoozing on the release of the stress hormone cortisol, mood, or sleep quality throughout the night. In the study, 1732 individuals answered questions about their morning habits, including how often they hit the snooze button with many – especially young adults – reporting that they use the alarm feature regularly. The most common reason for snoozing, according to participants, is feeling too tired to get out of bed when the alarm goes off. In another small follow-up experiment, 31 regular snoozers spent two nights in a sleep lab in order to measure their sleep in more detail. On one of the mornings, they were allowed to snooze for 30 minutes, and on the other, they had to get up right when the alarm went off. While in the first case, participants’ sleep was disturbed during the half hour of snoozing, most of them still got more than 20 minutes of sleep – meaning that their total night’s sleep was not affected much. In the snooze condition, no one had to wake up suddenly from deep sleep, and the snoozers performed a bit better on cognitive tests right upon waking. There were also no clear effects of snoozing on mood, sleepiness, or the amount of cortisol in the saliva. The results hint that half an hour of snoozing may not have negative effects on night sleep and could have some positive effects like a decreased likelihood of waking from deep sleep. However, researchers caution that the second experiment was small and only included people who are regular snoozers who find it easy to go back to sleep after each alarm. They say snoozing is most likely not for everyone. Jennifer Kanaan from the University of Connecticut in the US, who is another sleep scientist unrelated to the study, said the latest findings should be interpreted with caution as it could send the wrong message to people. “If you’re coming in and out of sleep for 30 minutes, after the alarm goes off the first time, you’re costing yourself 30 minutes of uninterrupted, quality, restorative sleep,” Dr Kanaan said in a statement. Instead of trying to figure out how to manipulate our alarm clocks, she says people should make a consistent good night’s sleep a greater priority and be less reliant on snooze buttons. “Simply put, instead of hitting the snooze button they should get more sleep,” Dr Kanaan said. Read More Study reveals why millions of women wake up at 3.29am Consistent lack of sleep may increase risk of future depressive symptoms – study Breakthrough study allows scientists to communicate with people as they sleep How to support a child with a stammer ‘I lost nearly a stone on Ozempic, but now it’s run out what am I to do?’ Miriam Margolyes now has part of a cow’s heart as she opens up about health

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On Friday, a shop owner was shot by a man who complained about a Pride flag hanging outside of a store, on Hook Creek Road in California’s Cedar Glen. When officials arrived at the scene, they identified the victim as Laura Ann Carleton. Tributes are now pouring in for a "beloved" mother of nine and business owner who was known to be a supporter and advocate of the LGBT+ community. The death of Carleton has led to outrage across the country, with family and friends sharing their grief on social media. Actor George Takei, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, and said: “This is the result of the hate they spew. An innocent woman, a gentle and loving soul, has lost her life. My heart aches for her family in the wake of this horrific murder. Those responsible go beyond the murderer. Every anti-LGBTQ politician, bigoted pundit, and right-wing hate monger has Laura Carleton’s blood on their hands.” Follow our live coverage of the story here Here is everything we know about Laura Ann Carleton: Who was Laura Ann Carleton? Carleton, 66, also known as “Lauri” was the owner of Mag Pi clothing in California. She started her career in fashion during her teenage years and worked in the family business at Fred Segal Feet in Los Angeles, while attending the Art Centre School of Design, according to the Mag Pi store website. Carleton then began running the “top fashion” show floor in the US at Joseph Magnin Century City. She then joined Kenneth Cole (a US fashion house) and remained there for over 15 years, where she worked with factories and design teams in Italy and Spain. The fashion hopeful travelled with her husband across the US, Europe and South America, which fuelled her love for design, fashion, food, fine art and architecture among other things. Her clothing store, Mag Pi, is “all about tackling everyday life with grace and ease and continuing to dream.” What do we know about Laura’s death? On Friday, 18 August at 5pm officers from the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station responded to a report of a person who had been shot at the Mag Pi clothing store. When police arrived, they saw that Carleton was suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials from the San Bernardino County sheriff’s office said there was an initial altercation that took place at Carleton’s clothing store over an LGBT+ pride flag that the owner has displayed outside of her store. An unnamed male suspect made “several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton.” The suspect then fled the scene and was later located near Torrey Road and Rause Rancho Road, armed with a handgun. Police said in a statement when officials attempted to “contact the suspect a lethal force encounter occurred, and the suspect was pronounced deceased.” The investigation into Carleton’s death is ongoing and police said no further details are being released. Residents are advised to step forward with any information regarding the incident and are urged to contact the Homicide Detail. ‘This intolerance has to end’ Carleton’s daughter, Ari, posted a heartfelt tribute on her Instagram, remembering her mother as a “fearless, cool and compassionate” human being and describing her death as a “hate crime.” The caption said: “As most of you know our beautiful mommy was taken from us in a senseless act of violence on Friday August 18th. She was murdered over a pride flag that she proudly hung on her storefront. Make no mistake, this was a hate crime. Her flags had been torn down before and she always responded by putting up a bigger one. Our family is broken. We have a long road ahead of us as we navigate this new reality without our loving matriarch.” The post continued: “We find peace in knowing she passed quickly in a place she cherished, doing what she loved while fiercely defending something she believed in. She was fearless, cool and compassionate – always putting others first. We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that our family has received from loved ones and strangers alike, it has provided hope and light in our darkest days. We will continue to advocate for love, equality and acceptance in everything that we do. Love will always triumph hate.” Hollywood director Paul Feig, whose works include Bridesmaids and The Heat, posted a tribute on Sunday, saying that Carleton, who he called his “wonderful friend,” had been killed by a young man. The post, captioned with a photo of Carleton and him said: “We are all devastated for her husband Bort and her family and the LGBTQ+ community, for whom Lauri was such a true ally. “This intolerance has to end. Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people. Let’s all keep moving forward with tolerance and love. Let’s not let Lauri’s tragic death be in vain,” he added. The Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+ described Carleton as a "friend and supporter” and said that although she did not identify as LGBTQ+, she spent her time “helping and advocating for everyone in the community.” Sex and the City actress Kristin Davis also posted a tribute and said Carleton was a “strong ally” within the community. Davis’s caption said: “I had the pleasure of meeting Lauri and shopping in her charming store over the summer. I cannot comprehend what has happened and I can only imagine what her family and close friends are going through. “We cannot rest in our work towards love and understanding and equality for every person. It is abundantly clear that divisive senseless hate is the only motive for this hate crime. Lauri was a strong ally, when her Pride flags were stolen she quickly replaced them. To think that she was murdered for her support of our LQBTQ+ family tears my heart into pieces. “I want Lauri to be known as the HERO she was and is. I want her family to know we are thinking of them and for everyone to know that we must continue to stand up for what is right! #lovewins.” Read More ‘This intolerance has to end’: Celebrities react to ‘horrific’ shooting of California store owner over Pride flag California store owner, 66, shot dead after argument about Pride flag outside her shop