Do you have trouble getting up in the morning? Are you a notorious hitter of the snooze button? Well hitting it once is okay, but any more than that and your entire day will be thrown off.

A little beauty rest is okay, but a new study shows staying in bed 14 minutes after that first alarm goes off is where the struggles begin.

The reasons we routinely hit the snooze button – cold weather, partying too hard the night before, and just overall exhaustion are all common reasons.

But it’s that 14 minute mark that you want to avoid – it’s a good thing that 9 minutes is how long the snooze lasts.

And have you ever wondered why it’s 9 minutes rather than 10? That’s because when the original snooze function was developed in the 1950s, that was the only length of time they could use with the existing gear functions. With digital clocks, it can be any length of time – but we all expect it to be 9 minutes!

But once that alarm goes off a second time, that’s when it’s time to rise and shine.

The study also found that Mondays are the worst morning to get up and get moving – but I think we already knew that!

Image Credit: Elenathewise / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Right before you head to the bedroom every night, you probably (hopefully) brush your teeth. But, if you have trouble falling asleep, consider doing that earlier.

Taking a long time to fall asleep may have something to do with your pre-bed routine. And you may need to change it up. Even if you start dozing off, doing any sort of activity right before bed can cause you to have a spike in energy, and your body may think it’s not time to go to sleep after all. And this can be caused by anything, even turning the light in the bathroom on.

If you’re having trouble falling asleep, try doing all your pre-sleep routines 30 minutes earlier. Then when you do go to bed, you should fall asleep easier.

Image Credit: Artranq / iStock / Getty Images Plus

If you’ve put on a few unwanted pounds this winter, now’s the time to start thinking about getting ready for the spring and summer.

Experts have a lot of different ways you can burn calories and lose weight – but this is a list of the easiest ones to do!

First – sleep more! Sleeping keeps your hormones in check, lowering the stress hormone cortisol. If our cortisol is high, we stress eat – so keeping it low reduces urges and cuts calories.

Before you eat, take deep breaths – it calms you down and allows your body to burn, rather than store, calories.

Also – don’t skip out on your chores. There’s plenty of stuff to do inside – vacuuming for a half hour will burn 100 calories.

Finally, when you use your phone, talk instead of text – that way you can pace around and get some steps in – every minute, you’ll burn five extra calories if you do.

Image Credit: Liudmila Chernetska / iStock / Getty Images Plus

In a new study of the most caffeinated states in the country, Connecticut is right in the middle at #27 – not too much, not too little – just enough.

And that’s where we want to be, because while an occasional cup of coffee is good for you – there’s antioxidants and the caffeine helps start your day, but too much can really harm us.

The coffee itself isn’t unhealthy – it’s a lot of what we add to it. For instance, loading it up with sugar – whether it’s the granules or syrups, toppings, or whips, can really add unwanted calories which will lead to inadvertent weight gain.

Just like the sugar, too much creamer can increase saturated fat intake – the bad kinds of fat. Try a lower fat milk if you need to lighten it.

Even if you have your coffee black, too much coffee also means too much acidity and for those of us prone to reflux it can really trigger it. And too much caffeine can cause other issues – insomnia, anxiety, agitation, stomach ache, nausea, headaches, irregular heartbeat, and many other side effects.

Really, the trick is moderation. The most caffeine you want in each day is about four 8 oz. cups.

Image Credit: amenic181 / iStock / Getty Images Plus