How poor sleep habits can negatively affect your lives

Poor sleep habits does more than just making you sleepy during the day, as a news research has claimed that it can pose a negative effect on self-control, which in turn can put your personal and professional lives at risk.

According to Clemson University researchers a sleep-deprived individual is at increased risk for succumbing to impulsive desires, inattentiveness and questionable decision-making.

Professor June Pilcher, one of the four authors of the study, said that self-control allowed one to maintain control during conflicting desires and opportunities, and the study explored how sleep habits and self-control were interwoven.

Poor sleep habits, which include inconsistent sleep times and not enough hours of sleep, can also lead to health problems, including weight gain, hypertension and illness, according to prior research. Studies have also found that sleep deprivation decreases self-control but increases hostility in people, which could create problems in the workplace and at home, Pilcher said.

Better sleep habits can contribute to a more stable level of daily energy reserves, research has indicated. Availability of energy can refuel a person's ability to make more difficult choices rather than opting for the easier choice or the easier task.

The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.