Getting Enough Sleep: The Key to Success in Achieving Your New Year’s Resolutions
As we embark on a new year, filled with hopes and aspirations for positive change, researchers from the University of South Carolina, CQUniversity Australia, and the University of Surrey have uncovered a crucial factor that can significantly impact the success of our resolutions: sleep. In a recent study published in the Journal of Sleep Research, the researchers found that sleepiness can increase our reliance on habits, both good and bad.
Lead researcher Amanda Rebar, an associate professor of health promotion education and behavior, explains, “When our ability to control our actions is diminished by sleepiness, we tend to operate more on autopilot, with minimal conscious thought. Our study provides clear evidence of this phenomenon: individuals were more prone to habitual behaviors when they were feeling sleepy. While this can reinforce positive habits, it can also lead to a regression to negative habits.”
The study, which followed over 100 participants over the course of a week, compared levels of sleepiness and habitual behaviors both between individuals and within the same individuals at different times. The findings revealed that while sleepier individuals were not inherently more likely to rely on habits, they were more prone to habitual behaviors when they were sleepier than usual.
Daytime sleepiness affects nearly a quarter of Americans, impacting alertness and increasing the likelihood of falling asleep during waking hours. Aside from the discomfort of feeling drowsy during the day, this state can hinder our ability to consciously regulate our actions.
Rebar adds, “Making choices aligned with our goals requires conscious effort. Sleepiness diminishes our capacity to exert that effort in the face of competing desires and temptations, leading us to act habitually, even in ways that contradict our intentions.”
These competing desires and temptations could include choosing TV over exercise or opting for comfort foods instead of healthier options. As levels of sleepiness rise, individuals are more likely to revert to existing habits.
Benjamin Gardner, a co-author of the study and director of the Habit Application and Theory group at the University of Surrey, emphasizes the risk of lapsing back into unwanted habits when feeling drowsy. “Lapses can erode our confidence in our ability to change and may ultimately lead us to give up on our resolutions,” Gardner explains.
For those striving to achieve their New Year’s resolutions, the researchers recommend prioritizing adequate sleep to maintain the alertness necessary to support new habits and resist old ones. Once these new habits become ingrained, they are more likely to serve as a reliable fallback during moments of sleepiness.
In light of these findings, it becomes clear that getting enough sleep is not just essential for physical and mental well-being but also plays a crucial role in the success of our efforts to make positive changes in our lives. So, as you set your resolutions for the coming year, remember to prioritize sleep as a key factor in achieving your goals.
