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Bad sleep can seriously impair an individual's self control, according to a new study.

Researcher from Clemson University linked poor sleep to increased risk of giving in to impulsive desires, inattentiveness and questionable decision-making. 

"Self-control is part of daily decision-making. When presented with conflicting desires and opportunities, self-control allows one to maintain control," lead researcher June Pilcher, Clemson Alumni Distinguished Professor of psychology, said in a news release. "Our study explored how sleep habits and self-control are interwoven and how sleep habits and self-control may work together to affect a person's daily functioning."

"Exercising self-control allows one to make better choices when presented with conflicting desires and opportunities. That has far-reaching implications to a person's career and personal life," Pilcher added.

Besides diminishing self-control and increasing hostility, poor sleep habits include not getting enough hours of sleep and inconsistent sleep times. Inadequate sleep has consistently been linked to health problems like obesity, hypertension and other diseases.

"Many aspects of our daily lives can be affected by better-managed sleep and self-control capacity," Pilcher said. 

"Improved health and worker performance are two potential benefits, but societal issues such as addictions, excessive gambling and over spending could also be more controllable when sleep deficiencies aren't interfering with one's decision making," she concluded.

The findings are published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.