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A new study suggested that good, restful sleep could make a person as happy and healthy as a lottery jackpot winner.

Dr. Nicole Tang and her team wanted to find out how changes in sleep quality and quantity and the use of sleep medication are linked to health and well-being. An analysis was done based on data gathered from 30, 594 people in the UK over a four-year period. The researchers measured health and well-being as the outcome in 2009-2011 and 2012-2014 using the scores in General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the physical and mental component scores of the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12).

The researchers found that as the quantity and quality of sleep get better, improved health and well-being follow. The latter are also linked with less use of medication. The result is the opposite with poorer quality and shorter amount of snooze, as well as using medication more often, the study published in Sleep revealed.

The study demonstrated further that the positive changes in its quality had the more obvious effect in the improvement of health and well-being compared to a reduction of medication use. The factor with the least impact was the quantity of sleep.

What's more, a 2-point reduction in the GHQ score was as good as completing an 8-week program of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. This type of therapy is designed to improve psychological well-being. It is also the equivalent of the average improvement in the well-being of UK BHPS lottery winners 2 years following a $250,000 win.

Since sleep deprivation has adverse effects on a person's physical and mental health, knowing the signs of not having a good shuteye will help us look for ways to prevent them.

Constantly being hungry is a telltale sign, which leads to weight gain since the lack of rest not only makes the body crave fatty and sugary foods, it also messes with the body's metabolism. Impulsiveness and increased irritability are signs as well. Research shows that insufficient sleep could prevent the brain from keeping the nervous system clear of toxins. It could also slow down your reaction time and decision-making ability. A person's motor skills, emotions, immune system, skin recovery and eye muscle control are affected as well, according to Health.