ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the state of the literature on self-control and sleep. The Center for Disease Control has recently called sleep insufficiency “a public health epidemic” and many sleep researchers suggest that sleep deprivation is becoming increasingly common. Sleep deprivation results from getting insufficient high-quality sleep, which can be a result of sleep curtailment. It can also be a result of having poor sleep quality. In terms of performance, both chronic and acute sleep deprivation lead to cognitive slowing and impairments in attention and working memory capacity. Sleep has important consequences for people’s performance, safety, health, and well-being. Although little is known about causes of sleep insufficiency in the general population, research suggests that there is a strong association between self-control and sleep. After getting insufficient sleep, many people may recognize being depleted: feeling less capable of completing their work, failing to inhibit the urge to snap at their loved ones, or being unable to resist eating sugary snacks.
