Researchers Find Lack Of Sleep Makes Us Angry

BOSTON (CBS) - Losing just a couple of hours of sleep a night can turn you into a real Grinch.

Researchers at Iowa State University found that lack of sleep promotes anger. They say this is one of the first studies to actually prove a link.

Scientists split almost 150 participants into two groups, one that maintained their normal sleep routines, getting on average seven hours of sleep a night, and the other getting only about four-and-a-half hours of sleep a night. They then exposed them to different types of noises, some mild and some irritating.

They found that those with less sleep were more prone to anger, in general, but especially when exposed to irritating sounds, suggesting that sleep deprivation can make it harder for people to adapt to frustrating conditions, like wearing an uncomfortable shirt or listening to an incessantly a barking dog.