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A sleep expert has explained why you may already be struggling to stick to your New Year goals - by claiming the problem is your sleep, not your willpower. Many Britons would have made New Year resolutions on January 1st, vowing to improve their fitness, their physical or mental health or make big changes to their career or life.

But new research commissioned by sleep technology firm, Simba found 24.5 million British adults (44%) start the year with good intentions, only to quit within weeks - with millions missing the early warning signs. One in three (34%) say they feel "unusually emotional", snappy or overwhelmed, markers of tiredness-impacted emotional regulation, while 42% reported a noticeable drop in motivation after 3pm.

But Lisa Artis, deputy CEO of The Sleep Charity and Simba's non-profit partner, says poor sleep can leave you feeling unmotivated, irritable and unable to focus, even when you're trying to make positive changes.

She adds that disrupted sleep affects the brain's ability to plan, concentrate and control impulses.

She said: "When you're not getting enough restorative sleep, motivation drops, cravings increase and focus suffers. People often blame themselves, but what they're experiencing could be a biological response to tiredness."

"If your motivation is nosediving, before you blame a lack of discipline, the real culprit could be sleep."

According to Artis, flagging motivation could be linked to circadian rhythm disruptions and cumulative tiredness.

She added: "When you're sleep deprived, the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for planning, focus and self-control, becomes sluggish.

"The brain shifts into energy-saving mode, prioritising the basics over long-term goals. That's why sticking to resolutions can begin to feel hard."

Artis added that many people are still dealing with disrupted sleep patterns following the festive period.

She said: "Late nights, broken routines, alcohol and rich food can all reduce deep sleep, even if you think you're getting enough hours.

"Then January arrives and many people start setting earlier alarms for the gym or work out before their body has recovered, cutting their sleep even further.

"The brain is simply trying to cope with too little restorative slumber. It's making tired decisions, not bad ones."

A tired brain also defaults to the easiest option - when biases kick in and you slip back into old routines or beliefs, even if they aren't helpful, because they feel safe and require less effort.

Despite good intentions, almost half of Brits (47%) admit they quickly slip back into snacking on convenience foods, according to Simba's data.

Sleep quality, not just sleep length, also plays a role. Artis said even small disruptions, such as feeling too warm at night, can reduce deep sleep without fully waking you, leaving you drained the next day.

The four signs you're tired, according to Artis, are:

1. You crave quick dopamine hits:

Sugar, scrolling, skipping the gym all become far more tempting when the brain is looking for fast energy. Cravings are often a sleep deficit signal.

2. Your emotional thermostat becomes mis-calibrated:

Sleep loss makes everyday frustrations feel bigger. If you're suddenly short-tempered, overwhelmed or finding small hurdles enormous, it can be a sign of insufficient quality sleep.

3. Your body temperature and sleep environment are working against you:

It's not just how long you sleep, it's whether that sleep is actually restorative. Even small disruptions, such as feeling too hot at night, can reduce deep sleep without you waking enough to notice.

That lost deep sleep is the stage your body relies on for energy repair, so you can wake up having technically "slept" but still feel drained.

4. Decision fatigue creeps in:

From food choices to workouts, the tired brain can't cope.

HOW TO FIX IT:

1. Swap your 9-minute snooze to 90:

Repeatedly dozing for a few minutes at a time can lead to "fragmented sleep" and that leaves you groggy, foggy and struggling to function.

If you're someone who keeps hitting snooze every 9 minutes, try setting two alarms - one for the time you actually want to get up, and one 90 minutes earlier. That first alarm lets you complete a full sleep cycle before the second one goes off.

The idea is that waking at the end of a full cycle helps you avoid the "pulled-from-a-dream" grogginess that makes mornings miserable. Basically - wake after REM, not during it.

2. Readjust rather than abandon:

A 'resolution crash' may actually be a hormone crash. Your well-intentioned new 6am gym plan might be working against you. When you're already tired, forcing early workouts can push your stress hormone, cortisol, higher and that disrupts sleep even further.

That spike makes it harder to wind down the next night, creating a loop of poor sleep and low energy. This hormonal disruption is often misinterpreted as "losing motivation", when it's simply the body trying to recover from exhaustion.

A small shift in timing can break the cycle. Once it improves, your drive should naturally pick up again because your hormones are finally working with you, not against you.

3. Cool the bedroom, cool the brain:

Temperature regulation is one of the biggest reasons people wake repeatedly without realising, which has a significant impact on sleep quality. An ideal bedroom temperature is around 16-18°C.

4. Spot the early warning signs:

Watch for low energy, constant snacking, or struggling with simple tasks, these are your body's resolution red flags.

5. Boost deep sleep to lock in new habits:

Habit formation depends on neural plasticity, the brain's ability to strengthen and reorganise connections in response to new experiences.

This process happens primarily during deep (slow-wave) sleep and REM sleep, when memories are consolidated and the brain refreshes its networks.

Without enough of these restorative sleep stages, it's harder for the brain to stabilise new behaviours, even with repeated practice.

Supporting good sleep with natural approaches - like also keeping a dark bedroom, maintaining a consistent bedtime and practising relaxation techniques - can improve your chances of reaching deep sleep.