There is nothing worse than a bad night’s sleep. Fact. You wake up feeling groggy and with a headache and for the rest of the day, you can’t focus on anything.

We all know that sleep is something that we need to do in order to keep our bodies in tip-top shape, but did you know that turning off the lights early and snuggling into bed can actually have other major health benefits?

The Irish Daily Star reports that getting a good night’s sleep will not only improve your mood, skin and give you bucket loads of energy, it will also help you to maintain your current weight.

New research has revealed that sleep patterns actually affect body weight (among a host of other things) and that if we lose sleep, it has an impact on what we eat the next day.

Therefore, if you have a peaceful night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed, you’re far more likely to choose the healthy option for your meals the following day. Likewise, if you spend your night tossing and turning, you’ll probably find yourself craving comfort food like chocolate.

German and Swedish researchers made this discovery when they tested the effects of short-term sleep deprivation and the impact that it had on the human appetite.

Researchers found that a lack of sleep significantly increased how hungry people felt and also raised the level of a “hunger hormone” found in the blood. Basically the less sleep someone had, the hungrier they were the next day.

So a solid eight hours of sleep can boost your immune system, improve your skin, help your digestive system out, boost your mood and help you stay slim – do you think it’s time for an early night?