Experts reveal the ‘secret’ on keeping to your New Year’s resolutions this time – as figures show two thirds of people abandon theirs

Experts have revealed what they think is the ‘secret’ to keeping your resolutions this time, with the answer proving to be simpler than you might expect.

Almost a fifth of Britain aims to get fitter in the new year, although only a third of people who adopt a new resolution manage to stick with it long enough to turn it into a hobby, according to new data released by YouGov.

The key metric for breaking into that motivated minority has finally been revealed by academic scientists who say sleep is the most important factor in the success or failure of a resolution.

Researchers from several universities followed more than a hundred people for a week and sent them text messages at random times to estimate their level of fatigue.

Those who have endured a poor night’s sleep are much more likely to engage in habitual behaviors such as binge eating or not exercising in front of the TV for a while.

Benjamin Gardener, director of the study and head of the Habit Application and Theory Group at the University of Surrey, told the Telegraph: ‘If we’re trying to make positive changes to our behaviour, feeling sleepy can put us at real risk. of falling back into our old, unwanted bad habits.

“lapse can cause us to lose confidence in our ability to change, causing us to give up.”

In summary, therefore, the study makes the argument that when our brains are tired, we simply switch to autopilot as a coping mechanism and return to the habits we are most familiar and comfortable with.

The research shows that fatigue can cause you to fall back into old, bad habits

Research has also shown that fatigue can make self-control more difficult and in turn promote a return to old, unhealthy habits.

But fear not, because there’s good news for those about to start their 2025 resolutions, whether they’re fitness-based or not.

Research also shows that once healthy habits are ingrained in the human brain, it will choose to repeat them even in the face of fatigue because they ultimately seem like the easy option for your body.

The study’s co-author and associate professor at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Amanda Rebar, spoke about the study’s findings.

‘Our research shows this definitively: people were more likely to engage in habitual behavior if they reported feeling sleepy.

‘While this can result in higher levels of good habits, it can also cause individuals to fall back on bad habits.’

Sadly, over a third of Brits sleep less than six hours a night, while a fifth of the population also suffer from extreme daytime fatigue.

Dr. Underscoring the importance of sleep in achieving New Year’s goals, Rebar added, “Feeling sleepy diminishes our ability to exert that resolve against other competing desires and temptations. This can cause us to act habitually in ways that conflict with our goals.

‘When our ability to control what we do is depleted by drowsiness, we tend to act more on autopilot, with minimal precaution.’