The idea of people meeding "beauty sleep" has acquired some scientific backing, according to a Swedish study. People deprived of sleep for long periods appear less attractive and more unhealthy than those who are well rested, say researchers.
The team asked untrained observers to rate the faces of 23 young men and women who had been photographed after a normal night's sleep and then after a night of deprivation.
The photographs were standardised so that people were the same distance from the camera, wore no make-up and used the same expression. The observers rated the sleep-deprived as less healthy, more tired and less attractive than those who had had enough sleep.
The authors wrote in their paper published in the British Medical Journal: "Sleeep deprived people are perceived as less attractive, less healthy and more tired compared with when they are well rested."