A new study by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden has found people who have a good night's sleep, eight hours of shut-eye daily, look more beautiful and healthy than those who don't, the 'British Medical Journal' reported.

For the study, the researchers recruited 23 healthy adults aged 18 to 31 -- all young enough to get away with the odd bad night. The subjects were photographed after some eight hours of sleep and again after being kept awake for 31 hours after a few hours' sleep.

The pictures were shown to 65 untrained observers, who ranked them on a scale of how healthy, attractive or sleep -deprived the subjects looked. Those who went short of sleep were rated as less healthy and scored an average of 63 points, compared to 68 points after a full night's sleep.

They were also seen as more tired and less attractive, leading the researchers to conclude that there really is such a thing as beauty sleep.

"The concept of beauty sleep has lacked scientific support, but the biological importance of sleep may have favoured a sensitivity to perceive sleep-related cues in others.

"Sleep disorders are increasingly common in today's 24-hour society and often co-exist with some common health problems, such as hypertension and inflammatory conditions," the researchers were quoted by the 'Daily Express' as saying.