SLEEP
How much sleep do you need? Do you really need to sleep? Is it okay to skip sleep and get by on three or four hours a night? How does shiftwork affect your sleep? The mysteries of sleep are now beginning to be revealed and sleep has assumed an ultra-important place in medicine. There is now, in fact, a subspecialty in medicine and it's called Sleep Medicine.
Any of the sleep disorders may cause problems in daytime functioning, so depriving yourself of sleep is like depriving yourself of food. You wouldn't do that, so why would anyone boast that they "don't need that much sleep?" You do need sleep and building up a large "sleep debt" can lead to physical and mental problems. Simply put, you can't do without a sufficient amount of sleep. How much is that? Check out the links below and find out more about sleep.
Take the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and see how you score on sleep. You may be surprised at just how sleepy you are.
Sleep Deprivation Leads to Emotional Instability Even in Healthy Subjects (doc)
The Hazards of Shift Work Sleep Disorder
Shift-Work Sleep Disorder: The Glass Is More Than Half Empty
Heart Disease Linked to Shift Work
Science Explores Shift Work-Linked Fatigue
Neuroscience for kids and adults
Sleep information for patients and public
Canadian Center for Occupational Health & Safety
Shift work, sleep quality and worker health
Effects of shift work on Air Force Security Police Personnel
Rotating shifts vs. fixed shifts in police work
Hard work on shift work (nurses)
Geriatric sleep research program