Get enough sleepDid you know that sleep is one of the most vital necessities of life? Laboratory animals die when deprived of sleep, just like humans (Johnson 5). Many people don't realize how important sleep is. The man who tries to do 15 hours of work in just 7 hours only hurts himself. This man who stays up late trying to finish his work, believes that he is working hard and will therefore be able to sleep hard for a little while. This is definitely not the case because he will feel less and less rested each morning and will feel more and more tired each day. What the public needs is education about good sleep habits and sleep disorders that go unnoticed. We should realize the importance of sleep and how the amount of sleep affects not only ourselves but also society. In 1959, the American Cancer Society surveyed more than a million Americans about their sleep habits. The findings drawn from the study showed that people who slept less than 7 to 8 hours on average per night had a higher mortality rate. A six-year follow-up was carried out with those interviewed. The results showed that men aged 30 or older who slept 4 hours a night had more than double the risk of dying as men who slept an average of 7 to 8 hours. The risk was only about 1.5 times higher for women. Similar results were found in another study involving 4,713 people. Those who slept 6 hours or less had a 30% higher mortality rate (Pressman 29). Even though we can observe what happens when people don't get enough sleep, scientists are still unable to explain how sleep works. The amount of sleep not only affects your mortality, but also your personality. Some people are naturally long sleepers, and some people with insomnia may benefit from restructuring their bedtime habits and sleep-wake cycles. With 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night, there will be far fewer problems with sleep disorders, car and plane accidents, and other health problems. Shakespeare once called sleep “the great restorer.” We need to understand the function and importance of sleep and relate this to improving our health and body. For our country to continue to be a world leader, the people of the United States should not have to deal with fatigue and should have an optimal level of alertness and performance. Works Cited Johnson, Laverne and Paul Naitoh. The operational consequences of sleep deprivation and sleep deficit. San Diego: AGARD, 1974. Pressman, Mark R. and William C. Orr. Understanding sleep. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 1997.