In today's fast paced world, a good night's sleep has become somewhat of a luxury. Functioning on less sleep has even become some kind of badge of honor. But sleep should become our top priority.

One of the biggest problems with lack of sleep is that people don't even know they are sleep deprived.
Studies show that over time, people who are getting five hours of sleep, instead of seven or eight, begin to feel that they have adapted and got used to this sleep pattern. But if you look closely at how they actually do on tests of mental alertness and performance, they are functioning on a sub-par level.

Sleep plays a critical role in thinking and learning. Lack of sleep hurts these cognitive processes in many ways.

Remarkably, sleep loss may also be a contributing factor to obesity.

Lack of sleep dulls activity in the brain’s frontal lobe, which involves motor function and problem solving. Your reaction time is slower and you don't have the mental clarity to make the best decisions.

Reduced sleep time is a greater mortality risk than high blood pressure, heart disease and even smoking.