On occasion, you can get by without the required eight hours. But if you are regularly missing sleep, you are headed for a host of health and behavioral problems. Besides the fatigue, you can experience memory loss, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and a general lack of energy. The costs of drowsiness on the job or while driving are tremendous. President Bill Clinton reportedly performs well on four to five hours' sleep, but he's the exception, not the rule.

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