Five or six hours of sleep a few nights in a row can affect your judgment even if you don't feel sleepy.

You probably already know how important sleep is to your health and general well-being. You may even know that you need deep sleep every night to clear out the toxins that lead to Alzheimer's. But if you're running a company or managing a business, or just have a lot of work to do, it may seem to you that there's a tradeoff between getting as much sleep as you know you need and doing all the work that you need to get done. At least, I often feel that way.

It turns out that's the wrong way to look at it because scientific research shows exactly how much we suck at our jobs when we don't get plenty of sleep--at least seven hours a night and ideally eight-and-a-half hours. So it really isn't a tradeoff between getting enough sleep and getting the important stuff done. //

1. You can't focus.

2. Your judgment may be off.

3. You can't solve tough problems.