Sleep is becoming a rationed commodity. It's what we do when we have nothing else to do. Our jobs, social activities, sports, even late night TV all seem to come first. Sometimes we don't sleep until we're just too exhausted to do anything else.

Yet, the importance of sleep cannot be denied, both to physical and mental well being. A tired person is never at his best. He walks around in a semi-daze, not performing well at work, not enjoying social activities, not really living, but merely...