David Mytton's Reviews > Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams

An nicely accessible guide to the science of what should really be common sense - sleep is good for you, and you probably need more of it. Less than 1% of people can survive on fewer than 7-8 hours per night, and 8-9 is ideal.

Although I think it's a bit wordy and has too many examples, it is still worth reading to understand the extreme negative effects of even just a single night of sleep deprivation.

In particular, it offers significant evidence to convince businesses why they should be more flexible around start/end times and that well rested employees working shorter hours can actually be significantly more productive than those just showing up to put in more time in the office. Also contains some interesting public policy recommendations around education and school hours.