Visits to Dreamland

I've always hated sleep. For as long as I can remember, I've sucked at it. I'm poor at sleeping in and I'm worse at going to bed on time. I'm easily distracted and entertained, so lying down and closing my eyes isn't perceived as all that valuable.

On the theme of alignment though, I've decided to give this sleep notion a little more attention. Sure, I can wake up at 5:00 an and drink 8 cups of coffee before noon; in fact, I regularly do just that. I feel like I'm quite productive in my current routine. But I would be remiss not to examine other ways of doing things. Is it worth keeping some type of sleep journal, recording mood and sleeping patterns? How do I accurately determine the optimal amount of rest I need?

Either way, at the probing of a friend I've done some reading into the ill-effects of sleeplessness. I think a good first step is to educate myself about the real consequences of chronic sleep deprivation. Knowing what I have to lose will allow me to accurately prioritize my visits to dreamland.

UPDATE: How well do YOU sleep?