The New Yorker asks: Why do we need it, and are we getting enough?

Today, interns still work difficult hours, but the medical world’s opinions on sleep have changed. There’s a field of sleep science dedicated to the biology of repose. Sleep medicine has become a specialty, with fellowship training programs and clinics devoted to caring for those suffering from sleep disorders. And these disorders are not rare. Some forty-seven million adults, according to the National Sleep Foundation, do not get a restorative night’s sleep. In the workplace, sleep deprivation results in injuries and decreased productivity, which is thought to cost the U.S. eighteen billion dollars each year. As many as 1.2 million car crashes—twenty per cent of the annual total—can be attributed to tired drivers, so it could be said that lack of sleep causes thousands of deaths and injuries every year.