Sleep is as essential as eating a healthy diet is. People vary on the amount of sleep they need depending on their age, basically. Infants need 16 hours of sleep. Teenagers need 9 hours of sleep. Adults need between 7-8 hours of sleep. If you don't get the sleep you need you will lag and be less apt to make split-second decisions. Your reaction time becomes slower. You cannot move and judge distances or circumstances correctly. If you have not slept the adequate amount of time, the next day you will need more sleep to make up for the lack of sleep from the night before. For those people that due to life's circumstances; their job being a parent or caretaker and not getting enough sleep daily; you will just be in a sleep-deprived way for however long, it takes you to try and make up for all those lost hours of sleep. You will just not be as responsive and quick to judge as you should be if you slept normally as you should.