Getting plenty of rest is absolutely important as a lack of sleep can result in serious health consequences over the long run. Studies generally recommend about 8 hours of sleep a night although there is new evidence to suggest that sleeping 7 hours may be more beneficial. The fact remains though that if you are only sleeping for a few hours each night, you are putting a significant amount of stress on your body.
If you are constantly tired throughout your day or you find that you simply do not have enough energy to carry out simple tasks, then serious changes need to be made in your lifestyle. The last thing you would want is to develop health problems in the future which could have been prevented. While it may be hard at first to make changes to your sleeping schedule, doing so is essential as your health should always come first.
Lack of sleep has been known to drastically increase the chances of diabetes since the body does not produce enough insulin to bring sugar levels down. Since you are awake for more hours of the day, this also means that you will have a tendency to eat more. As a result, this can eventually lead to obesity and other problems if you do not change your sleeping habits right away.
If you have any conditions that prevent you from getting the rest you need, then be sure to consult a doctor as you could have apnea. The causes of sleep apnea are explained in full detail by searching the web so it will not be explained here. What is most important is your health so sleeping at least 7 hours a night is crucial otherwise you are only putting unnecessary stress on your bodily functions. Just making this simple change can literally save your life.