Doctors, hard-charging corporate types, and politicians are all known to get by on very little sleep. People often attribute the success that these people enjoy in their careers to the way they use all their time, wasting as little on sleep as possible.

Research published in the Neurology medical journal, though, suggests the very opposite. Being sleep deprived actually shrinks the brain. Another study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests that if highly-driven people find success while being sleep deprived, they manage it in spite of the little sleep they get and not because of it.

People who get a good night’s sleep are more productive, work better as part of a team, think more nimbly and are more creative. People who sacrifice sleep, or who cannot sleep, see their creativity and their alertness suffer.

These Findings Should Worry Investors

Several studies on insomnia have especially taken up investment advisors as their study subjects. They’ve found that the mental acuity of a person who is chronically sleep-deprived is usually at the level of a person who is a legally drunk. Investment advisors tend to make impulsive decisions when in this state.

Sleep if You Want to Be Successful

Another study by the University of California has discovered a direct link between the amount of sleep a person gets and the amount of financial success he comes by in life. Up to eight hours a day, each additional hour of sleep that you get is linked to a 15 percent increase in wages. The number of people who can perform well while sleep-deprived is close to zero. If you want to think creatively and be alert, then, don’t give up a minute of sleep.

What if It Isn’t in Your Hands?

If many people voluntarily get by on less than adequate sleep, millions are sleep-deprived because they cannot fall sleep. Roughly 30 percent of the U.S. population has had some form of insomnia at some point in their lives. Half the population loses sleep due to anxiety or stress. Two out of three people over 60 years old suffer from insomnia, with women being twice as likely as men to have trouble sleeping.

Traditionally, sleep aids haven’t been very effective. While sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medications do knock people out, the sleep that they produce is of poor quality. People don’t feel rested after drug-induced sleep.

To the millions of people around the world who suffer from insomnia, recent news from the Harvard School of Medicine should provide hope. Researchers there have made one of the most important discoveries in recent medical history: they’ve located the specific part of the brain that controls sleep. It is in the primordial brain, the brain stem.

Scientists have noted that the brain stem also carries the circuitry necessary for life-supporting activities: breathing, blood pressure, body temperature, and heart rate, among others. The location of the sleep circuit among these other components indicates to scientists that sleep is a fundamental life supporting activity, too.

With the discovery of the sleep circuit, they hope to be able to introduce breakthrough medical treatments for insomnia before long.

What Can You Do Today?

While there are breakthrough insomnia treatments coming one day soon, you do need do something today if you suffer from insomnia. Sleep scientists have for decades recommended a few commonsense approaches to helping people fall asleep.

Create a peaceful environment: An environment that promotes sleep needs to be quiet, dark, and free of electronic distractions.

Get a good bed: Many people have trouble finding a bed that supports them the way they prefer. Standard, mass-market beds are often not the answer. If you believe that your bed keeps you awake, you should go to a quality mattress store and try out an adjustable bed.

Live a healthier life: Both caffeine and nicotine are bad for sleep. Quitting both stimulants can help with insomnia.

Get exercise: Whatever the nature of the health problem, exercise is often the answer. Getting regular, vigorous exercise each day can help improve sleep quality. You do need to make sure that you don’t do anything vigorous close to bedtime, though.

Get treated for anxiety: Millions of people suffer from anxiety disorders. Their minds are overactive and they constantly worry about things. While medical science doesn’t have very effective treatments for severe anxiety, there are many drugs that work for moderate levels of anxiety. If you suffer from anxiety, you should see a therapist.

Whether your sleep-deprivation is self-inflicted or natural, it’s important to find a cure. A lack of sleep can take so much away from your quality of life for no good reason.

Linda Hooks has been involved as a researcher in sleep therapy. She now consults with bedding manufacturers and she enjoys sharing her research and ideas through blogging.