Now, blessings light on him that first invented this same sleep! It covers a man all over, thoughts and all, like a cloak; it is meat for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, heat for the cold, and cold for the hot. It is the current coin that purchases all the pleasures of the world cheap; and the balance that sets the king and the shepherd, the fool and the wise man, even.
Cervantes—Don Quixote. Pt. II. Ch. LXVIII.
You spend a third of your lifetime asleep and good quality sleep is as vital for your health and well-being as eating and breathing.1 Sleep restores your physical and mental energy and even helps you make sense of things by consolidating your memories and experiences.1