Make Great Decisions All the Time

Remember Bizarro, Superman's evil doppelganger? Turns out you've got one, too. He comes out when you're sleep deprived.

If you attempt to resolve emotionally charged, high-risk situations on little sleep, you are likely to make the exact opposite choice from what you would have done when well rested. Why? Three reasons:

1. When you're tired, your brain has trouble integrating thoughts and feelings. So, when faced with distressing choices, your brain is likely to not only make a different -- and possibly bad -- decision but also make it slowly (not good if you're driving).

2. If you don't have enough sleep, you tend to feel hungry and thirsty, and you may even crave sex. While one out of three ain't bad, the first two can be diet disasters.

3. With a lack of sleep comes a reduction in the release of the pleasure hormone serotonin in your brain; to compensate, you try to increase those levels with high-sugar foods, smoking, or other risky stimulants.

Know you're facing a day (or week) filled with tough choices? Then make sure you get plenty of ZZZs the night before. The optimal amount is 7 to 8 hours a night for men and 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours for women.

Also, your body likes to sleep the way your boss likes to make pronouncements: without interruptions. It takes about 1 1/2 hours of straight sleep before it becomes truly beneficial -- that's how long your body needs in order to complete the rapid eye movement and slow-wave sleep patterns that are so restorative. Most people need five of these 90-minute cycles -- that's 8 hours (now you know where that number comes from) -- though some need far less.