That's the simple advice from this country's leading specialist on sleep patterns.
An estimated quarter of New Zealand's population had experienced a sleeping disorder for more than six months, Prof Philippa Gander, director of Massey University's Sleep/Wake Research Centre, said in Dunedin yesterday.
And that directly impacted on their health, emotional wellbeing, safety and work performance.
Research had shown people who did not sleep well or did not get enough sleep (a healthy adult requires six to eight hours a night) faced increased risks of obesity, immune system disorders, mood swings and even cancer, she said.
The answer was to prioritise sleep time and "stop trying to live 24/7".
"Sleep is a physical need. If you don't get enough sleep, you will eventually fall asleep involuntarily, which could be disastrous if you are driving at the time."
Prof Gander started her academic career as a zoology student at the University of Auckland but soon became interested in chronobiology - the study of body clocks.
She spent 15 years in the 1980s and 1990s overseas working, including several years with Nasa developing fatigue management techniques which could be used by aviation crews, and examining how astronauts would be affected when travelling in space without earth's day-night body clock triggers.
She returned to New Zealand in 1998 to establish the Wellington-based sleep/wake centre.
It has undertaken many research projects, including fatigue management studies among shift-workers and those who work long hours, such as truck drivers, pilots, fishermen and hospital workers, and studies into sleep deprivation among new mothers.
The centre has the only time isolation laboratory in New Zealand - a sound-insulated room without clocks in which researchers can study people's natural sleeping and waking patterns.
As well as providing important information for New Zealand, the centre was able to contribute to world understanding of sleep/wake behaviour, Prof Gander said.
"There are lots and lots of interesting things we can discover in New Zealand which can be used worldwide.
"We have a small population, different ethnic groups, a well-defined socioeconomic coding system . . . and people willing to be research volunteers."
Prof Gander was in Dunedin yesterday to speak about 50 delegates at the annual Science Communicators Association of New Zealand conference.
She spoke about the stimulation and challenge of being involved in an experimental theatre production combining the science of sleep with dance influenced by sleep and dreams.
The conference, which ends today, is being held in Dunedin for the first time.
It was held this week to coincide with the New Zealand International Science Festival, organiser Dr Karen Hartshorn, from the University of Otago, said.
