Economist Steven Levitt and writer Stephen Dubner are two awesome dudes who teamed up to write two of my favorite books in the last few years. They use research and statistical analysis to solve some of the most complex riddles of modern life. Needless to say, I was thrilled to discover that they spent some time studying the cancer treatment industry. The question they address in SuperFreakonomics is this: "Why is chemotherapy prescribed so often if it's so ineffective?"

We've all heard that most people need 6-8 hours of sleep per night, but you may need much more, like 9-10.  Not getting enough sleep night after night leads to a "sleep deficit" that keeps growing.  And with that sleep deficit comes a gradual degradation of your health. A major key to health is figuring out how much sleep you need, then getting it.