The Wall Street Journal spotlights so-called natural “short sleepers,” who, according to available studies, comprise about one to three percent of the population. They need roughly five hours’ sleep each night, tend to be outgoing, optimistic types, and are often over achievers. 
According to Dr. Daniel J. Buysse, a psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, only about five out of every 100 people who believe they are short sleepers, really are.
The rest comprise the 33 percent of sleep-deprived adults reported last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends a full seven hours’ sleep nightly.
Dr. Buysse notes that studies have also suggested that some short sleepers have hypomania. The Journal quotes him as saying, “These people talk fast. They never stop.”
So, the bottom line is that most Americans are NOT getting enough sleep and that is a highly unhealthy habit.
Here are some of my other posts on this topic:

• One in three US adults gets less than seven hours’ sleep a night
• To Not Sleep, Perchance to Shorten Your Life
• Lack of sleep linked to risky precancerous colon polyps
• ‘Beauty sleep’ turns out to be true, says study
• Less stress and more sleep may help you lose weight
• Insufficient, irregular sleep associated with childhood obesity
• Ten tips for getting a better night’s sleep
• Six doctor-recommended sleep aids