(Gasp!) Coffee!!

I am so sleepy.
Last night was one of those nights that made me wish (yet again) that I was one of those people that could stay up for 3 days straight on five hours of sleep.
But, sadly, I am not one of those people.
I need at least 8 hours to feel like I'm alert and perky.
Seven is the optimum minimum for me.
Six is really stretching it.
Five is a joke.
How much sleep did I get last night?
About four hours worth I think.
Man, oh, man, I am tired.
I need to drink about a gallon of coffee so my eyes will open and I can *attempt* to start my accounting homework.
Is there a way to condition oneself to run on less sleep and still feel like a "normal" person and not a zombie?
Please tell me.
There's too many things to do at night that I can't stay up for because I have to sleep!
Or maybe that's just how I'm supposed to be.
Maybe I'm supposed to be one of those folks that does great things during the daytime for the rest of their life and pays for it by having to sleep all night every night.
Hmmm......
But I'm not artsy.
I have no great talent.
There's nothing special about me and my life.
Why am I destined to be required to fulfill my 8 hours every night from now til the end?
What's the reason?