Outside Magazine's correspondent Gordy Megroz decided to get more sleep so he better could endure the physically demanding ascent to climb the 13,770-foot peak Grand Teton in Jackson, Wyoming.

After some minor changes of habits, the payoff was tremendous, something that can act like a good reminder for the rest of us to not neglect our sleep.

Going into my experiment, I worried that not working at night would put me way behind schedule. But after just three days, I was feeling so refreshed each morning that I was far more efficient behind the desk. By six I'd completed most of my work for the day and still had plenty of energy for my workouts, without having to caffeinate.

Ten days later, my friend Andy and I climbed to the top of the Grand, summiting just before sunset. On the way back down, after a good nine hours of effort, Andy let out a big yawn. "Man, I'm getting tired," he said. "Weird," I responded. "I'm not."

Featured image: New York City, 1972 by photographer Michael Putnam taken from Putnam's book "Sleep" 2007. Via The New Yorker.