This is still an important area of study. Plenty of very smart people don't get enough sleep and don't understand the consequences.
Agreed ^ if you’re someone who routinely undergoes bouts of allnighters (esp for uni) it’s pretty easy to fool yourself into thinking you’re fine from a cognitive standpoint
And there are those who are tortured to ensure they don't get (enough) sleep.
I think MIT undergrads still say “sleep is for the weak”.
Or "we'll sleep when we're dead". That sure is where you're going if you think that way.