What can you do to make yourself require less sleep in the long-term?

No. Your body and mind need sleep. Exercise does not reduce the amount of time your body needs to sleep. It, simply, makes you a healthier individual and allows you to be more alert during waking hours.

Caffeine is a short term solution that will, eventually, cause high-blood pressure and a host of other problems. For the short-term, a healthy body and caffeine can allow you to skip some sleep without too many side-effects.

However, in the long-term, studies show you cannot reduce the amount of time your body needs to sleep. The army and truckers have been trying for years, and they have only found short-term solutions.

The best method is to the amount of time you need to spend in bed is to sleep healthier. This will make your sleep more restful and energizing. You need to stop drinking caffeine four hours before bedtime. You need to make sure you go to bed only to sleep. Do not read in bed. Do not lie awake in bed. If you cannot sleep, get up and do something until you are tired. This will train your body to relax when you go to bed. Also, do not have any electronics (computers, cell phones, or televisions) in your bed room. The bed room is about relaxation -- nothing else. If you try these methods, you should get healthy, restful sleep. However, you will still require around 7.5 hours of sleep a night as an adult.

I have to agree with bavwill's explanation. It can cause a great deal of stress and irritation. Eventually you will desend into anger and depression. You will begin to lose touch with reality and it can alter your personality. Your general health will decline, you will get sick much easier and not be able to kick it off. You run the risk of losing your job, your health, even your life. Many things could happen as your reflexes slow down and your thought processes begin to diminish. All in all, they have come to the conclusion that without sleep you can't survive. And while it is different for every person - some claim to only need 4 or 5. This may be possible - but the average is 8 hours a night and most seem to do well on that amount. Younger children, infants and toddlers need more, up to 12 hours a night to be at their best. So, I would say that you can figure out for yourself what works for your, but forcing yourself to go without sleep is dangerous.