I SHOULD have 8 hours of sleep every night. It's RECOMMENDED. However, there are times where it's best I don't (e.g. because of work, or travel, or needing to take someone to the hospital, etc.). It's definitely not that I MUST sleep 8 hours every night.

Yeah, and sometimes if you pull an all nighter bad things happen as a result of lack of sleep. So it is an apt metaphor.