Sleepy? You're Not Alone, says New Study

A new study published in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report says that many Americans aren't getting enough sleep. The study, which polled almost 20,000 adults in the states of Hawaii, Delaware, Rhode Island, and New York, suggests that only one in three people gets an adequate amount of daily rest.

In polling, the researchers found that the people surveyed self-reported that late night television and internet use were the primary distractors leading to the loss of sleep, through stress and "daily concerns" were also high on the list.

Hawaii appears to be the most well-rested state, with almost 40% of those polled reporting that they were "perfectly rested. Overall, almost 10% of people reported not getting enough sleep on any day during the preceding month. In this group, those younger than 55 and those out of work seemed to be the most affected.

Regular, consistent sleep patterns have long been known to contribute to overall health. Chronic sleep loss is linked to a wide variety of physical ailments, and has been shown to contribute to the development of both high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as a host of other cardiovascular diseases. While the reasons for this are not entirely clear, scientists suspect the stress hormone cortisol plays an important role. People who don't get enough sleep have increased levels of cortisol, which can alter normal metabolic patterns.

Experts disagree on the precise amount of sleep that adults should be getting, but agree that less than six hours daily is probably enough to cause elevated cortisol levels.