The American Sleep Deficit

(CBS)  Americans aren't getting enough shut-eye, and the problem is becoming a growing menace to health and safety--at work, on the road, and at home.

Tracy Mathis spent last night at a sleep laboratory in Newark, New Jersey, her brain waves and eye movements closely monitored to find out why she just can't close her eyes for more than 2 or 3 hours at a stretch.

"I wish I could sleep . . . just one full night's sleep," says Mathis.

She is one of millions of Americans who don't get enough sleep.

"People pooh-pooh sleep. If you sleep 7_ hours per night, 'Ooh, you're square!' The thing to do is to stay up late and work long hours," says Dr. Jeffrey Namias.

The National Sleep Foundation wants to end this nightmare by promoting a new public policy of spending less time on the job and more time under the covers.

"We tend to sacrifice sleep with the goal of working more," says James Walsh of the foundation.

Sixty-three percent of Americans do not get the recommended 8 hours of sleep because they are workaholics--38% work more than 50 hours a week. Those with children sleep less than 7 hours a night, and seven out of ten adults say they have a problem getting to sleep and staying asleep.

People are so sleepy that they're having accidents at work and accidents on the road.

"Americans need to understand that sleep is not a luxury," says Walsh. "Sleep is a necessity for good health and for quality of life"

Here are a couple of other things that might keep you awake at night: The National Sleep Foundation says our sex lives and our social lives are also suffering. There just isn't enough time.

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