Imagine that you are going through your bills in the evening. You yawn, you feel sleepy, but you know that you have to pay these bills. You open a bill for $100 billion (this doesn't include interest).

After you faint, you start asking yourself, "How did I get this bill? There must be some mistake! How can anyone owe $100 billion?"

Every year, American businesses lose $100 billion due to accidents and diminished employee productivity. It's still unpaid and it has become part of our national debt-our national sleep debt, that is. The debt is caused by an increasingly sleepy nation of people who don't understand how little sleep they are getting.

For its 2000 Omnibus on Sleep in America Poll, the National Sleep Foundation surveyed 1,154 Americans 18 years and older. The study revealed that most adults ignore recommendations that they get at least 8 hours of sleep per night and sleep, on average, 6 hours and 54 minutes during the work week. 33 percent sleep the recommended amount, while another third manage on fewer than 6.5 hours per night. People who work at night-shift workers-get 6 and a half hours of sleep per night on average, and over half (49%) get even less.

However, the same sleep-deprived people rank sleep as low on their priorities. Only 20 percent, or one-fifth, say sleep is an important part of good health. 45 percent of all adults surveyed will sleep less than 8 hours to get more done for work, home, family, and hobbies. And it isn't just work that makes people disregard sleep. Four out of ten adults don't sleep because at night they are watching TV or surfing the Internet. This figure increases to 55 percent among 18 to 29 years olds, who also are more likely (23 percent) to forgo sleep in order to get more done.

The 1993 report of the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research: Wake Up, America: A National Sleep Alert stated that over the past century, Americans have reduced their sleep time by 20 percent. (Sleeplessness is not solely an American trend. Countries such as Spain have given up the traditional siesta as the pressures of the global market increase-see "Hasta la vista, siesta.")

Too Tired To Understand

The same people surveyed do not make the connection between the quality of sleep they get and the tiredness they feel. 52 percent need an alarm clock to get up in the morning. This may be due to the trouble sleeping that two-thirds (62%) experience more than a few nights per week during the year.

Even more alarming is the daytime sleepiness respondents report. 43 percent say that they are so sleepy during the day that it interferes with their daily activities a few days per month or more and one out of five (20%) are so sleepy that they can barely function five days a week or more. 37 percent of adults suffering from daytime sleepiness say they are not satisfied with the amount of sleep they get during the workweek.

People who suffer daytime sleepiness and have trouble sleeping at night often make up for that sleep on the weekends. However, experts caution that constantly sleeping late on the weekends is a sign that you have a significant sleep debt and should change your sleeping habits in order to get more sleep during the week.

Ch-ch-changes in the way you sleep

The NIH advises gradually moving to an earlier bedtime if you are constantly getting less than 8 hours of sleep. If you need to get up at 6 a.m., and you normally stay up to watch "Nightline," go to bed at 11:15, then 11, and work up to a bedtime of 10 p.m. If you can't do this because of work or family, then take a half-hour nap during the day. 16 percent of Americans polled by the NSF say their employers allow them to take naps at work. Or if you're a new parent (hyperlink to article on new parents), nap when your child sleeps.

In general, the other bits of advice you've heard before still apply. Avoid caffeine to stay awake, don't drink excessive alcohol that may disturb your sleep, and don't use medication to stay awake. Eat a light snack before bed, or try doing the same thing before sleep every night, such as reading a good book or taking a bath. If you feel you need medication, consult your doctor, who may be able to advise you on how to get out of debt.

Above all, write yourself an IOU for sleep. This is one debt you can't afford not to pay.

Next: See how well the rest of America sleeps