Changing Your Life: Getting More Sleep Can Improve Your Health

Feb. 18, 2010— -- President Bill Clinton's stamina kept him so keyed up as he travelled around the world recently that it seemed hard to keep up with him, or figure out where we would see him next.

Clinton seemed to blame his recent heart troubles -- he was fitted with stents to reopen a clogged artery –on a lack of sleep.

"I tell you what. I was quite tired over Christmas and afterward," the former president said at a recent press conference. "But from the time of the Haiti earthquake which was a month ago today, I've been working a lot without sleeping much."

And Clinton's not the only one. Lack of sleep is the most common sleep complaint among Americans, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Researchers say lack of sleep is connected to cardiovascular disease, hypertension and high blood pressure. It also compromises the immune system, contributes to obesity and severely impairs mental judgment. Dieting might be more difficult too. Recent findings also show that when you are sleep deprived, your body actually boosts production of the hormone that makes you hungry.

But research suggests that getting just one extra hour of sleep each night could dramatically affect your health. In fact, researchers from the University of Chicago found that those who bumped up their hours of sleep, from 6 to 7 hours had a 33 percent decreased chance of having clogged arteries.

But while the thought of sleeping in may seem enticing, for many Americans, it's easier said than done.

Susan Roberts of Dahlonega, Ga. suffered from insomnia since childhood.

"I have been struggling with being sleepy all the time. Driving home from work I would have to stop and get a soda and a candy bar just to keep me awake," Roberts said. "When I do fall asleep I end up waking up every two hours."

She wakes up at 3:30 a.m. each morning and drives 53 miles one way to work -- a routine she says she finds exhausting. Yet, she's unable to rest. After many waking nights, Roberts said she felt her health and emotional well-being was at risk. Roberts eventually checked herself into the Northside Hospital Sleep Disorder Center in Atlanta.