Sleepless Nation

It is possible for insomniacs like Kris to catch up on their sleep, but Dr. Oz says they need to go about it in the right way. "What a lot of Americans do is they sleep deprive themselves during the week and try to make it up on the weekends. But what you've got to do is wake up the same time every day. Get into a routine and be able to do that for weeks and weeks on end," he says.

Dr. Oz recommends waking up at the same time every morning—regardless of when you fell asleep the night before. If you're still tired, go to sleep 15 minutes earlier the next night. "Slowly, over time, lengthen the period of time you're in sleep," Dr. Oz says.

Another solution comes down to simple sleep hygiene. "That's a matter of doing the same thing that used to happen to our ancestors a thousand years ago—dimming the lights in the home, making it dark, making it quiet, keeping it cool, wearing loose-fitting clothes," Dr. Oz says. Also, he suggests avoiding late-night exercise, alcohol and meals, and cutting out any caffeine after noon.

The average person should be able to fall asleep within 15 to 30 minutes of lying down, Dr. Oz says. If you can't sleep, get up! "Do something calming and soothing and meditative, and then try again in a few minutes," Dr. Oz says. If your thoughts keep you up, Dr. Oz suggests keeping pen and paper by the bed so you can write them down. "I think those kinds of little tricks that you adopt for yourself can deal with whatever your hitch is in getting to sleep."