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Did that extra hour of sleep Sunday morning, facilitated by the end of daylight saving time, make for a good night's sleep?

Apparently a lot of Americans don't get a good night's sleep frequently enough. The first government study to monitor state-by-state differences in sleeplessness indicates that West Virginians' lack of sleep was about double the national rate, perhaps a side effect of health problems such as obesity, experts said.

Nearly one in five West Virginians said they did not get a single good night's sleep in the previous month. The national average was about one in 10, according to a federal health survey conducted last year and released last week.

Tennessee, Kentucky and Oklahoma also were notably above average in their reported lack of sleep.

That contrasts with North Dakota which had fewer problems sleeping with only one in 13 reporting that degree of sleeplessness.

Health officials do not know the exact reasons for the differences. However, experts noted several possible explanations: West Virginia ranks at or near the bottom of the nation in several important measurements of health, including obesity, smoking, heart disease and the proportion of adults with disabilities. Studies have increasingly found sleeping problems in people with certain health problems, including obesity.

It is only normal that one would expect to see poorer sleep within a chronically diseased population.

Some experts believe sleep-deprived people are more inclined to eat fatty foods during the day.

There is growing evidence sleep deprivation promotes obesity, said Dr. Ronald Chervin, a University of Michigan sleep disorders expert. Financial stress and odd-hour work shifts can play roles in sleeplessness, too, he added.

The report was based on results of an annual telephone survey of more than 400,000 Americans, including at least 3,900 in each state.

Results mirrored earlier studies that found women are more likely to have sleeping problems than men, and blacks are more likely than white or Hispanics to get less sleep.

New York and California, two states with large, stressed-out cities, were also a little better than average in sleep.

When asked if they got enough sleep every single night for the last month, Hawaii finished on top with nearly 36 percent indicating they were fully rested every day. The national average on that question was about 31 percent.

While the authors of the study did not delve into why Tennessee might be near the top in sleeplessness but given our state score on obesity, that likely was a contributing factor.

How much sleep is enough? Sleep experts recommend seven to nine hours each night. Age, health and occupation are factors that help determine the amount each person needs.

Of course, such a survey is the result of the perception of the amount of sleep or rest the person questioned needed or received. Our perception varies between people and perhaps even with the same person on different days.

Often, it is too easy for our perception to call for the need to grab a short nap even during the day or during a boring talk.

However, it is unquestioned that each of us, regardless of our perception, needs a reasonable about of sleep in order to function at our best whether loafing or at work!