I find myself getting a few hours of sleep too. Just now, I woke up at 5am!!!! It's 6:30a now and I've been online paying my bills, checking my accounts, trying to do the camcorder record thing, took a sh**. I didn't go to bed until a little after midnight. I think sleeping comfort can affect your ability to sleep longer. For me, I need a new mattress and the cold at night keeps me awake.
When it comes to sleeping in, the worse part is the bright sun in your face. I close all my blinds to try and block majority of the sunlight out. Some people wear a mask over their eyes to have complete darkness. It's phychological. When you see daylight, you tend to have things to do so you want to wake up and do it. But if you know it's still dark, then you sleep longer. Then of course, there's household distractions (people in the house causing a ruckus).