Sweet Sweet Slumber

To be healthy, both mentally and physically, we need sleep.  Okay, we ALL know that.  But how many of us moms (both new and seasoned) actually GET enough sleep each night?  I'd place a safe wager it's far too few.
Experts differ on the precise number of hours we need each night, from 6-8.  The bottom line is, we need 6+ hours of solid sleep in order to function at our best.  All of us ensure our children get enough sleep, right?  We fret over naps and early bed times and sleeping late enough in the morning.  We worry about our little ones being overly tired, and our school-aged kids staying awake in class.  But why don't we do the same for ourselves?  I think this is yet another area in our lives where we don't practice what we preach.  Like eating and exercise, we make sure our kids are healthy but put OUR health second (or 3rd, 4th, 5th...)
I know I've felt like a walking zombie since we brought Sam home.  It's been the single toughest part of learning the ropes as a new mom. 
For now, my sleep is directly related to Sam's: if HE isn't sleeping at 2 am, then I'm not.  If HE gets up in the night then I do.  But at the same time, I haven't been taking advantage of his early (7:30-8pm) bedtime.  This week I've been trying to go to bed earlier, to take advantage of that time. 
I do want my evenings to be "G" time, but its not quality time if I'm falling asleep on the couch at 8:30, now is it?  So for the next month, I'm going to go to bed early.  Whether I'm tired or not.  If I'm not tired I'll read in bed until I fall asleep.  But I'll give my body the rest it needs.  After Sammy gets in a more solid sleep pattern, we should both be more alert during the evenings, and THEN we can worry about more "alone" time at night.

Are you getting the sleep your body deserves?  If yes: how do you ensure that?  If no: what steps can you take to increase the amount of quality sleep you get?