New report finds too much sleep may not be good for you

NEW YORK -- You've heard it for years - get enough sleep!

But can you have too much?

A new report investigates different sleep patterns and how they affect you in the long run.

Don't we all love to sleep? And we are taught sleep is good for us - no wonder we assume the more the better!

Between demanding jobs, families pressures and that seductive TV set, most Americans struggle to get in the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep a night.

Now a new report by researchers in the US and Hong Kong looks at how much people sleep, how good their sleep is, and how healthy their hearts are.

The results might surprise you. While we all know too little sleep, or poor quality sleep, is bad for your heart, so may be too much sleep.

People who slept more than 9 hours, regardless of the quality, showed signs of unhealthy hearts in this research.

The researchers are quick to point out that this does not mean a cause and effect.

It may be simply that people with unhealthy hearts just need more shut-eye.

But it may be that too much sleep is a risk factor for heart disease that we should pay attention to.