Is There An Ideal Amount of Sleep? [AUDIO]

NEW JERSEY 101.5

Much attention has been paid to those of us who are not getting enough sleep, but some report they get 9 hours or more.

So how much is too much?

A new study finds some get 9 or more hours a night. The trend was seen in participants' reports of both their weekday and weekend sleep habits.

Cooper University Health System Sleep Disorders expert Doctor Jonathan Kass suggests it's probably not the young.

Other research shows there may be an alarming link to a lot of sleep and heart disease. Some research also indicates too much sleep can fig the brain, creating thinking problems and even premature death.

Kass says since 1985, the numbers of those getting 9 or more hours of shuteye has increased. He says more investigation is needed, though.

"Is there a subgroup of people who are doing this, and why the data has changed? Obviously there has been a change, and now we have to find out why."

What adds to the confusion is the fact that some report sleep time that includes just lying in bed, as opposed to time spent actually sleeping.