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In an age where we're busier than ever and bombarded with information 24/7, many of us complain we don't get enough sleep, The Daily Mail reported.

But getting too much shut-eye could actually be bad for your health, an expert has warned.

'The lowest mortality and morbidity is with seven hours,' says Shawn Youngstedt, a professor at Arizona State University Phoenix who studies sleep duration.

'But eight hours or more has consistently been shown to be hazardous,' he told the Wall Street Journal.

Just last month a study of almost 9,000 people found those aged 50 to 64 who slept for less than six hours a night - or more than eight - had worse memories and decision-making abilities. But brain power was only reduced for older adults of 65 to 89 if they slept too long, say the University of Warwick researchers.

And most of us are probably getting more sleep than we strictly need - we've just convinced ourselves we're sleep deprived, says sleep neuroscientist Professor Jim Horne, of Loughborough University.

He believes that far from us all being exhausted, 'things have never been better'.