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Short Sleep Gene
The �Short Sleep� Gene: When Six Hours is Enough
A rare gene mutation lets some people function well on only six hours of sleep per night.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
AASM | 08/14/2009
A new study reports the discovery of the first gene involved in regulating the length of human sleep. A mutation in the gene enables some people to function well on only six hours of sleep per night.
The results were published in the Aug. 14 issue of the journal Science.
Researchers studied a mother and daughter who needed only about six hours of nightly sleep. Using blood samples they identified a rare mutation in the �DEC2� gene. The gene plays a role in the body�s circadian timing system. This system regulates the timing of when you sleep and wake.
Next the research team genetically engineered mice with the mutated gene. These mice slept less than normal mice; they had more �vigilance time� and less sleep time. They also responded better to a period of sleep loss.
�These changes in sleep homeostasis in the mutant mice could provide an explanation for why human subjects with the mutation are able to live unaffected by shorter amounts of sleep throughout their lives,� Fu said in a UC San Francisco statement.
The authors report that previous studies have identified a genetic basis for habitual total sleep time in other organisms. But none of the potential animal models could be matched with the genetic makeup of humans.
So do people with the mutated gene really need less sleep? Or does the mutation prevent them from getting enough sleep? The women with the gene mutation seem to function well. But the question remains to be answered.
The �short sleep� gene appears to be rare. Fu estimated that it may be found in only three percent of people.
In contrast, surveys show that sleep deprivation is much more common. The CDC reports that from 2004 to 2006, about 21 percent of U.S. adults usually slept for only six hours in a 24-hour period; about 8 percent reported sleeping less than 6 hours.
This means that most of the people who try to get by on six hours of shut-eye are depriving themselves of the sleep they need. This is called behaviorally induced insufficient sleep syndrome. The sleep loss produces daytime symptoms such as fatigue, irritability and poor concentration.
The AASM reports that a true short sleeper will function well on five hours of sleep or less; there will be no daytime impairment. There also will be no need to �catch-up� on sleep during the weekend.
Most adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep per night. According to the 2008 American Time Use Survey, people in the U.S. reported sleeping an average of 8.6 hours in a 24-hour period.
On the Sleep Education Blog you will find links to the information cited here.
http://www.sleepeducation.com/Article.aspx?id=1395
Views: 36
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Henning on
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I'm sure it has something to do with genes.
My wife sleeps maximum of 5 hours per night. She is very energetic when she is awake. When she goes to bed she sleeps very heavy the first 2 to 3 hours, after which she wakes to the slightest sound.
Most of hers family has it at the same way, therefore my theory of genes.
They also live very long in her family. My wife has just been 65 years old, but looks like a 40 years old.
I myself am 57 years, but have nowhere near the same energy level, and I need 8 hours of sleep each night.
Henning
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There are not much of jeans in my wife.
She is very feminine dressed and with high heels. She has danced ballet professionally, but today she don't do any kind of exercise
Unlike me, who is a regularly runner.
Henning
99 said:its all in the levis
uh
i meanjeansgenes
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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on
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Interesting Henning. I know my hubby can get by on less sleep than me day after day -- but then there are times when he crashes and will take a long jag of sleep. He might sleep the entire night and take two or three long naps the following day. Then he is good to go for several weeks. Usually he works 7 days a week, and he is not self-employed either. I have seen him in the summer when work is there to put in 90 to 100 hour weeks (paychecks are there to back it up).
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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The potential of this study is enormous: if scientists can uncover the reason some people can function just as well but on less sleep, they presumably have a clear path toward a discovery of how to do away with sleep altogether for everyone. think of the potential to pop a pill and not have to sleep that night. it would change how we live totally. and make some pharmaceutical company very, very rich.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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Mike, I love to sleep and love the dreams. I don't know how I would handle 24 hours to fill with activity. It would be nice to need less sleep though. I guess I am still making up a deficit, or I'm very lazy- I slept 12 hours last night and nine or ten is the usual.
Mary Z.
Mike said:The potential of this study is enormous: if scientists can uncover the reason some people can function just as well but on less sleep, they presumably have a clear path toward a discovery of how to do away with sleep altogether for everyone. think of the potential to pop a pill and not have to sleep that night. it would change how we live totally. and make some pharmaceutical company very, very rich.
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yes, I LOVE sleep too. So even if a pill were available, i might not want to take it myself. But guaranteed there are plenty of people who would jump at the chance to get rid of sleeping altogether. And this discovery might pave the way toward getting there.
Mary Z said:Mike, I love to sleep and love the dreams. I don't know how I would handle 24 hours to fill with activity. It would be nice to need less sleep though. I guess I am still making up a deficit, or I'm very lazy- I slept 12 hours last night and nine or ten is the usual.
Mary Z.
Mike said:The potential of this study is enormous: if scientists can uncover the reason some people can function just as well but on less sleep, they presumably have a clear path toward a discovery of how to do away with sleep altogether for everyone. think of the potential to pop a pill and not have to sleep that night. it would change how we live totally. and make some pharmaceutical company very, very rich.
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Besides good genes, it also requires good breathing without obstruction.
I'm sure my wife would sleep very poorly with a CPAP machine, especially after the first two hours.
But I agree that it is a very exciting research. Incidentally, I have read somewhere, that a good sleep and aging are closely related.
Henning
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