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Update Date: 2009/08/15 00:07 [AFP, Washington, Central News Agency]
According to a study released today, the key factor determining how much sleep humans need each night is not a soft pillow but a single gene mutation.
A team of scientists claims to have identified the gene that controls the optimal amount of sleep each individual requires. This gene could explain why some people wake up refreshed after just six hours of sleep, while others still feel like zombies.
Published today in the journal *Science*, the study examined a mother and daughter who required significantly less than the recommended eight and a half hours of sleep per night—the amount doctors say is necessary for long-term health.
Blood tests of the pair, who fell asleep easily, revealed a mutation in their DEC2 gene. The DEC2 gene was previously thought to regulate circadian rhythms, the cycles that govern daily behavioral patterns in humans.
Ying-Hui Fu, a neurologist at the University of California and the study’s lead researcher, said her team then tested this discovery in genetically modified mice and fruit flies.
The researchers observed that these animals moved around more in the dark and slept less.
Fu noted that this observation "could explain why people with the gene mutation remain unaffected by very short sleep throughout their lives."
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……rl/ d/ a/ 090815/ 128/ 1p3gn. html
Sleep Duration Determined by Genes
According to a study released today, the key factor determining how much sleep humans need each night is not a soft pillow but a single gene mutation.
A team of scientists claims to have identified the gene that controls the optimal amount of sleep each individual requires. This gene could explain why some people wake up refreshed after just six hours of sleep, while others still feel like zombies.
Published today in the journal *Science*, the study examined a mother and daughter who required significantly less than the recommended eight and a half hours of sleep per night—the amount doctors say is necessary for long-term health.
Blood tests of the pair, who fell asleep easily, revealed a mutation in their DEC2 gene. The DEC2 gene was previously thought to regulate circadian rhythms, the cycles that govern daily behavioral patterns in humans.
Ying-Hui Fu, a neurologist at the University of California and the study’s lead researcher, said her team then tested this discovery in genetically modified mice and fruit flies.
The researchers observed that these animals moved around more in the dark and slept less.
Fu noted that this observation "could explain why people with the gene mutation remain unaffected by very short sleep throughout their lives."
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……rl/ d/ a/ 090815/ 128/ 1p3gn. html