How much sleep do you need? It's all genetic!

mis à jour le 14 July 2015 à 18:35

Do you need 9 hours a night to be operational or, conversely, you are wide awake and fit after only 5 hours of sleep? Useless to fight with it, as everything is a matter of genetics.

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According to experts, you should sleep at least 8 hours a night to stay fit and healthy. Yet some of us are able to settle for 6 hours of sleep without feeling particularly tired. We have doubted for a long time that there's a biological explanation behind this, and until now the exact causes of these differences remained far more blurred.

A genetic mutation that causes our need for sleep

Scientists from various American research centres have published a study in the journal, Sleep, that tells us a little about the genetic profile of each kind of sleeper.

By observing the sleeping habits of several hundred pairs of twins, they were able to identify a new mutation on the gene BHLHE 41 (which we already knew played a key role in sleep duration). This mutation is not only decisive with regards to the number of hours spent in bed, but also on the recovery time in the case of sleep deprivation.

For not only those favoured by genetics sleep less on average, but they also recover more quickly when deprived of sleep for 36 hours.

And to top it off they have fewer problems with concentration, even when they are deprived of sleep. Are we jealous? Yes, just a little.

Read more:

Breast Cancer: Sleep in total darkness to heal?

Reflexology: The ideal foot massage for a good sleep

10 Natural recipes for better sleep!

The Sleep Report: How to get a restful night?

 Maureen Diament


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