Some people naturally function on very little sleep, a trait linked by researchers to specific genetic variations known as familial natural short sleep.
For as long as she can remember, Aimee Pugh Bernard has operated on minimal rest. Typically sleeping from 22:00 to 04:30, the University of Colorado immunology professor wakes up fully energized. I am totally awake. I can’t stay in bed
, she said, describing a pattern shared by her father and her brother.
Sometimes, after taking a little while to fall asleep, she gets only five hours of rest, yet she routinely begins her day by walking her dog, completing a one-hour gym workout, and finishing an hour and a half of work before 08:00.
What is familial natural short sleep?
Molecular biologist Ying-Hui Fu of the University of California, San Francisco, leads the research team studying these genetic mutations, noting that one of the mysteries is that such individuals appear to be doing well despite sleeping so little. Individuals carrying these mutations typically wake up very early, sleeping generally between four and six and a half hours each night.
Researchers observed that despite sleeping less, the carrier twin obtained non-REM sleep—including slow-wave or deep sleep—in amounts practically equal to their sibling.
How does genetics influence normal sleep duration?
Hundreds of regions in the genome influence how long people sleep.
Researchers caution that carrying genetic predispositions for sleeping less does not uniformly protect against health risks. Studies evaluating women found that those with a higher genetic predisposition to short sleep experienced half the risk of postpartum psychosis compared to other participants, though a broader analysis also linked such variants with higher levels of insomnia and fatigue.
Controlled sleep restriction studies on adults show that while people limit their time in bed and perform worse on cognitive tests, after two weeks they report feeling only slightly sleepy, which sleep researchers explain by noting that a person’s capacity deteriorates while they simultaneously become less aware of that deterioration.
Why do pharmaceutical researchers study short sleepers?
The hope behind studying short sleepers is that these discoveries could lead to the development of drugs to treat sleep disorders or help military personnel function on fewer hours of sleep. Fu emphasizes caution regarding future drug development, noting the importance of understanding how these variants work to avoid unexpected side effects.
You wouldn’t want to sleep less and, after five, ten, or 20 years, end up developing Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or cancer
, Fu stated, stressing that scientists must clearly understand whether these variants protect against negative consequences and exactly how they accomplish it before creating treatments.
For Bernard, identifying her genetic profile brought personal clarity after years of wondering if she simply struggled to relax or was trying to accomplish too much, especially enjoying the extra quiet time in the morning while her husband and children remained deeply asleep. Ahora tengo una respuesta
, Bernard said. I know that, genetically, this is the way I am; and I’m simply going to have to accept it
.