Do you thrive at three hours of sleep? You may have ‘Short Sleeper Syndrome’, say scientists

We are all regularly told about the benefits of getting at least seven hours of sleep per night.

But a new study has shown that a small group of people can thrive just three hours of sleep.

While the rest of us would probably nod at our desks, or start snoring in the train, they look clear eyes and bushy tail.

Now experts have indicated a new genetic variant linked to ‘Short Sleeper Syndrome’.

And it can help to develop treatments for sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea.

So, are you one of the lucky ones who can flourish chicken in just a few hours?

“Our bodies keep working when we go to bed, detoxify themselves and repair themselves,” said co-author Ying-Hui Fu, a neuroscientist at the University of California in San Francisco, said Nature.

“These people, all these functions that our body does while we sleep, can simply perform at a higher level than we can.”

Since the turn of the Millennium professor FU and her team, the genes of short sleepers – people who can make ends meet for six hours or less a night.

So far they have identified five mutations in four genes that can contribute to the property.

This includes in one gene that helps to regulate the circadian rhythm-the internal clock that is responsible for regulating our sleep-wake cycle.

Part of the latter studyThe researchers searched for new mutations in the DNA of a naturally short sleeper that slept on average 6.3 hours a night.

They discovered one in Sik3, a gene that produces a certain type of protein that sends chemical signals to other proteins to change their function.

Mice designed with the same genetic mutation also slept less, the researchers thought – although not much.

These animals usually destroy about 12 hours a day, and those with the genetic mutation slept about 31 minutes less.

The researchers discovered that the genetic mutation could shorten sleep by supporting the brain’s ability to regulate itself and maintaining a stable environment.

Margaret Thatcher came around famous with only four hours of sleep per night, but experts do not recommend it for everyone

Since the mice only lost a fraction of their sleep, this indicates that the SIK3 mutation is not an important cause of reduced sleeping needs, said Clifford Saper, a neurologist at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

However, it clearly has some impact.

“This work fits very well with what is known about SIK3, and that can help us understand the basis for sleepiness,” he said.

The researchers hope that finding enough mutations in natural short sleepers can get a better idea of ​​how sleep is regulated in people, which can lead to treatment for sleep disorders.

Famous faces that did not get much sleep are Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, who reportedly came around four or five hours of sleep. However, this is poorly advised for the average person.

A 2022 study showed that getting less than five hours closed eye per night in later life could lead to the risk of a chronic illness with a fifth.

Researchers looked at 7,864 British, who were asked at 50, 60 and 70 how much sleep they received on an average weekday evening.

These people were followed for more than 25 years to see if they developed one of a list of 13 common chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease or dementia.

The findings can help to develop treatments for sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea, the scientists said

People aged 50 and five hours of sleep per night or less, compared to those who sleep seven hours, were 20 percent more likely to develop one of the 13 diseases for the first time.

But they also had a higher risk of getting two or more of these diseases.

It shows that a lack of sleep is not only associated with illness in later life, but also with multiple diseases that people live at the same time, increasing their risk of hospitalization and disability.

Jo Whitmore, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, who helped in financing the research, said: “This research contributes to a growing number of research that emphasizes the importance of getting a good night’s sleep.”