ABCC9. No, I didn’t stutter- and I’m not talking television, either. ABCC9 is a specific gene that may explain my habits to you. It affords its ‘owners’ the ability to sleep for shorter periods than those that lack this genetic marker. By the way, the larger a person’s BMI [body mass index], the less sleep that person generally needs- but that characteristic is also associated with diabetes and heart disease. (Given these facts, it is unclear if these maladies are associated with shorter sleep or larger BMI.)
A group of about 30 researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the Ludwig Maximilians University (Scotland and Germany, respectively) fished around for 10,000 people from seven countries including Croatia, Italy, Estonia, Germany and the Orkney Isles. Dr. K Allebrandt presented these results at the 12th International Congress of Human Genetics in Montreal in October 2011. (A gene involved in metabolism modulates natural variation in sleep duration: from genome wide association studies to function in Drosophila is the name of the presentation.) Of these, 4260 individuals were chosen for more detailed study.
The 4260 subjects donated a DNA sample and answered questionnaires. The primary interest was devoted to the days they did not have to arise for work and could sleep as late as they wanted- and avoided the use of sleeping pills, too. Once the questionnaires were evaluated, the DNA was examined for markers that separated the short sleepers from the longer sleepers.
These researchers found two copies of the marker genes (ABCC9) in those subjects that slept shorter than the others. The marker encodes for a protein, SUR2, that is affects the the operation of the potassium channel in our cells. Potassium channels govern the transport of that ion in and out of our cell membranes (the outer structure of our cells). Interestingly, the protein that is encoded by ABCC9, SUR2, is also critical to the development of heart disease and diabetes maladies. (One should note that another gene, Dec2, has been found to be associated with sleep duration, but it is not as prevalent as the ABCC9 gene in general populations.)
It seems this ABCC9 marker is fairly old in the evolutionary scale, since it prevails in fruit flies, as well. And, the researchers found that fruit flies lacking the marker sleep three hours less than those fruit flies that possess the marker.
i am the morning zombie
usualyl 3-4 hours on a working day
maybe i should eat more to increase the BMI – no that can.t be a solution.
when sleeping my natural rhythem it is about 9 hours – than i am happy and wake up without alarm
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Helen- being a morning zombie may have nothing to do with the proper amount of sleep. We can each get the proper amount of sleep but function better at various times of the day. Some of us are truly morning folks, others, afternoon delighters, and some are night owls. All of us need sleep, though.
Naturally bounded sleep is the absolute best to attain. Your cycle is probably close to 100 minutes- and you get 5 cycles. Glad you know- and use- it to your advantage.
Roy
I guess that explains it…I don’t need a full 8-9 hours of beauty sleep 🙂 Glad you broke it down for us. I have also noticed that when I sleep too long, I do feel tired! This is interesting indeed Roy 🙂
~Kesha
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Glad you found the post of interest, Kesha!
Thanks for visiting.
Roy
Interesting research. I know that I need 7 hours of sleep each night. As my kids argue with me to stay up later, I tell them that by my age, they’ll beg to go to sleep early. The amount of sleep you get, though, can affect you day so much. At least now I know why some people can function on much less sleep than I.
Lisa Kanarek recently posted..How to Help Others Have an Organized New Year
Thanks for visiting, Lisa.
It is absolutely critical to determine one’s sleep cycle- and how many of them are needed- to function at our absolute best. Once we know what that value is- and attain it- we can be all we want to be!
Roy
I probably don’t have two copies. I would sleep for 12 hours if I did not have to get up. I can go without sleep but my body isn’t happy. In fact, getting more sleep is one of my 2012 stress management goals!
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And, that is another key point of the research, Kristen.
We need to get the amount of sleep our body demands- whether it’s 3, 7, 9, or 11 hours! It helps us function to the max- and reduces stress.
Thanks for making that clear.
Roy
That’s very interesting, Roy! I always wondered why some people seem to need no sleep while others seem to need so much!
Stacy
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My body was obviously well trained in the ABC’s…
Catchy title. Sleep is on my mind as I read this post, as a matter of fact. For some reason I can’t seem to sleep enough right now, but I think that probably has something to do with things other than my DNA make-up. I am amazed at how much my and my husband’s sleep needs differ. He’s good to go and a morning person after about 6.5 hours and I’m no good without 8.5…and still not a morning person. Interesting.
Bonnie Anderson recently posted..The Conversation Heard ‘Round the World (reposted from April 26, 2011)
Well, then, Bonnie, maybe you just need to adjust to the motion of the ship :-)…
Roy
Hey Roy,
I need sleep… like always, but if there is something that needs to be sorted then I lose sleep and can do much better with lesser sleep. Now neither my mom or dad show this kind of pattern. My dad has always slept 5 hours, busy or not that is all he can sleep. My mom shows a similar pattern but with variations according to her monthly cycles and sugar levels. so is it in my genes really?
Your dad probably has a 95 minute cycle and uses three of them. You need five or six. There’s nothing wrong with it- know your body and maintain your strength and abilities!
Roy