Monday, November 23, 2020

Genes Associated With Sleep Problems and How They are Linked to Other Conditions and Illnesses.

In this article, it was discussed how researchers were able to identify the specific genes that correlate with the development of sleeping problems, such as insomnia. It was also discussed how researchers studied the heritability of these genes. This was done by gathering a group of around 33,000 soldiers' DNA to analyze and come to the conclusion that it is partially heritable. It was also found that there is a link between insomnia and Type 2 Diabetes, as well as insomnia and other mental illnesses, most notably being major depression, for people of European descent. Insomnia was ultimately linked to the occurrence of specific variants on chromosome 7, and for people of European descent, chromosome 9 as well. 
I believe this study is extremely interesting and important. Researching more about mental illnesses and sleep disorders is very important and can help bring a better understanding of the illness/disorder and how to treat it. As someone that struggles with mental health issues, including insomnia, I see this finding as a great achievement to discover more useful treatment options. I also enjoy this article as it relates to the "nature versus nurture" debate in psychology. 

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