A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has identified a genetic mutation linked to people who naturally require very little sleep without suffering negative effects. These “naturally short sleepers” function well on just three to six hours of sleep per night, compared to the typical eight. Led by neuroscientist Ying-Hui Fu at the University of California, San Francisco, the research highlights a mutation in the gene SIK3, which may play a role in reducing sleep needs by supporting brain homeostasis—a process thought to help reset the brain during sleep.
Fu’s team first began studying short sleepers in the 2000s, identifying a mutation in the circadian rhythm gene of a mother and daughter. Since then, they’ve discovered five mutations across four genes associated with this trait. In the most recent study, they introduced the SIK3 mutation into mice, which then required about 31 minutes less sleep per day and showed heightened enzyme activity at brain synapses.
Although this mutation alone doesn’t cause drastic reductions in sleep need, it adds to a growing understanding of the genetic basis of sleep. Researchers hope these findings could eventually lead to treatments for sleep disorders or new insights into how sleep is regulated in the human brain.
