Who does not like to sleep?
Sleep is a state of mind and body during which we have relatively inhibited sensory activity and almost all voluntary muscles. For the vast majority of people, sleep is a pleasure and we do it with pleasure, as it allows us to renew our energies.
Our circadian rhythm establishes that night is the best time to sleep. But there are those who prefer the night to elaborate all kinds of activities, to whom we refer as "nocturnal" people.
As labor and social activities are shaped based on our circadian rhythm, "nocturnal" people are often misunderstood. However, science shows that the condition of "night person" has nothing to do with the personality itself, but with genetics.
Genes make us sleep night
People who have difficulty going to bed early and then waking up and getting up when the sun rises, may have more than a different habit. A study conducted by a team of scientists at the University of Rockefeller, discovered that this custom is linked to DNA.
The study consisted of analyzing the relationship between the delayed sleep phase syndrome (SFSR) and the CRY1 gene. The syndrome is characterized by being a circadian rhythm disorder that affects the type of sleep, body temperature, hormonal rhythm, and the attention of the affected person.
The CRY1 gene would seem to have a fairly direct relationship with the circadian rhythm. In other studies, evidence has been reported that a mutation in this gene could change the circadian rhythm and therefore modify the time in which we go to sleep and wake up. People with a mutation in this gene have their day / night rhythms totally displaced, being able to sleep only when the sun starts to rise.
In the study, six families of Turkish origin were analyzed. Among the individuals of the families, 39 had variants of the GRY1 gene and 31 had no variants.
People with the mutated gene (that is, with variants of the gene) showed a tendency to want to sleep later than the rest. The midpoint of sleep in those without mutations turned out to be at 4 am; however, in individuals with mutations it was between 6 and 8 am. Undoubtedly, a very important difference in what refers to the circadian sleep cycle.
The circadian cycle is regulated by a cycle of proteins, which by various mechanisms manage to have an effect on the cells of the body, activating them or decreasing the activation. The CRY1 gene is responsible for producing an inhibitor of the proteins that activate cells, but with the mutation, the inhibitor is active for a longer period. This is the reason why people feel exhausted and sleepy, as their cells are constantly activated.
According to the results of this study, the most active inhibitors manage to extend the 30-minute protein cycle.
The delayed sleep phase syndrome affects 10% of the population, however, only 75% would seem to have variations in the CRY1 gene. This shows that the gene has an important role but there is much more that science should investigate.
In people who have a mutation in the gene it is possible to control the syndrome and regulate sleep cycles. In addition, if these studies continue, greater progress could be made in this area.