My friend Cassandra, the ever-overachiever, sleeps very little. Between mock trial, marching band, badminton, and achieving perfect grades in a plethora of AP courses, it’s no wonder that she only gets less than six hours a day on an average school night. On the other hand, yours truly prefers double digits, which is obviously impossible, and possibly unhealthy, on an average school night. So, I settle for eight, sometimes excruciatingly, seven, hours a night. So how in the world does Cassandra show up to the first period in perfect makeup, voluminous hair, oozing scholarly confidence, while I’m in the corner battling the urge to doze off into oblivion?
There is a possibility that Cassandra may have an innate real-life superpower: a rare gene mutation that allows her to thrive on little sleep without any side effects. This gene mutation is called ADRB1, which is found in only about 4 out of 100,000 people worldwide.
Experts recommend that adults should sleep between seven to nine hours a night. Anything less than that may lead to physical, mental health problems and a higher chance of stroke, diabetes, or depression. However, according to the National Institutes of Health, scientists have identified that certain people can wake up naturally with less than six and a half hours of sleep a night without any side effects.
By using whole-exome genome sequencing, researchers looked for gene mutations that naturally short sleepers had. To learn more about the mutations’ effects on the brain, researchers engineered mice with Beta-1 adrenergic receptor, a protein encoded by the ADRB1 gene. This receptor was shown to impact sleep and wakefulness regulation.
Researchers found that the dorsal pons, a part of the brainstem that regulates sleep, has significant expression of the ADRB1 gene. The sleeping mice that were in the non-REM sleep, the stage of sleep when the neurons are not active, were instantly awakened by the stimulation of these neurons, suggesting that these neurons encourage wakefulness. The mice with the genetic mutation slept an hour less each day than the normal mice. Mice with the ADRB1 mutation made it easier to trigger wakefulness and increased activity of brain cells with the B1 adrenergic receptor.
This experiment showed that the mutant form of ADRB1 may promote natural short sleep by the development of brains that are more easily aroused and stay awake longer. Although people who carry this gene get less sleep, the quality and efficiency of their sleep don’t decrease.
UCSF Doctor, Ying Fu, states that “natural short sleepers experience better quality and sleep efficiency.” They also don’t suffer from any health effects associated with sleep deprivation.
“They have a higher pain threshold, don’t suffer from jet lag and some researchers believe they may even live longer,” Fu said.
ADRB1 is a superpower that enables people like Cassandra to achieve high productivity while remaining well-rested. Meanwhile, the rest of us should stick to healthy sleep habits and settle for seven to nine hours a night.
