And if you have a gene Margaret Thatcher?

German scientists from the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich managed to find a gene that is directly responsible for the duration of sleep a person. The presence of this gene explains why some people have an internal alarm, but the majority - do not.

The researchers found that the gene ABCC9 able to significantly reduce the time it takes for a person to sleep. Previously, this same gene linked to heart disease and diabetes. This finding may explain why some people, like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, could safely dispense only four hours of sleep a night.

In the study, 4,000 people from seven different EU countries responded to questions about some details of their sleep. The researchers then analyzed the responses and compared them with the genes of the study participants. It turned out that the owners of the two copies of the gene ABCC9 night's rest lasted considerably shorter than in those who had two copies of a different version of the gene.

By this time, German scientists have established the presence of ABCC9 flies, fruit flies, which allowed the researchers to modify the gene in insects and significantly shorten the duration of their sleep. "Apparently, the relationship between duration of sleep   and such ailments as diabetes and heart disease, may partly explain the reasons laid down in the molecular mechanisms - said study author Dr. Charles Allebrandt. - Gene ABCC9 from an evolutionary point of view, is quite ancient, and it is available in Drosophila. When we blocked function homolog ABCC9 flies in the nervous system, the duration of sleep   It has been significantly reduced. "

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