I thought having a baby might turn me into an ‘elite sleeper’. I was wrong | Arwa Mahdawi

Scientists have found 3% of the population need less shut-eye than the rest of us. Could I train myself to be one of them?I don ’t want to boast or anything, but I have always considered myself something of an elite sleeper. I love sleeping more than just about anything. Given the opportunity, I will sleep for marathon stretches and can snooze through even the most extreme situations. On one very choppy ferry crossing on t he notoriouslyrough route to the Isles of Scilly, for example, my travelling companion spent the entire three-hour ride throwing up in the bathroom while I dozed happily on a plastic chair.Unfortunately, it hascome to my attention that I am not an elite sleeper after all. It seems I am just lazy. Or, possibly, a high-functioning narcoleptic. Because, as it turns out, neurologists have been studying actual “elite sleepers” for years and they are defined as the approximately 3% of the population who are biologically programmed to need less sleep than the rest of us. According toa study that came out in March, elite sleepers have rare genetic mutations, which means they can sleep fewer hours than mere mortals without any risk of cognitive decline – excitingly, they could hold the key to a future cure for dementia.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnistContinue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Sleep Parents and parenting Health Dementia Medical research Family & wellbeing Life and style Science Source Type: news