A person needs eight hours of sleep a day, but some people feel comfortable and in good health after sleeping for only five hours, and these people maintain their productivity and their ability to focus at a required level throughout the day.
Scientists believe that this fact is due to a specific modification in the BHLHE41 gene that reduces the human need for sleep.
Researchers from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine conducted an experiment with the participation of 100 couples who were partially or completely sleep deprived.
During the experiment, it was found that a previously undiscovered modification in the BHLHE41 gene allowed the owner of the gene to sleep for only five hours without any harmful effect on his health. They also tolerate absolute sleep deprivation more easily.
In the opinion of scientists, owners of this modification are characterized by longer periods of so-called slow sleep, which is responsible for restoring the ability to work in the brain.
