Sleep loss can affect gene expression

This article got some press, so I thought I would comment on it. Researchers took 26 healthy people, and allowed them six or less hours of sleep per night for a week. They then kept them up for 40 hours straight and then let them sleep as much as they want, up to 10 hours per night for another week. I can only see the abstract, so some of the details are unknown. From blood samples, researchers determined that 711 different genes were altered during the sleep deprivation period. The blood samples were taken 3 hours apart as the participants stayed up for 40 hours straight. It's not clear why they did this - it could alter the results. The genes that were affected play a part in metabolism and our internal body clock. However, some of the genes affected have no known function. From the abstract, it's not clear that the genes were altered by the week of deprivation or the 40 hour total sleep loss.

Insomnia may be genetic

This article discusses how sleep research is beginning to demonstrate a genetic component to some insomnia. This really isn't brand new, as we always knew that only some people are prone to insomnia. However, it may one day help in treating this disorder. And it give some hope to insomnia suffers by quoting Dr. Espie, an insomnia expert across the pond. He mentions that psychological treatment for insomnia, even "genetic" insomnia is effective - I agree. If you're struggling with insomnia, find a sleep clinic that does cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.

Caffeine associated sleep disturbance

This month's Sleep Journal has an article about genetic influences on caffeine's ability to produce sleep disturbances. Dr. Byrne and others surveyed over two thousand individuals for caffeine's propensity to cause sleep disturbance. The study authors then analyzed millions of gene fragments from the study participants and discovered that several genes are thought to influence caffeine induced insomnia. This is interesting because it could help in our assessment of the etiology of insomnia and may improve our treatments.

Restless Legs Syndrome Gene Found in Flies

Here is an article about a possible Restless legs syndrome gene found in fruit flies.

Geneitc Link and Sleep Disorders

There is an article in the October 26th issue of Neurology where researchers studied normal sleep and sleep-deprivation, and determined if participants had a certain gene variant (DQB1*0602). Patients with that gene variant were sleepier and more fatigued while sleep-deprived or even while fully rested. These individuals also woke up more often at night and spent less time in deep sleep than those without the gene variant. However, there was no difference on tests of memory and attention, or in their ability to resist sleep during the day.

The authors explained that their findings mean there might be a genetic biomarker to predict how people will respond to sleep deprivation. This has significant health consequences and affects millions around the world. It may be particularly important in those work night shift, travel frequently across multiple time zones, or just don't sleep enough due to multiple work and family obligations.

This gene variant has already been implicated in narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characterized by excessive sleepiness, despite adequate amounts of sleep at night.