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Insomnia is probably the most common health complaint. Even after treatment, poor sleep remains a persistent vulnerability for many people. By having determined the risk genes, professors Danielle Posthuma (VU and VUmc) and Eus Van Someren (Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, VU and VUmc), the lead researchers of this international project, have come closer to unravelling the biological mechanisms that cause the predisposition for insomnia.
Professor Van Someren, specialized in sleep and insomnia, believes that the findings are the start of a path towards an understanding of insomnia at the level of communication within and between neurons, and thus towards finding new ways of treatment.
He also hopes that the findings will help with the recognition of insomnia. "As compared to the severity, prevalence and risks of insomnia, only few studies targeted its causes. Insomnia is all too often dismissed as being 'all in your head'. Our research brings a new perspective. Insomnia is also in the genes."
In a sample of 113,006 individuals, the researchers found 7 genes for insomnia. These genes play a role in the regulation of transcription, the process where DNA is read in order to make an RNA copy of it, and exocytosis, the release of molecules by cells in order to communicate with their environment. One of the identified genes, MEIS1, has previously been related to two other sleep disorders: Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep (PLMS) and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). By collaborating with Konrad Oexle and colleagues from the Institute of Neurogenomics at the Helmholtz Zentrum, München, Germany, the researchers could conclude that the genetic variants in the gene seem to contribute to all three disorders. Strikingly, PLMS and RLS are characterized by restless movement and sensation, respectively, whereas insomnia is characterized mainly by a restless stream of consciousness.
Source: Science Daily
Anke R Hammerschlag, Sven Stringer, et al. Genome-wide association analysis of insomnia complaints identifies risk genes and genetic overlap with psychiatric and metabolic traits. Nature Genetics, 2017; DOI: 10.1038/ng.3888
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 14 2017, @05:42PM
Same here. My mom is polysomnic (I think that's the word)- she's always been a "napper" and at this point, in her 80s, she only sleeps a few hours at a time. But, once in a while she'll sleep 5-8 hours, like if she's had a long day with no naps, or anticipates a long day.
I've had trouble with sleep all my life. I've always needed a _lot_ of sleep, but have difficulty going to sleep. I know people who can sleep at will, like they have a switch.
I make a strong distinction between sleepy and tired. I can have the longest, physically hardest day of my life, and can't sleep. I can never sleep after driving- it takes at least 1-3 hours. I'm very sensitive to caffeine. I can have good energy but suddenly feel sleepy. I'm not narcoleptic- have never fallen asleep uncontrollably, and driving always stimulates me- never come close to dozing off while driving. But sometimes office environments make me sleepy and I've taken naps- usually just 5-10 minutes.
For a very long time I've felt I have a 25 or 26 hour body clock, but try telling that to a Dr., or anyone really. I've never understood the smug arrogant attitudes of people- even doctors- who seem to think it's "all in my head". Shows you that it's too easy to get an MD when you can't/don't see reality. Glad to see someone making progress in gathering actual facts and data.