If you don’t need much sleep, you might actually be part of rare select group of humans.
Do you fall asleep at midnight, and wake up as the sun is rising or even earlier, feeling fresh and alert?
If you do, you might not be cheating yourself out of sleep, even if you think you are.
There’s a lot of hype circulating, telling us that we’re not getting enough sleep each night. Experts say that it’s destroying our health and leading us to an early death of counting sheep 6 feet under.
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But while it’s true that most adults need between 6 and 8 hours of rest to perform well and think clearly the next day, this isn’t the case if you’re a super sleeper.
‘Super sleepers’ or ‘short sleepers’ as they’ve been nick named by scientists, are people who actually only need about 4 to 5 hours of sleep each night, in order to live well.
Genetic Mutation
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How their bodies and minds perform this magic isn’t totally understood, yet. Science says the secret to their difference lies in a minuscule genetic mutation called DEC2, but how this allows them to get by on less isn’t known.
What are some traits of super sleepers? Reports indicate that many like to try to get as much done as possible each day” they love to cram it all in. Super sleepers also tend to have a generally positive outlook on life, and are energetic and optimistic.
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If this sounds like you, rest assured. Some scientists are now saying that the amount of sleep a person needs each night is as personal as shoe size and height- it’s genetically determined and can vary greatly from person to person.
If you’re unfocused and feel like placing your head on the table at lunch after just 5 hours of sleep, you may simple have insomnia. But if you don’t mind starting your gardening, online shopping and extra studying at 5AM each day, rejoice: you could be kind of super human.
Photo credit: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock
