Research Reveals Root of Sleep Dispositions
Well-known celebrities including Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and some professional football players have suffered from sleeping problems. Although some may have only been transient, some people suffer with sleep problems their entire lives.
New research studies show that our sleep dispositions are related to our formative years as adolescents and young adults. If a person has a tendency to sleep for only short periods and keeps a late night schedule, it may well carry over to our adult years.
We are just beginning to gain a good understanding of the biology of circadian rhythms -- the cyclic, clock-like expression of genes in the body.
The newest theory is we all have a "Clock Gene." Research teams using a combination of genomic, biochemical, and behavioral approaches, recently revealed a "new genetic component of the mammalian clock -- a protein known as ‘Rora.'"
This discovery may someday help people with jet lag, shift workers who feel wiped out after working a night shift, and people with more serious sleep disorders, many of which are related to circadian rhythms.