How Much You Sleep In Your Genes

Are you a big sleeper needing 9 or 10 hours a night, or someone that can just get by with 6 or 7? Well, how much you sleep might be determined by your genetic makeup.

We've known for a while that some people need plenty of sleep to function each day. Others of us can get by with just a few hours. And for the group that needs more sleep, they don't know how the other group does it.

But researchers in Europe have found a gene in our bodies that might have a lot to do with how much sleep we actually need. They studied more than 4,000 people across the continent and found those with a change in the gene called ABCC9 needed more sleep than those without. They also looked at fruit flies and found the same ABCC9 gene and sleep connection with them.

It turns out that this gene is used by our bodies to determine how much energy our cells are using. And depending on how much energy they use, you might need more or less sleep. The hope is that scientists can use this information to help people with sleep problems. But in the meantime, if someone gives you are hard time about how much or little you sleep, tell them it's because of your ABCC9.