We frequently read articles about, and discuss how sleep is important for memory, and staying energized, amongst other things. But, a new study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that sleep deprivation affects genes.
26 volunteers slept normally for a week—getting about 8.5 hours—and then deprived themselves of sleep for a week – getting a mere 5.7 hours. Afterwards, scientists studied blood samples from the participants. They noticed that when the volunteers got less sleep, amongst other genes, ones related to metabolism were not as efficacious.
Researchers hope to take this one step further, and determine whether or not this leads to adverse consequences later in life.
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