Some people seem to be hardwired to sleep early, while others get a second wind and tend to sleep late. Our internal clock controls more than sleep patternsīeing an early bird, or the opposite night owl, is usually not something that is thought of as being highly under our control. For an early bird type, a 9 pm bedtime may be the norm, and rising at 5 am without an alarm clock feels relatively effortless. Early birds, or those who tend to wake early and go to bed early, are people who naturally feel sleepy earlier in the evening and naturally wake early in the morning. “With the information we have, we can uncover the genetics behind a variety of conditions and diseases, and hopefully reach a better understanding of how we differ from one another.Being an early bird has long been associated with a go-getter attitude.

“The beauty of 23andMe is the ability to conduct research on common traits like being a lark or a night owl, which affect everyone yet typically wouldn't receive funding for a study,” remarked Dr. However, some of the findings may warrant a deeper dive into the biology- for example, variants in the FTO gene associated with obesity were also found to be associated with being a morning person. The researchers urged caution with over-interpretation of this data as it does not imply causation. In addition, the 23andMe team found that after normalizing the data for age and sex, morning persons were more likely to have a lower body-mass index (BMI).

They're also less liable to suffer from depression than individuals who reported being night owls. Moreover, the scientists found that the majority (56%) of participants considered themselves night owls, women and adults over age 60 were more likely to be morning people, and morning people are significantly less likely to have insomnia or require more than eight hours of sleep per day. Utilizing the vast customer DNA database, the researchers were able to study more than 89,000 genomes, identifying loci near genes associated with morningness, such as HCRTR2 (linked to narcolepsy), FBX元 (shown to have extended circadian period), and VIP (found to prolong REM sleep).

“We also identified new genes that have not previously been associated with sleep behavior.” “Some circadian rhythm genes we identified have been studied in model organisms, but much less so in humans,” noted co-author David Hinds, Ph.D., principal scientist, and statistical geneticist at 23andMe. Additionally, four other variants identified were located in or near genes that have a casual relationship circadian rhythm, and the remaining four variants are more of a mystery in the role they play in human sleep cycles.

We identify 15 significantly associated loci, including seven near established circadian genes.”Īmong the genetic variants that the investigators looked at, they found seven within or near genes previously identified to have a critical role in circadian rhythms. “We conducted a genome-wide association analysis of self-reported morningness, followed by analyses of biological pathways and related phenotypes. Our innate preference for mornings or evenings is determined by the phase of our circadian rhythms,” the authors wrote. “Circadian rhythms are a nearly universal feature of living organisms and affect almost every biological process. The findings from this study were published recently in Nature Communications through an article entitled “GWAS of 89,283 individuals identifies genetic variants associated with self-reporting of being a morning person.” “This type of study speaks to the power of the 23andMe database, which can yield genetic insights into a variety of conditions and traits, and potentially how those genetic factors are affected by behavior and environment.” “In this study we set out to discover more about an individual's preference toward early rising and were able to identify the genetic associations with 'morningness' as well as ties to lifestyle patterns and other traits,” explained lead study author Youna Hu, Ph.D., formerly a data sciences engineer at 23andMe at the time the research was being conducted.

Night owl person