If you are like many, chances are you didn't get get the proper amount of sleep last night, or most nights for that matter. There has been much study into the fabric of resting- why we do it, what the "proper" amount per night is, and so forth. However there is growing interest in the fact that your ability to function fully may be tied back to how much sleeping your body needs, genetically. Put another way, you may be able to live off of less rest than someone else simply because of your own individual genetic predisposition.
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There are many things we know about our nighttime resting state. We have learned much about circadian rhythms and what appears to be strong hypothesis for things which counteract or aid in sleep. But we still have a long way to go.
There are theories about genetic mechanisms and our need for rest along with numerous theories- somatic theories, cellular metabolic theories, synaptic downscaling, and other synaptic brain function ideas. But just because our sleeping body requires time for healing and energy replenishment, that still doesn't dictate whether or not this is some type of genetic predisposition.
Some look to family lineage as a way to prove or disprove the built in genetic idea about sleep. But that field remains inconclusive as well. Simply look to your own family and see that your biological brother, sister, birth mother and father may all have different ideas about what constitutes a good night's rest, while you may be able to burn the candle at both ends in perpetuity.
The bottom line is that the science of sleep and our need or lack of need for it remains a mystery. There is just too much that we don't know about the resting body and mind.
One thing is clear though, if you want to have a good night's sleep you need to first have the proper tools to do so, which include a good mattress. If you haven't found your perfect mattress just yet and you are still tossing and turning all night, you might be looking in the wrong place. Stop by a Land of Sleep showroom to speak with our experts.
