Mutation allows people to get by on less sleep

August 13, 2009 (CHICAGO) Researchers say they have found a rare mutation that allows certain people to get by with an average of only six hours of sleep a night.

The gene variation was found in a family where the mother and daughter naturally needed only six hours of sleep.

Though this mutation is rare in humans, the study in the journal Science suggests it could offer new leads for studying the effects of sleep on health.