Are You Not A Morning Person? Blame It On Your Genes

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It appears that being a morning person is no longer linked to coffee but instead it could be genetic.

Gizmodo is reporting that there is a new study that has been published in Nature Communications journal links parts of a person's genetic code to being a morning person.

The study was done on roughly 140,000 participants of ages, genders and ethnic backgrounds. The study shows that there are about 15 genetic traits which are associated with those who consider themselves morning people.

According to researcher and statistical geneticist Dr. David Hinds, the gene that controls the preference for either morning or night sleep is close to the gene which is associated to restless leg syndrome.

Dr. Hinds also reports that other genes found in the study are linked to certain sleeping disorders, especially narcolepsy.

According Dr. Hinds, it is easier to study extreme sleep disorders such as narcolepsy since they are more classified as compared to other sleep disorders. Because of this, it is also easier for scientists to track the disorder through a family's generational tree.

In a press release, Dr. Hinds also states that the results uncovered by the study will also help uncover the genetics behind a variety of conditions and diseases.

The results also showed that morning people tend to have a lower Body Mass Index (BMI), mostly due to their bodies moving around more during the day.

ABC Online is reporting that the study also revealed that 56% of the patients considered themselves night owls and that morning people tend to suffer from depression less often.

It should also be noted that women over the age of 60 typically consider themselves morning people and that morning people were reported to suffer from insomnia less often as well.

However, it should be noted that these participants reported that they are more likely to need at least 8 hours of sleep per night.

The study also showed that, if a father is a morning person, it is 2.4 times more likely that he will have a daughter that is a morning person and a 1.9 higher chance of having a son who is a morning person.

It is also noted that morning people are more likely to be attracted to night owls, which can be an odd combination.

Are you a morning person or a night owl? What do you think of your preference being genetics? Let us know in the comments below.