Researchers have found that there are some people who only need a few hours of sleep per night — but the vast majority of us really should be getting 7 or 8 hours per night. According to the Wall Street Journal, while one-third of U.S. adults are getting less sleep than they should, about 1% to 3% of the population feels refreshed after only a few hours of shut-eye.
These “short sleepers” usually go to bed late and get up a few hours later, but don’t feel tired throughout the rest of the day. Researchers have only been able to perform a few studies on short sleepers, since very few have been identified. Some studies suggest these people have hypomania, a mild form of mania that leads to racing thoughts and lower inhibitions. Doctors have also discovered a gene variation in a mother and daughter who went to bed after midnight and naturally woke up at 4 a.m. The gene was replicated in mice, which then also needed less sleep.
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