A study published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution on December 14 suggested that the preference for waking up early or late may be related to DNA inherited from Neanderthals, the hominid species closest to humans, which disappeared more than 40,000 years ago.
Scientists discovered that people with a certain set of genetic variants tend to be "morning people," and that Neanderthals, who coexisted with modern humans thousands of years ago, had these variants.
According to pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist Jessica Polese, this type of study that seeks ancestral stories generally tries to explain habitual factors of human beings, which occurred in this case.
“When a regulation, a habit of the individual that occurs to this day is identified, it leads to evidence that this is good for health,” the doctor defines. “And the detail that the genetic variants are found in a region of the genome that influences the circadian rhythm is important,” Jessica states.
The specialist explains that the circadian cycle is governed by changes in light, from the darkness of night to the brightness of day, and regulates the body's hormonal levels and the state of sleep and wakefulness, so this genetic adaptation may have provided an evolutionary advantage in prehistoric environments.
“However, it is important to emphasize that other factors - such as environment and lifestyle - also play an important role in determining people's sleep habits. “For example, those who live in Europe have a completely different lifestyle than us who live in Brazil, a tropical country with completely different climatic characteristics,” says Jessica.
The study showed an important factor: that inherited genes may be associated with various characteristics we possess and relate to our health conditions, such as autoimmune diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders, among others. “In the long run, this stimulates studies of behavioral genetics and the influences that have occurred since the dawn of time,” says Jessica.
Participe da conversa