For the first time, a gene linked to sleep patterns has been discovered. While it is recommended that adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night in order to stay healthy, there is now an exception to this. A team of researchers at the University of California has discovered a gene that reduces the minimum sleep requirements of a mother and daughter to approximately six hours.

The mother and daughter had been sleeping for about 6 hours for most of their lives, while other family members had more normal sleeping hours. The mother and daughter are very healthy despite the reduced sleeping hours. This is due to the fact that they both have a rare mutation in the DEC2 gene that regulates the body's internal clock.

Then the research team genetically engineered mice with the same mutation and found that they slept less than the mice without the mutation. The researchers concluded that people with this mutation need less sleep. The researchers will continue searching for other genes related to sleep in the future.

Many Americans fail to get the recommended hours of nightly sleep, putting them at risk for memory failure, reduced brain function, a compromised immune system and other health problems. While those with this mutation require less sleep, it is a very rare mutation.