Although it may sound surprising, evidence suggests that genetics are somehow linked with insomnia. In short, insomnia could be heritable, i.e., transmissible from parent to offspring. Precisely speaking, studies show that the heritability rate of insomnia is from 22% to 59% in adults, meaning that the average figure is 39% which is pretty high.
However, this means that genes could only make the risk of developing insomnia higher, not cause this sleep disorder. So, if your parents suffer from it, you might want to learn how to reduce that risk. If this is the case, continue reading to learn more.
Which Genes are Linked with Insomnia?
Regardless of sleep complexity and the difficulty of identifying the specific genes associated with insomnia, scientists have tried to find the answers.
One of the biggest studies conducted on the topic so far found that 57 gene regions are closely connected to symptoms of insomnia. These areas aren’t directly involved in the sleeping process and regulation but linked with ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, a process that destroys specific proteins.
Another research on neuronal excitability in the body showed that overactivation of the areas that promote awakening may increase the risk or even cause insomnia. That said, we may conclude that even though there isn’t a strong direct link, genes and insomnia are still connected.
Do Environmental Factors Play a Role?
Next, we should have a look at the ability of environmental factors to affect genes. Namely, having insomnia-related genes doesn’t mean that you will develop the disorder. The environment could also play a role as it can affect which genes your body expresses, which is referred to as epigenetics.
For instance, different gene functions might be affected by diet, stress, temperature, and even social life. And logically, as environmental factors affect genes, they affect sleep as well although it’s complicated.
What else may Contribute to Insomnia?
As you can guess, genetics isn’t the only factor that might increase your risk of developing insomnia. Indeed, numerous other factors can contribute to insomnia. For example, sex is one of these factors making women more likely to suffer from insomnia than men. In addition to sex, the following health factors and conditions as well as some environmental factors have also been linked to insomnia:
- Anxiety
- Stress, both physical and emotional
- Restless legs syndrome
- Cardiovascular disease
- Room temperature
- Noise levels
- Working patterns
- Caffeine intake
- Drug intake
How to Reduce the Risk of Insomnia?
If you are already at risk of developing insomnia genetically, it’s time you try to reduce that risk. The first thing you should pay attention to is practicing good sleep hygiene. In other words, you should focus on:
- Following a strict sleep routine, i.e., waking up and going to bed at the same time every day, even on weekends.
- Relaxing before bedtime, for example doing yoga, taking a warm bath, reading, etc.
- Avoiding screen time as screens emit blue light that imitates daylight and thus keeps you awake and alert.
- Limiting your consumption of caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco, especially late in the evenings or at least three hours before sleep.
- Practicing a generally healthier lifestyle by doing regular physical exercise, eating healthy foods, and reducing stress levels.
To conclude, genes can affect your likelihood of developing insomnia to some extent but as we already said it doesn’t mean that you will get the disorder automatically. Still, if you are worried that you might get it, try following the above-listed tips to reduce your risk.