Common gene variant influences when you will wake up each
day—and the time of day you will die
Many of the body’s processes follow a natural daily rhythm
or so-called circadian clock. There are certain times of the day when a person
is most alert, when blood pressure is highest, and when the heart is most
efficient. Several rare gene mutations have been found that can adjust this
clock in humans, responsible for entire families in which people wake up at 3
a.m. or 4 a.m. and cannot stay up much after 8 at night. Now new research has, for the first time,
identified a common gene variant that affects virtually the entire population,
and which is responsible for up to an hour a day of your tendency to be an
early riser or night owl.