Can’t drag yourself out of bed? Your DNA’s to blame

THEY’RE often called lazy goodfor-nothings, but late risers who sleep until noon are just doing what comes naturally, say scientists.

A new study into the way we sleep has found that genes dictate whether you’re an early bird or night owl.

Experts from Oxford University, t he Netherlands a nd t he US reviewed 36 previous studies on sleep duration and quality, including looking at 400 sets of adult twins to see if trends were genetic. They found that 46 per cent of the variability in how long we sleep can be put down to our DNA.

The findings, published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews, also showed 44 per cent of the difference in the quality of sleep was genetically determined. The remaining difference is down to lifestyle and environmental factors such as stress or light pollution.

Professor Alice Gregory, author of Nodding Off, said: ‘ People shouldn’t think poor-quality sleep is just because of our genes and nothing can be done. Lots of things can help, such as getting a consistent routine, avoiding caffeine as the day progresses and getting exposure to light during the day.’