How some people feel rested with just 3 hours of sleep: The science behind the super sleepers who defy the 8-hour rule

Time of India

25-05-2025

We've all heard it: get your seven to eight hours of sleep if you want to live a long, healthy life. But a rare group of individuals are turning this age-old advice on its head. They're sleeping for just three to four hours a night, waking up refreshed, functioning at peak energy, and showing no signs of sleep deprivation. Welcome to the fascinating world of
Short Sleep Syndrome
— the genetic marvel that's reshaping how we think about sleep.
The Super Sleepers: Who Are They?
According to a report from the
Daily Mail
, these rare individuals, known as
natural short sleepers
, aren't just powering through their day on caffeine or naps. They're biologically wired to need less sleep, thanks to a genetic variation that allows their brains and bodies to complete the vital functions of sleep in far less time. The condition, officially called
Familial Natural Short Sleep
(FNSS), is not a disorder — in fact, these individuals report feeling great, alert, and productive.
While the average person might risk burnout after a few nights of shortened rest, short sleepers wake up ready to conquer the world — every single day.
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Cracking the Code: The Genetics of Less Sleep
The breakthrough comes from the labs of neuroscientist
Dr. Ying-Hui Fu
at the University of California, San Francisco. Since the early 2000s, Dr. Fu and her team have been decoding the genes of these sleep-defiant individuals. Their latest discovery? A mutation in a gene called SIK3, which plays a crucial role in the brain's ability to maintain balance and regulate its internal environment.
In genetically engineered mice, this mutation led to reduced sleep — albeit modestly. Still, it adds a critical piece to the puzzle of why some humans thrive on so little shut-eye. In total, researchers have now identified five mutations across four genes that could be behind this rare ability.
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Can This Unlock a Cure for Insomnia?
Scientists aren't just interested in short sleepers for curiosity's sake. Understanding how these genes regulate sleep could lead to breakthroughs in treating
sleep disorders
such as insomnia and sleep apnea. If researchers can learn to safely replicate the mechanisms at play in short sleepers, millions suffering from sleep disturbances could find relief.
As Professor Clifford Saper from Harvard Medical School explains, even if each mutation only slightly reduces the need for sleep, stacking them together might unlock bigger secrets of sleep regulation — secrets that could one day power new therapies.
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Scientists aren't just interested in short sleepers for curiosity's sake. Understanding how these genes regulate sleep could lead to breakthroughs in treating sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea.
The Dark Side of Less Sleep
Before you throw out your alarm clock and start idolising Thatcher's four-hour nights or Churchill's erratic naps, consider this: Short Sleep Syndrome is extremely rare. For the rest of us, reducing sleep to five hours or less can have serious health consequences.
A landmark 2022 study tracking over 7,800 people in the UK found that those sleeping less than five hours per night in their 50s had a 20% higher risk of developing chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, or dementia — and were more likely to suffer from multiple conditions at once.
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The takeaway? Unless you've won the genetic lottery, cutting sleep short is a gamble with your health.
The Rhythm of Sleep: Why Our Bodies Need It
Our sleep-wake cycle is governed by the
circadian rhythm
, the body's internal clock that tells us when to sleep, wake, eat, and work. At 8 a.m., your cortisol levels spike, helping you feel awake. By 3 a.m., they're at their lowest, letting your body rest deeply. Disrupting this rhythm regularly — as in the case of sleep deprivation — can wreak havoc on everything from your metabolism to your mood.
But short sleepers? Their rhythms seem to run on fast-forward. All the essential restorative functions — cell repair, memory consolidation, detoxification — appear to happen in a condensed, turbo-charged version of sleep.
Are You a Short Sleeper?
If you consistently wake up after three to five hours of sleep feeling completely energised, never nap, and don't need to catch up on weekends — you might just be a natural short sleeper. But it's best to consult a sleep specialist before making any major changes to your sleep routine.
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For now, the rest of us might want to hit snooze a little longer. After all, sleep isn't just rest — it's a vital, intricate process. But for a select few, dreams really do come true in just three hours.