Genetic aspects of sleep in humans

Together with the environment, genetic factors can significantly influence sleep and its architecture. Monozygotic twins have greater similarity in terms of latency and duration of sleep cycles than dizygotic twins, in addition to almost identical spectral patterns. These observations indicate a genetic contribution to sleep regulation and suggest that inter-individual variations in its parameters may be associated with genetic modulators. With the advent of techniques and molecular-genetic approaches, a number of genetic factors have been systematically identified that appear to contribute to the large variability observed in the normal sleep patterns of individuals and to a greater predisposition to the development of sleep disorders. This review aims to address the main scientific discoveries on the genetics of sleep in humans, presenting an overview of the current situation and future prospects in this constantly evolving area.