[Mari]

Hi,

According to this article, lack of good sleep can cause genes to change:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21572686
Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

The activity of hundreds of genes was altered when people's sleep was cut to less than six hours a day for a week.

More than 700 genes were altered by the shift. Each contains the instructions for building a protein, so those that became more active produced more proteins - changing the chemistry of the body.

Meanwhile the natural body clock was disturbed - some genes naturally wax and wane in activity through the day, but this effect was dulled by sleep deprivation.

Prof Colin Smith, from the University of Surrey, told the BBC: "There was quite a dramatic change in activity in many different kinds of genes."

M