The latest buzz on insomnia We’re publishing the shortlisted
entries to the 2012 Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize. In
this piece, Elizabeth Hull describes how experiments in fruit
flies are uncovering the genetics of sleep. Bed at 11, up at 6,
that’s seven hours. Plenty of sleep. 1am. Ok, five hours now but
I can still manage. Just need to fall asleep. 3am. Yes, 3am.
Both clocks in the room are glaring with 3am. Still no sign of
that sleep. 4am. Why do I waste time even trying?! Sound
familiar? Whether it’s that presentation on Friday or spending
too much time at the computer, one in ten Britons can’t fall
asleep at night. Stress and worry are often considered the main
causes of sleepless nights. However, the clue to why some of us
struggle with sleep could be in our genes. Scientists at
Rockefeller University, New York, have revealed that a genetic
mutation in fruit flies can prevent them from catching forty
winks. This mutation, aptly named insomniac, was discovered by
monitoring the sleep patterns of o