Alex Beam: The Secret To Shorter Snoozes

Taking A Snooze — Sage Michaels, a senior at Reed College, gets comfortable on his new Tempur-Pedic® mattress, delivered by the brand as part of a surprise-and-delight. (Craig Mitchelldyer/AP Images for Tempur-Pedic)

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

September 05, 2019

Updated July 03, 2023

Ever wish you could sleep fewer hours, while still feeling refreshed? New research has found some people have a genetic mutation that allows them to do just that.

Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam joined Boston Public Radio Thursday to talk about the new sleep study.

"Scientists may have isolated what is called the 'sleep gene,'" Beam said. "Researchers believe they've found a genetic mutation that controls why some people can get four hours of sleep and be just as physically and intellectually refreshed as someone who needs 7-8 hours of sleep."