Sleep duration was associated with an intronic SNP in ARHGAP11A (rho GTPase activating protein 11A) that encodes a 1,023-amino acid protein that has a rhoGAP domain and tyrosine phosphorylation site. Evidence is emerging that obesity affects sleep, and that sleep patterns and disorders may have an effect on weight [58]. Although the mechanism is unclear, sleep disturbances are characteristic of Prader Willi Syndrome, caused by a deletion in 15q11-q13 that encompasses ARHGAP11A [59].
