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Nasal Spray Could Help the Sleep Deprived
Wired reports that scientists have discovered a brain hormone called orexin A that people could snort to reverse the effects of sleep deprivation. It has worked in monkeys. Sleep-deprived monkeys became alert with no ill effects - as if they had received plenty of sleep - after receiving a nasal spray containing the hormone.
A nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called orexin A reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests. The discovery's first application will probably be in treatment of the severe sleep disorder narcolepsy.
The treatment is "a totally new route for increasing arousal, and the new study shows it to be relatively benign," said Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a co-author of the paper. "It reduces sleepiness without causing edginess."
Orexin A is a promising candidate to become a "sleep replacement" drug. For decades, stimulants have been used to combat sleepiness, but they can be addictive and often have side effects, including raising blood pressure or causing mood swings. The military, for example, administers amphetamines to pilots flying long distances, and has funded research into new drugs like the stimulant modafinil (.pdf) and orexin A in an effort to help troops stay awake with the fewest side effects.
It sounds promising. If it delivers as promised there were be many people interested in using it. You have to wonder though if someone were to use this frequently whether it would have an impact on memory or learning. Sleeping is thought to help the brain process information so would using a drug like this impact learning is the tiredness purely a chemical problem? Wired's story says it will be at least a decade before the drug described above would be available to humans here in the U.S.
Posted on December 28, 2007
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Kleine-Levin Syndrome
A news story from Local6.com discusses a rare and complex neurological disorder that affects people in during adolescence. People with the disorder can stay asleep for as long as two weeks or more and only awake to use the bathroom or eat. During these brief periods of being awake people with KLS do not even know they are awake. The article talks about 20-year-old Spencer Spearin who suffers from the Kleine Levin Syndrome. He is hit with the sleeping syndrome about once every four months.
"I might not be with you for a couple weeks," Spearin said. "I missed my birthday. I missed my graduation. I can't remember what I ate yesterday. I can't remember what I did yesterday."
Many times, the disorder appears after a flu-like illness.
Dr. Emanuel Mignot said patients suffer from periodic episodes of extreme sleepiness and abnormal, child-like behavior.
"They feel like they are in a fog," Mignot said. "They don't know exactly the reality around them. If you try to wake them up they are very irritable."
That's a very frightening disease. The news story also says the brains patterns of people suffering from the disease are very active during the sleeping episodes. You can read more about Kleine Levin Syndrome (KLS) on the Kleine-Levin Syndrome Foundation Inc. website.
Posted on November 9, 2006
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How Much Sleep Do You Need?
An MSNBC.com article looks at the issue of how much sleep people need. Some people claim to need very little sleep -- just a few hours or so.
nd then there is the other side of the bell-shaped curve - those who say they require at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep to function properly.
It turns out that the need for sleep is like hair color, body type and so many other things. It is one of the characteristics that varies enormously from person to person.
But no matter how much sleep they need, many people never get it. How do you determine how much sleep you really need?
According to Vesey, "Take a week where you really don't have so much on your plate - not a lot of pressure. And just try to get as much sleep as you can." Then see how much you function best with.
If only that were possible.
People might have to try testing to see how much sleep they need while they are on vacation. But if you have a busy sightseeing trip in mind that probably won't work.
Posted on May 29, 2006
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Study Finds Sleep Apnea Increase Stroke Risk
MSNBC.com reports that a study has found an increased risk of stroke for sleep apnea sufferers. The study also found that using a CPAP machine does not reduce the stroke risk.
About 4 percent of Americans suffer from extreme daytime fatigue because their sleep is disrupted by sleep apnea, forcing them to repeatedly wake up if only for a second. Another 16 percent of Americans have apnea without fatigue.
A seven-year study, led by Klar Yaggi of the Yale University School of Medicine, found that people with apnea were twice as likely to die or have a stroke. The risk more than tripled among volunteers with the worst apnea.
The study involving 1,022 people also showed that the risk persisted even with treatment to keep the throat open during sleep, mostly through a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Other study volunteers lost weight or had surgery to ease their symptoms.
The article does have a quote from Klar Yaggi, who led the study, that said the machine is still worth it for sleep apnea sufferers if it improves the way they feel.
"We're really treating you to improve how you feel. Walking around exhausted is a just a horrible quality of life," he said.
This particular article did not have any speculation or theories as to ways sleep apnea and stroke may or may not be related but if the study is correct is does indicate that sleep apnea is something that should be closely monitored.
Posted on November 9, 2005
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