Researchers at the UCLA Medical Center claim to have found a drug that can get rid of sleep deprivation. Sounds a little scary, but it could be true.
A nasal spray was found to eliminate sleep deprivation in monkeys, making them look "awake" on PET scans. The first application of the drug is likely to help those who suffer from 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 one of the authors of the study. "It reduces sleepiness without causing edginess."
The drug is called Orexin A and is believed by the scientists to be the wave of the future. Traditionally, stimulants have been used to fight sleep deprivation, causing high blood pressure, crankiness, and other side effects. But this drug was found to be clear of any readily apparent externalities.
In the tests, monkeys were deprived of sleep for 30 to 36 hours and then given Orexin A or a placebo. Afterward, they were given cognitive tests. The monkeys on Orexin A scored as well as those monkeys who were not sleep deprived. The placebo group scored poorly.
The study is going to be published in the December issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The product is expected to be widely used if released to the public, since 70% of all Americans get less than the recommended 8 hours of sleep.
Latanja Watkins, President of The Black Women's Health Institute says not so fast. "We have yet to see the long-term consequences of these drugs," says Watkins, a researcher in issues related to African-American health. "I would wait a few years before trying it, since everyone on earth is going to try to use this drug when it is released."
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