Discoveries like these are what make cool hunting so exciting. Sleep could be replaced in the future by the simple act of snorting a newly discovered brain chemical. The drug could prevent the feeling of sleepiness, making it possible to Trend Hunt 24/7, innovate around the clock and be relentlessly inspired by the world’s wonders without ever dozing off.
Unlike cocaine, this is actually a spray you snort, and mainly, it’s a chemical that actually occurs organically in the brain, a hormone called orexin A. When researchers tested the hormone on sleep-deprived monkeys, they performed just as well on a cognition test as monkeys who had had a full amount of sleep. Even PET scans showed their brains to look like fully rested brains.
Considering 70% of Americans don’t get enough sleep to function properly, orexin A could become the stimulation drug of choice, a could replace other energy products like those containing caffeine.
Everyone has had those days where the convenience of a pick me up in a cup, can or bottle sounds more than a little enticing. The popularity in caffeinated products, from beverages to foods and pills, and even topical gels and lotions, has sky rocketing in the last years. People turn to caffeine f… [More]
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.
The monkeys were deprived of sleep for 30 to 36 hours and then given either orexin A or a saline placebo before taking standard cognitive tests. The monkeys given orexin A in a nasal spray scored about the same as alert monkeys, while the saline-control group was severely impaired.
(wired)