You know, a lot of guys will hate this because they can no longer use the line, “It’s time for bed, honey,” as a prelude to getting something other than sleep. Also, can you imagine places like Microsoft? Without a requirement for sleep, there’s no reason to not spend 24 hours a day programming new, useless features into already bloated software!

Snorting a Brain Chemical Could Replace Sleep

In what sounds like a dream for millions of tired coffee drinkers, Darpa-funded scientists might have found a drug that will eliminate sleepiness.

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.”




  1. Personality says:

    The military will love this.

  2. tcc3 says:

    I wonder how long until the subject goes crazy. Theres no way this doesn’t have consequences.

  3. richardbt71 says:

    I always thought sleepiness was the way your body forces you to rest so you can heal.

  4. JFStan says:

    I don’t have that “internal clock” that most people have that tells them to wake up at a certain time. Even though I’ve gone to school/work at 8AM everyday forever, I never wake up without help. I also never feel “refreshed” in the morning, even though I may go to bed at 8PM the night before. A shot of this stuff in the morning would be a miracle for me. Sign me up.

  5. This is great!! More meds for everyone!!!!

    (Actually this one sort of appeals to me. Must resist urge.)

    Though we’re only 5% of the world’s population, we already consume 56% of the world’s medication. We must get profit incentive out of our health care.

  6. DavidtheDuke says:

    I wonder what cancer it causes

  7. sadtruth says:

    They’ve had a snort-able “pick me upper” for years.

  8. Angel H. Wong says:

    #1

    Video game companies like Electronic Arts will love it even more.

  9. Named says:

    What’s wrong with cocaine? Sure it’s expensive, but it’s glamourous. And, if you get edgy, just take it off with a little heroin. These problems have been solved for years…

  10. Robert S Hedin says:

    Did someone Photoshop the young lady’s nose or was it the result of snorting said inhalant?

  11. DeLeMa says:

    One of the posters at the linked site commented that the peptide orexin A creates a large appetite in its’ users and might be useful for those suffering from anorexia. I thought these guys said there were no side effects ? We’re already a little larger than most other folks in the rest of the world.

    I agree with #2. I’ve always been taught that the brain needed sleep to do its’ re-boot and restore which promotes sanity in some of us..(I’m working on that..)

  12. steelcobra says:

    #1: Hell, I’d love to use this stuff when I’ve got 24 hour CQ duty.


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