All articles tagged with #wakefulness
A first-of-its-kind drug for type 1 narcolepsy reduces daytime sleepiness and cataplexy, giving patients longer wakeful periods and improved daily functioning, according to NEJM-backed coverage and patient accounts.
Sleep experts say removing smartphones from the bedroom before bed improves sleep quality, mood, and next-day cognitive function. A monthlong trial found measurable benefits when phone use was limited at night. Advice includes charging devices outside the bedroom, using separate or light-based alarms, and seeking natural morning light to boost wakefulness.
A NEJM Evidence trial found solriamfetol (Sunosi) improves wakefulness in early-morning workers with shift-work disorder, extending awake time by about 12.5 minutes on a full eight-hour shift versus placebo, with only modest side effects. This provides the first randomized evidence supporting a wakefulness drug for pre-dawn workers, and a follow-up trial in overnight workers is planned as a path toward formal labeling for shift-work disorder.
A study with 92 participants using Edison-inspired wake interruptions found four mental states (C1–C4) that appear across wakefulness, sleep onset, and light sleep, including a bizarre dream-like C3 with a neural signature of reduced frontal–occipital connectivity. This shows dreaming can occur while awake, challenges the strict wake/sleep divide, and has implications for paradoxical insomnia and creative insight during wake–sleep transitions.
Researchers found that adults with ADHD show more frequent sleep-like slow waves during wakefulness while performing attention-demanding tasks, and these bursts are linked to more errors, slower reaction times, and lapses in attention. The study compared 32 adults with ADHD off medication to 31 neurotypical controls. The findings suggest a brain mechanism behind ADHD-related attention difficulties, and future work may test whether sleep-based stimulation to boost slow waves could reduce daytime sleep-like activity and improve focus.
An Israeli study has identified the claustrum, a highly connected brain area, as a key regulator of wakefulness and attention. Researchers found that low claustrum activity in mice correlated with increased wakefulness and impulsive behavior, while high activity led to deeper sleep and better-regulated actions. These findings could aid in developing treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders like ADHD.
Scientists have discovered that three anti-fatigue drugs, including solriamfetol (brand name SUNOSI), are more effective than a placebo at reducing daytime sleepiness in people with obstructive sleep apnea. The drugs were found to improve wakefulness, with solriamfetol having the largest impact. However, potential side effects, such as increased blood pressure, should be considered. The study highlights the potential of these drugs as alternatives to caffeine for combating daytime sleepiness.