The newest sleeping pills that promise a good and natural sleep, might also be able to help people get rid of serious addictions.

The sleeping pills that are currently being researched by the pharmaceutical industry, Block the activity of a peptide in the brain that is known as orexin. This little chain of amino acids makes sure that we’re awake and alert during daytime, but also has a role in some effects of addictive substances.

Sleep and Addiction

This intriguing connection between sleep and addiction has been known for a while with narcolepsy patients. As a treatment against the overwhelming need to sleep, they were sometimes given powerful amphetamines. Yet, they developed no addiction to these substances. About a decade ago, it was discovered that narcolepsy is the consequence of a mutation in the genes that are responsible for the production of orexin or its receptors. Once the peptides and their ability to keep the brain awake were known, this opened new perspectives in the treatment for insomnia. Several of the medicines that were developed based on this knowledge, are currently going through the last clinical test phases.

The pharmaceutical industry is also researching the role of orexin in addiction. Recent studies have shown that the brains of rats on an experimental orexin blocker release less dopamine when they’re given amphetamines. Another study has shown that an experimental orexin receptor antagonist had an negative influence on the addictive effects of amphetamines and nicotine. A shortage of orexin results in falling asleep easier, with an extreme example in narcolepsy. The newest sleeping pills with orexin blockers may induce a more natural sleep than the current opiates, that simply suppress all brain activity.

Beat Addictions Sleeping?

Pep pills might also induce a unnatural imitation of a normal stimulus, which would explain why orexin is important in the learning experiences and rewarding processes that are stimulated by dopamine and lead to addiction. The recent animal trials indicate that a dose of orexin blockers in combination with stimulating substances could help in suppressing addictive effects. So far, no plans are known to develop orexin blockers as a treatment for drug abuse, but the sleeping pills might sort that effect by guaranteeing a good night’s sleep since insomnia is a known reason for a relapse in alcoholics.

The orexin blockers might induce a different and better kind of sleep than drinking yourself to sleep. In principle, these should also be the first sleeping pills that you can’t get addicted to.

Source

Scientific American, July 2010: Putting Addiction to Bed: Sleep Drugs Could Subdue Cravings, Too by Christine Soares