Regarding sleep and Orexin (the Hormone of Waking up)

[redaxe]

Does anyone know if there are any lab tests that measure Orexin levels in the brain?

And are there any replacement therapies or targeted drugs that can mimic the effect of Orexin in the brain to stimulate wakefulness.

Orexin, also called hypocretin, is a neuropeptide that regulates arousal, wakefulness, and appetite.[1] The most common form of narcolepsy, in which the sufferer briefly loses muscle tone (cataplexy), is caused by a lack of orexin in the brain due to destruction of the cells that produce it.

 

[halcyon]

http://med.stanford.edu/narcolepsy/faq1.html#3

 

[halcyon]

I believe modafinil is thought to act on orexin producing neurons. There's no replacement therapy available yet as far as I know. Orexin can't cross the blood brain barrier I don't think.

 

[redaxe]

I believe modafinil is thought to act on orexin producing neurons. There's no replacement therapy available yet as far as I know. Orexin can't cross the blood brain barrier I don't think.

Thanks - that's what I thought. I suspect that once we get an orexin replacement that may be a good treatment for some subtypes or symptoms of ME/CFS.

 

[adreno]

There are ways to biohack your orexin levels:

http://selfhacked.com/2014/02/12/how-to-increase-orexin-and-decrease-fatigue-naturally/