Scientists announce new treatment for insomnia

Study indicates suvorexant has similar results to insomnia medications, but has the advantage of having very few side effects

Japanese researchers have announced a new medication for treating insomnia: suvorexant . Unlike medications available to control sleep disorder, this drug has a targeted effect, that is, it affects only sleep-related organ functions. The study demonstrating the advantages of the drug was published this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

According to experts, hypnotics are commonly used as a treatment for insomnia . However, by acting to inhibit generic neurotransmitters, they can affect many neurons in the brain and spinal cord, including those not involved in sleep. Because of this, the use of this type of medication can have worrying side effects, such as the inability to respond to stimuli during sleep. This means that in an emergency situation, such as a fire in the middle of the night, for example, the person will have difficulty reacting. 

For researchers, this is the main advantage of suvorexant: It acts only on brain receptors involved in sleep, such as orexin receptors . Therefore, brain regions that do not produce this substance will not be affected by the medication.

The news is good news for those who suffer from insomnia and the debilitating side effects of medications. In Brazil, for example, about 73 million people face the problem, according to the Brazilian Sleep Association (ABS).

To reach this conclusion, scientists at Tsukuba University in Japan recruited 30 men, who were divided into three groups: the first was medicated with suvorexant; the second with brotizolam (a hypnotic); and the third received placebo. After taking the medications, the participants went to sleep. After 90 minutes of sleep, the researchers woke up the volunteers to test their cognitive and physical functioning. 

The results showed that  suvorexant caused less impaired body balance upon waking compared with brotizolam. The team believes this effect is associated with a part of the brain called the cerebellum , whose main function is maintaining balance. This is because in this region there are no orexin receptors, responsible for promoting lack of sleep and therefore is not affected by suvorexant. Since the brotizolam acts on the production of GABA A receptors, which are produced in the cerebellum. For this reason, it impairs balance and response to stimuli. 

Based on this analysis, scientists have concluded that suvorexant is as effective as hypnotics used to treat insomnia, and has the advantage of fewer side effects.

Although the results are important, this substance is not yet available in Brazil.