Sleep and the brain

 A new study showed the sleep medication lemborexant (Dayvigo) decreased Tau tangles (toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s that build up in the brain) and increased the volume of an Alzheimer’s brain region, the hippocampus, by 30-40%. They researchers did not see this benefit in mice treated with another sleep medication.  Lemborexant is one of three FDA approved sleep medications that are Orexin receptor antagonists ((suvorexant (Belsomra), lemborexant (Dayvigo), and daridorexant (Quviviq)). They seem to be the best of the sleep medications from my literature review. Orexin is a neuropeptide produced in the brain that plays a crucial role in regulating wakefulness and arousal. Orexin receptor antagonists work by blocking these receptors, preventing orexin from stimulating wakefulness and promoting sleep. They have little to no side effects or abuse potential but their effectiveness is still being studied.It's still better to try other methods such as exercise and adjusting your sleep environment, before resorting to medication. But medicated sleep is better than poor sleep.I have now updated my post on Sleep and the Brain to include this new piece of evidence. Read more - https://drglorioso.substack.com/publish/post/162940649 Neuroscience News coverage of the study: https://neurosciencenews.com/sleep-aid-tau-alzheimers-29155/