Along with food and exercise, a good night's sleep is considered the third pillar of health. Yet sleep problems are a global epidemic affecting around 45% of the population. This week we explore the latest rousing sleep research.
We start with a report on a very
particular type of patient: those who can’t see. With no light to reset
their body clock, many in the blind community have a sleep pattern out
of sync with the rest of the world. Researchers at the hospital Hôtel
Dieu in Paris have begun a trial using a derivative of melatonin, a
hormone that makes us sleepy, in an attempt to realign blind patients
with the 24-hour day.
Next, why did Napoleon only need 4 hours of sleep,
while Einstein preferred 11 hours in bed? The answer may lie in our
DNA, after scientists identified a gene that makes some people sleepier
than others.
Finally, we head to central Africa, where sleep
disturbances can be a sign of serious illness. Thirty thousand people
each year die of an infection known as sleeping sickness. We explore the
latest drug treatments to eradicate this neglected disease.
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