Researchers find chemical in body may be effective at treating sleep apnea

Researchers that noradrenalin helps with treating sleep apnea. Noradrenalin is not a drug that can be purchased. It is actually a chemical found in the brain, which helps in regulating sleep.

People suffering with sleeping disorders, particularly sleep apnea, have an irregular breathing pattern during sleep. There are abnormally long pauses — or stoppages — of breathing while sleeping.

A recent study has been published in the Journal of Neuroscience where a group of scientists from Canada, particularly the University of Toronto, conducted research about sleep apnea.

To be able to breathe normally and effectively, the brain must be able to release noradrenalin. The brain releases this chemical in order to normalize a person’s lung activity.

The study that was conducted demonstrated a kind of brain plasticity that helped prevent abnormal breathing by intensifying the brain’s drive in preventing apneas that could occur in the future.

With this study, scientists and pharmaceutical researchers may be able to formulate new drugs that could actively help in the production of noradrenalin in the brain.

Further studies could lead to effectively providing a drug that could reduce people suffering from sleep apnea.