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Could a drug for narcolepsy change the world? | Zoe Williams

There are apparently breakthroughs on the way for those with sleep disorders – which sent me down a rabbit hole of research...

I met a guy in pharmaceuticals who told me about a bunch of cool breakthroughs in sleep meds: mainly, we may be on the brink of a new Wegovy, but in this case it’s a drug to cure narcolepsy. I suggested the two things are not quite the same, given that obesity is a global epidemic and narcolepsy is fairly rare. He countered that the way the drug works might also have applications for insomnia; similar to the Post-it note having been invented by someone trying to create the world’s strongest glue.

Anyway, in the course of this, I discovered the test for type 1 narcolepsy, which is that you’re put in a room with zero stimulation – nothing to read, no one to chat to, perfect silence, perfect temperature – and timed on how long it takes you to fall asleep. If it’s under eight minutes, you’re narcoleptic. But the average, for a person with no complaints in that area at all, is 22 minutes. I was completely incredulous. This is a grip on consciousness more or less the same as a house cat. Bored? Go to sleep. Even a dog will have a quick look for something to eat first.

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© Photograph: Posed by model; Westend61/Getty Images

© Photograph: Posed by model; Westend61/Getty Images

© Photograph: Posed by model; Westend61/Getty Images

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Dining across the divide: ‘She’s not unwelcoming or racist but she thinks immigration is creating a brain drain elsewhere’

They had different opinions on social media, asylum seekers and ‘woke’ politics, but which Stewart Lee sketch got them both laughing?

Samuel, 34, London

Occupation Communications professional

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© Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

© Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

© Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

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