Delta sleep-inducing peptide in normal humans and in patients with sleep apnea and narcolepsy.
Vgontzas. A N AN; Friedman. T C TC; Chrousos. G P GP; Bixler. E O EO; Vela-Bueno. A A; Kales. A A
Key Findings
- Plasma DSIP levels were similar across sleep apnea patients, narcolepsy patients, and healthy controls.
- A non‑significant trend showed lower DSIP in narcoleptic patients not taking medication.
- Repeated morning and evening DSIP measurements did not differ between sleep apnea patients and controls.
- The study does not support using plasma DSIP as a biomarker for sleep apnea disease activity.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, this means measuring DSIP in blood isn’t a reliable way to gauge sleep health or diagnose sleep disorders. It also suggests that simply supplementing DSIP may not have a predictable impact on sleep apnea or narcolepsy based on blood levels. Focus on other evidence‑based sleep strategies rather than DSIP monitoring.
Summary
A small study measured the natural levels of the sleep‑related peptide DSIP in people with sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and healthy volunteers. It found no clear differences between the groups, though narcoleptic patients not on medication tended to have slightly lower levels. Overall, the results suggest that a single blood test for DSIP isn’t useful for diagnosing or tracking these sleep disorders.
Abstract
We measured morning plasma concentrations of delta sleep-inducing-peptide-like-immunoreactivity (DSIP-LI) in 9 sleep apnea patients, 10 narcolepsy patients, and 11 normal controls. Comparisons between the three groups showed no significant differences, although there was a trend toward association with low levels of DSIP-LI in the narcoleptic group, particularly in patients not using medications. No differences were found in the morning or evening plasma DSIP-LI levels in a second group of 11 normal controls and 8 sleep apneics. Our findings do not appear to support a biological marker role of disease activity for single measures of plasma DSIP in sleep apnea.
Study Information
pubmed
1995
10.1016/0196-9781(95)00092-x