Dexamethasone Disrupted Mouse Sleep Through Orexin Activation
TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in Psychopharmacology found that repeated dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid steroid, disrupted light-phase sleep and increased orexin-neuron activity, a wake-promoting hypothalamic signal, during sleep-to-wake transitions. Key Findings 5-day steroid model: Male C57BL/6J mice received dexamethasone at 30 mg/kg for 5 days before 24-hour sleep recording. Light-phase sleep was disrupted: Dexamethasone increased …
