Glossary

ritanserin

Ritanserin is a serotonin receptor antagonist that’s been shown in humans to raise deep slow-wave sleep and to improve symptoms in a variety of psychiatric disorders, including OCD, acute mania, and schizophrenia. However, it’s not currently available anywhere in the world. In a 2003 study of 134 people with narcolepsy, adding ritanserin to their usual narcolepsy treatment resulted in a significant rise in nocturnal (nighttime) slow-wave deep sleep and significantly lowered non-REM stage 1 percentage during daytime sleep.