Provigil in Sustaining Wakefulness
In a condition called narcolepsy excessive sleepiness is a main symptom, which lasts the whole day. There has been two studies done comparing what is more effecient – to take Provigil once a day or to take small split doses a number of times a day.
It has been proven, that split doses were much more effecient than once a day dose ( 200 mg of Provigil), and it was better performing in sustaining wakefulness in the evening.
Both these regimes are very well tolerated. Therefore please consult your doctor to decide which regime is better and more suitable for your needs
What keeps us awake?
There was a number of studies done to get a better understanding of what exactly controls sleep mechanism in our brain, which would help us to better understand how sleep disorders develop and why. It is now been acknowledged that there are two mechanisms that are responsible for our wake/sleep cycle – one promotes sleep and the second one wakefulness.
Numerous studies dissecting the basic mechanisms that control sleep regulation have led to considerable improvement in our knowledge of sleep disorders. It is now well accepted that transitions between sleep and wakefulness are regulated by complex neurobiologic mechanisms, which, ultimately, can be delineated as oscillations between two opponent processes, one promoting sleep and the other promoting wakefulness.
Stimulants similar to amphetamines increase wakefulness by blocking or stimulating dopamine. Provigil possible works by interacting with hypocretin system
Provigil in our society
There has been an increase in number of accidents, caused by sleepiness, in oppose to alcohol and the drugs. There has also been an increase in industrial accidents, especially where the night or shift work is common.
We as a society has moved in to a 24 hour cycle, sometimes confused when we need to sleep and have rest. We experience a lot of pressure to stay awake for longer hours, or to do longer shifts.
There have been a number of research done, which have shown that people doing night shifts, have difficulty to fall asleep during day time, theit performance is reduced and they find difficult to stay focused and alerted when it’s needed. They also have a higher accident rate, comparing to people doing nine to five jobs.
Another issue is the general health. The shift workers are more likely to develop such diseases as sleep disorders of all kind, risks of having cardiovascular disease, diabetes and others.
In addition to that the accidents caused by sleepiness cost the economy a lot of money.
Provigil and circadian rhythms
In Syrian hamsters, behavioral procedures for inducing arousal (e.g., running in a novel wheel or gentle handling) can shift circadian rhythms when applied during the usual sleep period (‘subjective day’) and can attenuate phase shifts to light during the active period (‘subjective night’).
This raises the possibility that drugs that affect behavioral state may have ‘chronobiotic’ potential. We characterized the effects of Provigil, an atypical alerting compound, on circadian rhythms in male Syrian hamsters. EEG recordings and video observations confirmed that Provigil dose-dependently increases wakefulness at the expense of slow-wave and paradoxical sleep with no increase in locomotor activity per unit time awake.