How Does Affect Sleep Cycles and Sleep Deprivation

Modafinil is a prescription medication which produces a unique state of increase vigilance, alertness, awareness and wakefulness in the user. It is said that Modafinil, you do not need to sleep and are able to function normally even if you are sleep deprived for one night. The psychostimulant effects of this drug differ from the classic effects of other well-known stimulants.

Modafinil is able to promote an awake and attentive mind in the user without producing the uncomfortable body sensations of jitters or agitation so often associated with amphetamines. Originally, ArModafinil, strongly was developed to treat patients who had been diagnosed with narcolepsy, a neurological disorder causing the patient to fall asleep without warning. Other prescribed uses are for obstructive sleep apnea and shift-worker sleep disorders.

ExamplesGeneric NameBrand NamearmodafinilNuvigilmodafinilProvigil

Modafinil or armodafinil is taken as a pill to decrease sleepiness during the day.

In a normal person’s brain, multiple neural systems work together to regulate our sleep/wake cycle. Brain chemicals like Glutamate work to keep us awake and mentally energized, while neurotransmitters like GABA work to calm the excitation and send signals to tell us when we are in need of sleep. Modafinil seems to alter the release and re-uptake of some of these neurotransmitters, and their receptors, to create a unique psychostimulation which reduces fatigue and produces a natural sense of being alert.

In people with apnea who used, treatment with modafinil or armodafinil improved alertness, reduced tiredness, and improved memory.

Modafinil also helps people who have shift work sleep disorder stay awake when they work nights.Shift work sleep disorder is trouble sleeping during the day because you work nights. It also causes you to be sleepy at night when you need to be alert to work.

Wakefulness-promoting medicines are recommended only after continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy alone does not get rid of daytime sleepiness in a person who has sleep apnea. The CPAP therapy should continue during modafinil treatment.

Some medicines may be affected by modafinil, including warfarin, cyclosporine, and tricyclic antidepressants (such as clomipramine and desipramine). Before you start using modafinil, tell your doctor about all of the other medicines you are taking.