As a graduate student, I have seen the effects of sleep deprivation on my fellow classmates and I have felt the effects myself. While missing sleep is never healthy, there are times in our lives when it is unavoidable. Whether you are studying for an exam, working the overnight shift at a hospital, or have a newborn baby that won’t stop crying; we have all had nights where we did not get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can cause many different side effects with the most common being decreased alertness and low performance. So, what are the best ways to stay alert and perform well after a sleepless night?
A prescription medication known as modafinil can be prescribed to patients who suffer from daytime sleepiness. Studies have shown that modafinil can improve performance, alertness, short-term memory, mathematic ability, and grammatical reasoning for those who are sleep-deprived compared to those given a placebo (1). The dosage with the greatest effect ranged from 50 mg to 200 mg (1). However, modafinil must be prescribed by a doctor and it is a schedule IV medication, meaning that it may lead to a dependence.
Caffeine may be the the obvious choice to combat the side effects of sleep deprivation, but does it actually help? Many studies have found that it does. Sleep deprived subjects were found to have an increase or improvement in wakefulness, reaction time, accuracy, memory and grammatical reasoning (1). The most effective dose has been found to be 200 mg of caffeine, or about 2 cups of strong coffee (1). Caffeine is the most accessible and safest stimulant, though high doses of caffeine can have negative side effects such as a rapid heart beat, jitteriness and irritability.
Stimulants can affect people in different ways, and therefore, must be used on a case by case basis dependent on costs and benefits. But let’s remember: what is the best cure for tiredness? Sleep.
Bonnet MH et al. 2005. The Use of Stimulants to Modify Performance During Sleep Loss: A Review by the Sleep Deprivation and Stimulant Task Force of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Dayton Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Available from: https://www.med.upenn.edu/uep/user_documents/dfd23.pdf
I noticed that the positive effects of modafinil and caffeine are similar and am wondering if in your research if you found if the biochemical structures are similar as well. Also, as you stated the negative side effects of caffeine can be irritability, increased HR etc. What are the side effects of modafinil (if any), other than potential dependency, and are they similar to the side effects of caffeine?
ReplyDeleteIt has always fascinated "why" we need to sleep. Did you see anything that suggested ways of regaining lost sleep or if it is forever lost?
ReplyDeleteHow does Modafinil increase alertness? I think this medication can work wonders for the sleep deprived, my only concerns is long term effects and potential for abuse. Honestly, I believe research dollars wont be better spent on helping these patients getting more effective sleep rather that stimulating them to be awake day after day after day....
This is very interesting and I didn't know there was a drug that could help strictly with daytime sleepiness. How long does it take for one to become addicted to Modafinil? How is daytime sleepiness measured? Does this impact sleeping at night? In all honestly I love sleep and look forward to it each night! This graduate program does deprive me from sleep but I make sure I get enough sleep to be productive the next day. Another thought I have is, if it is recommended to have 200 mg of caffeine a day can someone get used to this amount and not feel the caffeine any more?
ReplyDeleteI found this post to be very interesting, particularly as a student. There are certainly days where I feel like my mental clarity is affected by a lack of sleep. I'm curious how this drug will be perceived in a few years. It makes me wonder if there will be abuse (especially as a schedule IV drug) similar to Adderall. According to pharmacy.ca.gov, almost 62% of college students are offered Adderall for non-medical use, and 31% of those students use the Adderall. I'm also curious how one would go about getting a prescription for Modafinil- could a college student just go to their doctor and request a prescription because they are often sleep deprived from studying? Or would they only prescribe it to someone who has a sleep disorder that may be affecting their performance?
ReplyDeleteJenny, I loved your post. I like Megan am wondering how accessible Modafinil is for a college student or a new mother? Is there a specific amount of times a person is sleep deprived before they should consider Modafinil? As I was reading this post I kept thinking about Jared's post on Orexin. High levels of Orexin (what causes you to be awake and alert) lead to the build up of plaque in the brain which correlates with Alzheimer's. As student's would we be putting ourselves at a higher risk for Alzheimer's all for the sake of being alert?
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