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Provigil Extends Your Day?
John Mearns writes "It looks like before long all caffeine junkies will be able to ditch the bottle of Mountain Dew or cup of coffee in favor of pill. Its not a true stimulant so you don't get the "caffeine crash," just countless hours of alert attentiveness. " It's also
still in testing so it'll probably make you grow horns or something, and is
supposed to only be used for people who are sleepy during the day, but it raises
several interesting ethical questions.
Cool, if I take these it will increase my chances of getting a first post.
Pop pill.
Reload
Pop pill.
Reload
Pop pill.
Reload
Rinse,
Repeat.
How else do i know it's time to give up and go to bed? when you finally come crashing down in the bathroom as your body is expelling all that water...
Boom.... now sleep for 12 hours.
I want something that will reduce my bodies need for sleep... make me feel good and refreshed on 3 or 4 hours of sleep.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
What would happen if you took this with an Ambien, a couple of beers, a Tylenol-3 and a grande mocha? I think you would time travel...
If I would have had this during my undergrad career as an engineer, maybe I could have gotten a degree AND had a social life!
There's something incredibly cozy about having a cup of hot coffee or tea to sip on throughout the day, a sort of tangibility that you won't get from popping a pill. It's kind of like the difference between muzak(tm) and Pink Floyd...sure, both are music, but only one is music.
--
I Hit the Karma Cap, and All I Got Was This Lousy
Since this deprives you of sleep, but somehow keeps you from falling asleep, the long-term side effects of this are compeletly unknown. All the studies show that not sleeping is extreamly bad for you in the long run. Lowers immune systems, increases stress, reduces hapiness, etc.
One thing they don't mention is if you have to sleep for a 'normal' amount after the drug wares off. So if you are awake for like 36 hours, then how long do you sleep? 8 hours? or 16 hours?
Even if this has bad long term effects, this will be very popular, everyone has those nights that they 'have' to stay up and work. Could be the procrationators drug of choice.
Provigil was developed in France in the 1970s. Although no one is sure how it works, animal studies show that the medication--unlike other drugs that induce wakefulness--doesn't seem to dramatically increase levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with arousal and alertness.
If you want to take a drug that no one knows how it works, go for it. However, I will not be taking a drug that scientists are clueless about.
The best treatment for sleepiness is SLEEPING!!! If you are engaging in an activity that is depriving you of sleep, STOP!!! There is a reason you get sleepy. Your body and mind needs to rest and recharge and sleepiness is the signal to do so. Medical test after medical test has shown that people that deprive themselves of sleep go insane and lose their ability to perform even the easiest of tasks. That is why sleep deprivation is used so often as a torture device to break down subjects, so they will spill the proverbial beans.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
....I'm always chasing rainbows...
sleep 2 hours a day and feel great
I'm REALLY curious about trying that new sleep pattern, but oddly enough, I don't have the time to try it!
Q: What do you think about American Culture?
A: I think it's a good idea.
(adapted from Gandhi)
...to see how people underestimate the value of a good night's sleep to your health. I'd rather get a little less done during the day than deal with the whole laundry list of problems you are opening yourself up to when you are sleep deprived. Ever notice that people who don't get much sleep get sick a lot?
Sleep is fundamental, period. There are no substitutions.
"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." - Jack Nicholson
Sleepiness is your body's way of telling you it needs rest (basically, your brain needs rest). Using drugs to avoid it strikes me as foolish, like using analgesics to ignore the pain of a broken bone (as opposed to curing it).
If you're sleepy, you need to sleep. If you're sleepy during the day, well, maybe you need to go to bed earlier.
Plus, sleeping is one of the seven capital pleasures of being human. Going to bed when you're sleepy is actually pretty nice. Why give it up?
IIRC there was an experiment where a factory secretly "spiked" the water cooler with pure caffiene goodness. It produced a whopping 15% in productivity amongst the workers.
I can see the drugs manufactuer now going through trial test.
Hi we'd like to spike your water coolers with a new drug we've developed
I think it's against the law to put anything other than water in those things
This new drug is *Better* than caffiene. It should increase worker production up to 25%!
That sounds great! Where do we sign up?
It is somewhat telling that you consider 6 hours to be a good sleep.
- In Capitalist America, law violates YOU!
This will have horrible side effects. When will people learn that there is simply no substitute for a good night's sleep.
Even natural stuff like gensing makes you feel like pure total SH*T when it wears off. Does funky things to yer pee to...
My dad is a hard-line baptist, will not drink ANYTHING with alcohol (or even anything that looks like alcohol, i.e. IBC Root Beer and Welches sparkling grape juice) but drinks up to 5 pots of coffee a day.
He gets kinds irate when I point out he's addicted, but...
My $0.02 will always be worth more than your â0.02, so
If you're THAT in need of staying awake. You can stay awake for days on that stuff. Sure you feel funny, you may vomit, and there is a chance of death, but the devil you know is better than the one you don't, right? Right?
Pro Plus
I know a few people who pop those things all the time. I can't see the point though.. they don't work for me. Red Bull all the way baby!
mogorific carpentry experiments
Signed,
Your Boss
GTRacer
- There's a Dilbert in this somewhere...
Defending IP by destroying access to it? That makes sense, RIAA/MPAA. Go to the corner until you can play nice!
Where does society get off saying what people can and can't do with their own bodies, given that they are aware of the risks (or at least aware that the risks are not known). These are not questions for the government or society to ask. These are questions for individuals to ask. "Is this a good choice for me and my body?"
The Glass is Too Big: My Take on Things
They got to sell this stuff over the counter. I don't care if it makes you grow a damn tail! Gimmee!
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
in the (fictional) book, some children are genetically engineered to not need to sleep. They become superhuman, due to all the extra time they have to live life. But in real life, at what point do we say, enough is enough, we don't have to push ourselves this hard, and if we do, do we recalibrate what society expects of a person. Instead of giving your kids ritalin, give them Provigal.
------ Work is so much easier when you don't
I've used it. The longest I've ever stayed up is 40 hours or so. The only noticible side effect was a slight headache, but that could've been caused by any number of things (I get headaches a fair amount because I don't eat very well :/). Headaches are the most common reported side-effect by far.
.5 hours for each hour of wakefulness), that means I gained 22 hours of wakefulness.
Even after 40 hours of being awake, I was still at nearly full mental capactity and able to work, etc. I did not feel the normal symptoms of sleep deprevation at all (I've stayed awake too long many times, and I'm familiar with how it makes you feel). I did not feel high, either. I was just... awake. I also didn't feel many physical problems (sore back, sore legs, etc) like I expected to, but YMMV, of course.
Afterwards I slept about 9 hours and had a normal next day. By my calculations (figuring you normally sleep
You can find them on the internet if you look around enough. I am hesitant to mention sites, but there are two in the UK that sell 100mg pills. I have been unable to find the 200mg pills. They sell for about $145 + shipping ($15 or so) for 30 pills. That's $5.33 a pill. During my 40 hours awake, I took four, which works out to about $1 per hour.
Many people I tell this to think it would be a good idea to take them during finals. I must warn you that it's probably not a good idea because there is a very good chance your sleep schedule will get completely fucked up. For example, you may stay up for 32 hours, decide it's time for sleep, and then sleep through a final. In other words, I would take it a few times beforehand to get used to it before you decide to jump in and potentially fuck up something important.
What happens if you mixed a pot of coffee a few liters of mountain dew and a few Provigal pills? Would you become the Kwisatz Haderach ?
Outdoor digital photography, mostly in New Engl
even worse... it lets all your neighbors also stay on line round the clock
He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send your fingerprints off to Washington."
I seem to recall that scientists aren't exactly sure how aspirin works either. I have no problem using it, and I also don't see a reason people can't just go the hell to bed when they are tired.
Hmm, now if I can get pills that remove my need for food, air, water, and sex, I will legally qualify as a robot.
Robotiq.com is heavily tested on animals
Provigal extends your day, Viagra extends your performance, Now I can bonk all night long without falling asleep.
and that stuff claims that you can be up for days and then after 8 hours sleep be fine again.
yet they always seem to gloss over the fact that rats that were kept on it, if awake long enough without sleep - ALWAYS died of blood infections.
your body needs sleep.
There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
I was on provigil for a few weeks instead of Methelphenadate HCL as treatment for narcolepsy. The Privigil had wierd side effects, It effected my tiniking and kept seeing things out of the corner of my eye but when looked nothing was their. I looked on a news group about provigil and other people had similar side effects. Personally I would rather have a stomach ache or nose bleed as side effects instead of a messed up head/eyes.
If you want to improve your powers of concentration, try Ginko Biloba. I've been taking it for years, 60 mg every morning. I've noticed that my alertness levels are waaay up. I swear by it.
Others might agree.
Note that ginko takes several weeks to build up in your system. Have fun!
I was prescribed the drug by my doctor because a different medication I was on made me very sleepy in the morning. I was so tired it was affecting my ability to get up and go to work. When I was on Provigal I did notice some minor improvements; more alertness in the morning being the #1 effect. The effect was very minor, almost indetectable. I didn't feel wired or anything like what you get from coffee, and there was no 'crash' later in the day.
I stopped taking it because I thought it was causing me to feel very sick to my stomach, but of course that might have just been because I live in downtown NYC and this was in October.
Generally this is a drug taken by people with serious sleeping problems, like people that fall asleep while driving all the time, etc. It is also thought to have some affect on depression, although the mechanism by which it accomplishes that is unknown. It might just be that getting a good start on the day helps depressed people!
Since this drug is not a traditional stimulant, such as caffeine, or cocaine, it can affect people in very different ways. It's more like Prozac, which seemed to help some people a lot, while others were not helped at all.
Peace, or Not?
...that dealt with experiments in sleep deprivation? While it's not likely that Provigil (make note of the spelling...if the editors had read the article, they would've gotten it right) is the result of some clandestine project to create soldiers who never sleep, it would appear to open the door to certain possibilities...
20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
What if your employer asks you to take it so you can be more productive? It's just for this big push to get the new product out by the deadline.
What if at some future time when this drug is commonplace, you can't get a job in your field unless you agree to take the pill during the work week?
What if the traditional work week disappears, replaced by 168 non-stop hours of wakeful, productive work?
People are fond of responding to workplace privacy issues by pointing out that you're being paid for your time, and shouldn't be surfing or getting high or whatever, and so spyware and logging and drug tests are to be expected, and are an employer's right. How is this really any different? You don't have to work at a place that requires 168 hours of wakefulness, but if every employer in your town who has a position in your field is requiring this drug to be taken as a condition of employment, your kinda SOL.
Is that enough ethical questions for ya?
Edith Keeler Must Die
I don't think it raises any interesting ethical
questions at all. Could you suggest one?
-I like my women like I like my tea: green-
C'mon, the only hope any of us ever had of being millionaires was the dot-com boom - and what was that, other than what happens when you put thousands of delusional psychopathic geeks in the same room with thousands of delusional psychopathic venture capitalists and offer shares to millions of delusional psychopathic day traders?
If that was delusional psychopathy, I want it back!
Today cavewoman groky invented a device that will make work easier. She does not know exactly how it works, but she calls it the 'wheel'.Hey anything that makes my life easier but it raises several interesting ethical questions.
Everything raises ethical questions, whether or not there interesting is for people to decide for themselves.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Like many other people I wanted get more productive hours out my 24 hour day so began studying napping in college and ending up doing my undergrad research project on napping. I ended up doing a fairly lame project but my original idea was to adopt this sleep pattern (awake 4 hours, sleep 15-30 minutes) and do tests on myself. While there have been anecodotes of this sleep schedule, there have been no documented cases and no scientific research. Incidentally, Leonardo da Vinci was supposed to have adopted this sleep schedule. It can certainly help explain the amazing work that he produced.
The human body has many continuous overlapping cycles. The most prominent is the circadian rythymn, our daily clock. But there are longer cycles (women's monthly cycles) and a shorter one of approximatly 4 hours. Adopting this sleeping pattern would maximize restorative sleep (Stage 4 and REM) while minimizing the less productive sleep stages (Stages 1-3). When you adopt this sleep schedule, you immediately go into deep sleep and then dream within 5 or 10 minutes. The normal delay for dreaming is usually 3-5 hours.
One last thing that I found in my research. While most people can deal with moderate sleep loss for an extended time 2-3 hours a night, there is a core sleep time of 4-5 hours that the average person must get otherwise they become non-functional.
I would love to read up more on this drug and to see how the research has changed in the three years that I have left school.
We had to destroy the sig to save the sig.
They'll take away my Dew when they pry it from my cold, dead, still-shaking hands.
Besides, Mountain Dew reduces your sperm count, so it keeps those bastard children away!
In Soviet Russia...michael would be rotting in Siberia!
Don't moderate flamebait as Troll. Know the difference or you will be Meta-moderated.
I think you were alluding to the Stripper's Trilemma:
Dance harder -> make more tips -> buy more coke -> dance harder -> etc
:)
So what if you made a combo pill of provigil and viagra? ;)
It is a stimulant, although it was described to me by a doctor as not being one.
Nevertheless, it is listed a class IV controlled substance, not as bad a Ritalin, but it is supposedly addictive.
However, it does work as advertised.
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
And they call it EverCrack now.
It's too horrible to contemplate: sleep is the only thing moderating the life cycles of some of hard-core addicts and preventing them from sinking as far as drug addicts can (most addictive drugs are stimulants and keep you up.) Without sleep regulating their addiction the whole lot of them will descend into dementia, not that they aren't far from that now.
personal attacks hurt, especially when deserved
that wished he had more time to just sleep?
or is that one of those things you're not supposed to thnk about...
Wha... the... Starbuck's owns Tazo...?
*stumbles off weeping quietly*
do I need to buy extra fans to attach to my head, to counter the extra heat that'll be generated from overclocking my brain?
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
You can find it at most herbal stores, and some drug stores.
It is important to remember that Leonardo Da Vinci was a truly strange guy. Interestingly enough, many of the most creative people of all time had unusual sleep habits. Einstein slept up to 14 hours a day. Edison would stay awake for over two days at a time, only to crash and sleep so long that he had to find a newspaper to learn what day it was. Euler was nocturnal. Seeing this, it is probably also important that we strive to live in accordance with out own sleep patterns, rather than try to defy your body with drugs. I personally have Type II Circadian Rhythm sleep disorder, which means basically that I'm nocturnal. As much as possible, I build my schedule to be night-oriented. Not so easy while school is around, but when school isn't a factor, you will see me awake until dawn and asleep until near dusk. When I am obeying what my body is telling me to do, I am happier, healthier, and smarter. Pass on the Provigil and instead take a chance to try out sleeping when your body tells you to.
I would advise against using this if you want your memory to function. It's still probably just a theory, but I still remember hearing the most probable explanation for the brain's need to sleep that I've ever heard. Basically, the theory goes that when you enter deep sleep (i.e. non-REM sleep) your brain is literally wiring new connections: shifting memories to long term storage, connections are reinforced with more connections, etc. Your brain then goes in to REM sleep to test those connections, which is why REM sleep seems pretty random, but is often related to what's going on in your life.
Some evidence for this: there is a specific type of autism (I can't remember the name) that baffled researchers until they started monitoring the EEG's at night. The researchers found out that the people with this type of autism were literally going in to seizures at night, at least they were experiencing the "electrical storm" in their brains that characterize a seizure. The researchers put the patients on anti-epilepsy medication, and it cleared up the symptoms right away. As the theory goes, the brain was using all of it's connections every night, preventing unused/unneeded connections from atrophying. So the patient was literally unable to forget anything, but also didn't have any more room for more connections.
The moral of the story (considering that only a fool wouldn't realize that these pills won't be more abused than Viagra)? Don't use/abuse these pills if you want to be able to remember/learn anything long-term.
BlackGriffen
It's also still in testing so it'll probably make you grow horns or something
So I can get more work done in a day, and grow horns? I want in on the clinical trial!
Cheers
-b
Girlfriend sez: "In your case, it would just make the ones you already have visible."
As an individual who suffers from both chronic depression and insomnia, something like this would be gold to me. Rather than taking drugs that try to force my body and brain to sleep, this would allow me to take better advantage of the hours that I spend awake. Instead of working at 4 in the morning because I can't sleep and piling up errors, I could work at 4 in the morning because I can't sleep and keep everything accurate and precise.
Never argue with a man carrying a water buffalo
Well, you probably won't remember, but your great-grandparents might have gone through this. When aspirin was first commercially used in the 1870's, no one knew how it worked. It sure was nice that it did work thought, even if an occasional upset stomach occured. It wasn't until the 1970's that it's relation to prostaglandin was discovered. Read this link for more info.
I can relate. I had CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome) and still suffer some aftereffects from it.
During the acute phase of the illness, I definitely experienced what you are talking about. I got lucky...I have not had an acute period since 1994. However, I still have residual effects which include a permanently impaired stamina, and problems with transferring data from short term to long term memory. I also have the annoying habit of occasionally losing consciousness for a few seconds at a time. I call it a "brown out." Some people call it "brain fog."
Anyway, what I'm really saying is...lemme at this stuff! I can definitely use it. If it won't affect blood pressure, I want it.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
As I know very well from 7-days-on-5-hours-sleep binges during college, staying awake for long periods, even if you feel alert, eventually catches up to you. And as someone suffering from a sleep disorder currently, I know that going long periods without much sleep can be very bad. What makes me worry about this drug is that it may work too well. After a week of sleep deprivation, no amount of coffee will keep you from feeling sleepy. You will fall asleep after a point. But if you can pop this pill and not feel sleepy, you may stay up far past what your body can take.
The enemies of Democracy are
My best friend uses it now.
She's narcoleptic and after the second time she drove her car into a ditch she finally got tested and they put her on Provigil.
This drug has literally been a life saver! (for everyone else on the road).
It is really a nice drug with a low occurance of side effects. Its not like she is suddenly restless, but rather she doesn't fall asleep so unexpectedly.
The only negative things she has to say about it is that because it is metabolized by the liver, you really shouldn't drink alcohol while on it. This is kinda a bummer at parties.
Word,
Rob
How long you will sleep after being awake for 36 hours is not a constant, but what is a constant is that, over time, you average 8 hours a day, period, without variation. IF you miss some, you will make it up, over the next few days, or even weeks.
Track your sleep for a year, and just see what happens. Don't forget to count nodding off at the desk and sleeping on the bus.
Intellectual Property: Something the average MCSE doesn't have between his ears.
I saw a book in Borders the other days with the title Windows XP for Dummies, and I thought "It sure is".
Coffee has been around for ever. We know the positive/negative effects. It is trust worthy.
In the current corporate/government lobbyist environment I wouldn't touch ANYTHING even vaguely pill shaped which is designed to improve my 'worker drone efficiency'.
Will it also turn me into a slobbering 'yes sir' zombie?
Call me paranoid, but they can take that pill and shove it!
-Fantastic Lad
There is another which has similar effects, called 4-methylaminorex (dl-cis-2-amino-4-methyl-5-phenyl-2-oxazoline) which effects most specifically the the norepinephrine and acetylcholine receptors in the brain, with comparitively minimal/nonexistant effect at the dopamine receptors unlike most standard stimulants.
Unfortunately this chemical has a rather long active duration when taken by oral administration (which, besides it's potential for abuse, is probably the main reason this chemical has not seen commercial use), however it VERY effective at reducing the effects of sleep deprivation without the anxiety and psychotic effects usually attributed to methamphetamines and other stimulants which are highly active on the dopamine system.
As for the previously mentioned Uberman sleep schedule, I can see it being effective at producing mental altertness with a minimum of sleep, however I would suspect that it would have an effect on the recuperative capabilities of your body in addition to reducing the immune system. As a weightlifter I've found that additional sleep beyond the eight hours I usually require is very helpful in speeding recovery.
Machine Gestalt
Hell, that's a plus! Who wants a paranoid psycho to be able to bite them?
Carpe Deez
Provigal affects Birth Control!
I found a few references to possible birth defects as well, however not seriously sightable statements. Even the official website states that dosage during pregnancy should seriously consider the benefits to outweigh the risks.The strangest issue is that for a drug that has been around since the 70's there is very little data about interaction with other drugs and they just recommend you don't use alot of different types. Brings up something I remember hearing about a company in the past that found negative results and decided that they just "hadn't performed those tests". Who knows.
Buyer Beware.
I'm male though, so where do I order my emergency supply! :)
Garth/Darkstar
...Provigil, whose name is shorthand for "promotes vigilance."
*sigh*
Lembas would have been such a better name.
-Bill
SlashSig Karma: Excellent (mostly affected by moderatio
Every night before leaving for work, Jaegers takes two small tablets--she calls them "magic pills."
I've had a problem with getting sleep during the day for years. It has nothing to with how interested in my projects I am or how much sleep I get: I would always get sleepy right at 10 am and about 2pm. Lately I've taken to walking to work each morning (about five miles) and it's made a huge difference. It took me a week to realize that most of my sleepiness problems had disappeared. Now, a month later, there's no mistaking the difference: if I walk to work I feel alert. If I don't, I get sleepy. I usually hate exercise but I enjoy the walk.
Miko O'Sullivan
Have you tried exercising briskly every day? A regimine that hurts - I personally do 3 sets of 50 crunches, 25 diamond pushups, 25 regular pushups, 25 curls (at 25lbs.), and 25 hammer curls - but doesn't leave you unable to move could do wonders for you energy level.
Another thing to look at is diet; incorporating more greens and less fat into your food intake (especially at lunch) can have serious and positive effects on how alert you feel during the day.
Finally, are you sleeping a consistent 8 hours every night? Variances in how much sleep you get is apt to make you feel fuzzy; more than 8 hours invited sluggishness. A solid schedule, combined with good exercise and a healthy diet, could eliminate that "constantly sleepy" feeling.
We who were living are now dying
With a little patience
My test drive opinions, negatives first:
- headaches - Very distracting and not fixed with OTC remedies. I consider this a killer side effect. I saw this at both 100mg and 200mg.
- da jitters - well, if you are going all Cornholio, it is going to cut into your productivity. I went from juggling 5 different things at once to dropping three and fucking up one of the remaining two. Maybe you can train yourself to keep it all together.
- elevated blood pressure - This may have something to do with the headaches, but that feeling of impending aneurysm does not rock.
- dehydration - I fly through the water, and all of my piss smells really rank and chemical-like. There is a productivity hit to this I suppose, and it seems like more than that imposed by chugging coffee.
- rebound - the crash can be hard, and the duration of sleep is not really predictable. I tended to be irritable the day after, as well.
positive: you are slightly more alert. 100mg and I can still sleep no problem. in my chair. . .not good. 200mg and you are are awake, but more side effect manifestation.
DO NOT take 4 per shift like the guy up there. You are going to get prescription info from Slashdot?
Don't be a dumbass: check out the info on ANY drug before you take it. Know the maximum dose. Know the interactions. Know the side effects. Know if it is excreted by the liver or kidney if you have problems with one of them. If you are going to take the doctor out of the loop, who is going to look out for your sorry ass?
"carpet would start to crawl - literally moving backwards and forwards"
Same here...happens to walls and ceilings also etc. You can sometimes fool your mind into doing it when you are not sleepy...or perhaps you've had to have this experience first, dunno.
When I get really tired I start thinking I see spiders scurry and flies whiz past, when in fact its just a dot or shadow or something.
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
" if a drug was discoverd tomorrow that got you high for 1 hour, had no side effects and made you glow neon orange so every cop could know you were on it, it would still be illegal in the u.s. if it were fun."
Fuck the drug effect, I wanna glow neon orange! Bzzzzzz! Think how cool I would look, and how the chix (tm) would be impressed with my glowing goodness.
glowing graspee
Speed is physically addictive. It fucks your heart up. Many people end up injecting it. You never know what you're getting. You're paying people (dealers) you'd rather not have to be in the same universe with.
I have made it through many tough projects without using illegal drugs.
I know loads of people are now going to slap me down, disagree and generally piss all over me, but I don't want anyone to risk using speed after reading your post.
graspee
A lot of people seem to think this is a pretty cool idea for those long binges of coding/system administration/photoshopping/etc.. Sure it keeps you awake, but what about one of the really nasty downsides to sleep deprivation that I am sure most /. readers have experienced: hallucinations. I can honestly say that I have on numerous occasions been up all night playing EverQuest/Final Fantasy and then gone straight to work with little if any sleep (And help from my friends at Starbucks.); resulting in aural and visual hallucinations. About that time I pass out, but I have a friend who can go for 36+ hours without crashing, and experiences what he calls "LGMs," short for little green men. What happens when the geeks of the world can stay up for days at a time- do we go into hallucinatory overdrive? Or does Provigil deal with the LGMs? Anybody know?
Just ask Dr. Franklin from B5 about overuse of stims.
I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
...that this discussion has deteriorated into illicit drug use.
/. is for!
Then again, that is what
So when do I get my damn soma?
Woz
Often when I find myself napping outside the bed I have dream images that are the exact same image I would be seeing if my eyes were open. So say my head is in my arms on a desk, I will see my arms and the desk in my dream...
Sometimes it happens when I'm still mostly awake and I know my eyes are closed but I'm still seeing. It is really weird...
Tim
Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
here is some more info:
scientists are still not sure how it interacts with known neuro-chemicals.
it was developed for the french army.
the hype about it is way overrated, you will still feel fatigue.
It did not do well in placebo tests, not well at all.
Your interpretation of the study you cite is flawed.
All the study said was "we took a bunch of people, sorted them by the time the slept, and noticed that the people who slept less live longer".
I could also say that heart disease causes smoking, since I could take a bunch of people, sort them by the health of their hearts, and notice that the sicker folk tend to smoke.
What if, in the set of people who slept longer, there was a disproportionate number of sick individuals (sleep apnea, chronic allergies, whatever). They might be sleeping more because they are sick, and have shorter lifespans because they are sick.
The way you would prove the hypothesis that "less sleep is good for you" would be to take a set of people selected to be of the same level of general health, measure their natural sleep patterns, then take half that group and reduce their sleep time by 20%. Then wait and measure the effect on their lifespans. That way, you factor out the effects of the health of the individuals.
www.eFax.com are spammers
and get up and go to work at 07:30. I never knew there was a name for it.
But it catches up with you.
My idea of geting up late on Saturday morning was 04:00 Sunday morning.
That really fucks up you biorythms.
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I'm on an incident response team, and I would love to be able to have these on hand. There have been times when I've already been sleep-deprived, only to have to jump on a plane and do 100 hours of high-pressure work over the next 5 days. I typically go through two entire tins of Warp mints during this...I'd really like something that doesn't feel quite so rough!
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1) Caffeine is addictive. People don't just drink caffeine to stay awake, caffeine junkies drink it because if they don't, they hurt.
2) This is probably a great alternative to cns stimulants. IT probably IS much, much easier on your body and hence safer.
3) #2 does not mean that you still don't need sleep, it just means you don't have to deal with the jittery side effects of most CNS stimulants when you need to avert nature and stay awake. You STILL need to (and invariably will) catch up on lost sleep.
Uhh.. mountain dew and coffee taste good the same way cocaine smells good.
It's the positive response of your body to the caffeine that makes your mind decide "This flavor is a good flavor."
My pet (rat?) theory is that the brain, while awake, is in 'recieve' mode, regardless of how much or little we are actively 'thinking' at any given time. REM level sleep is when the input effectively stops (except for a few low-level threads to detect breaks in the sound/environmental impression patterns that have been proven over time to imply a 'safe/uneventful' night's sleep - until your child cries or a thief breaks a window in the basement) and our cpu can sift through the data, keeping some bits, tossing others, and making all sorts of connections and projections with our existing 'database' of knowledge, impressions and experiences. When deprived of REM level sleep, our brains never get to relax and assimilate what they have recieved, but try to anyways, leading to the hallucinations and such.
The deprivation is as frustrating and alarming to our system (over a longer term) as being deprived of air or water. The body/mind goes into Panic mode eventually in the effort to extricate itself from whatever situation is causing the deprivation. All these factors stack up and grow worse over time with extended deprivation.
Sleep and Dreams, essentially, are when our brains get to breathe.
**>>BELCH