How to sleep with modafinil | A-Z Guide

If you want to know how to sleep with modafinil, this article will tell you everything you need to know.

Many newcomers to the world of smart drugs tend to make some beginner-level mistakes. One of them involves taking Modafinil before bed and not being able to fall asleep.

Since Modafinil keeps you fully awake and alert for 12 to 15 hours at a time, the conclusion is clear: Modafinil and sleep do not go well together.

Is it impossible to sleep with Modafinil? Are there ways to get a good night's sleep after taking Modafinil?

This comprehensive guide contains specific information on using Modafinil without compromising your sleep schedule.

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What is modafinil?

Before we delve into how modafinil affects sleep, we need to discuss its properties and why you will inevitably have difficulty getting much-needed sleep after taking it.

Modafinil, also known by its brand name Provigil, is a drug approved by the FDA for 3 specific purposes [1]:

• Treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy
• Treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness in shift work sleep disorder
• An adjunct for obstructive sleep apnea when optimizing continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) regimens

While we don't know its exact mechanism, one of modafinil's main modes of action involves increasing extracellular dopamine levels and inhibiting the dopamine transporter. Interestingly, the transporter MUST be present for the wake-promoting effects of modafinil to occur.

We also know that Modafinil is uniquely different from other stimulants and wake-promoting drugs in four different ways [2]:

“None of the serious CNS adverse effects associated with methylphenidate and amphetamine (tachycardia, hypertension, dizziness, insomnia, and psychotic episodes) are observed.” The most common side effects of modafinil are headache (13%), nervousness (8%), and nausea (5%).

There are no known serious drug interactions and no dietary restrictions are required.

There is no known risk of dependence, withdrawal symptoms or abuse at therapeutic doses.

No rebound drowsiness has been observed.”

Ever since Modafinil entered the market, people have been desperate to use Modafinil to overcome sleepless work nights. But this led to the discovery of several off-label uses that make it an incredibly powerful smart drug:

• Greater cognition
• Improved productivity
• Improved memory retention

In short, Modafinil makes the user feel like he has "mental superpowers." Powers that can be used to earn more money, get better grades in school, and get high volumes of work done in less time.

Unfortunately, one of those superpowers doesn't involve falling fast asleep at night.

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Modafinil and sleep | The basics

Sleep is one of the most important things for optimal physical and mental health.We need at least 7 to 8 hours to function properly, but the majority of the human population does not get the rest they need.3]:

40% of Americans are sleep deprived.

The financial impact of sleep deprivation in the United States is $411 billion a year, the same amount as cybercrime.

Only 1 in 10 Americans consider sleep their top priority above fitness, work, hobbies and social life.

People who slept less than 7 hours were more likely to report being above average weight (33%), physically inactive (27%), current smokers (23%), and heavy alcohol drinkers (19%).

To overcome the effects of lack of sleep and working on less than 7 hours of sleep, people turn to agents like Modafinil to get them through the day.

And it's incredibly effective at keeping you awake for long periods of time...maybe too effective.

In a study involving French military personnel who were sleep deprived for 64 hours, 300 mg of modafinil administered every 24 hours allowed them to maintain the same level of cognitive performance compared to when they were fully rested.4].

This finding was confirmed in a 2009 study of patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea, where daily intake of 200 mg of modafinil improved feelings of drowsiness and shortened their reaction time.5].

Two additional studies found that modafinil apparently does not hinder sleep quality if taken early in the morning. Not only are patients able to sleep adequately, but they also do not need to sleep for longer periods of time to make up for the amount of sleep lost due to lack of sleep.6, 7].

So how does “modafinil insomnia” occur to the point where people don't want to sleep? How does modafinil hinder sleep in healthy, sleep-deprived people?

There are several explanations for why this may happen, but the big picture is pretty conclusive: modafinil inhibits the production of neurotransmitters that promote sleep while increasing the production of neurotransmitters that promote wakefulness.

Modafinil inhibits gamma-aminobutyric acid, which is crucial for regulating the "drowsy" part of the sleep-wake cycle. On the other hand, Modafinil promotes the production of histamine, dopamine, glutamate and norepinephrine, all of which "excite" the sympathetic nervous system and improve wakefulness.8].

Interestingly, modafinil does not affect the production of melatonin, which is secreted during the night to induce drowsiness.9].

To make matters worse, Modafinil has a very long duration of action, up to 18 hours after taking it.10].

Given that 200 mg has a half-life of 12 to 15 hours (i.e. the time required for 50% of the drug to be eliminated from the bloodstream), it is not surprising that taking Modafinil before bed is a very bad idea [11]. After all, Modafinil still works to help you stay focused.

Therefore, exceeding 200 mg of modafinil is a bad idea for anyone who needs to go to bed early.12]:

“It takes about five half-lives for a drug to be approximately 97% eliminated. (50%, then 75%, then 87.5%, then 93.75%, then 96.875%).

Doubling the dose of a drug will generally increase its duration of action by one half-life (because its elimination is a logarithmic function).”

Let's use a hypothetical scenario to demonstrate how this works in real life: if you take between 100 and 200 mg of modafinil at 10 a.m. m., you can expect to fall asleep with reasonable effort between 10 p.m. m. and 1 a.m.m.

As such, most users find it beneficial to take Modafinil earlier in the day. Ignore this fact at your own risk...

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How to sleep with modafinil

Can you sleep on Modafinil? Absolutely! Modafinil and sleep don't have to be two mutually exclusive things.

Research subjects have found numerous useful strategies to counteract the concentration-enhancing effects of modafinil. If you want to know exactly how to sleep with Modafinil, use it every time you take your Modafinil dose...

• Maintain adequate sleep hygiene.

Before you begin adjusting your modafinil dosage, be sure to follow lifestyle habits that naturally lead you to feel tired and sleep adequately at the end of the night (i.e. before midnight).

This is by no means a complete list, but these few habits are crucial to ensuring a good night's sleep:

• Make sure you drink 2 to 4 liters of water throughout the day to avoid becoming dehydrated, which can negatively affect your sleep.13]
• Be sure to turn off all screens and electronic lights 1 to 2 hours before bedtime. Yes, this means keeping your smartphone out of the bedroom!
• Do an activity that disconnects your brain, like reading a light fiction book. Nothing too engaging.
• Set an alarm for when you want to wake up the next day
• Vigorous exercise (at least 3 hours before bedtime) can help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep [14]
• Take a warm shower or bath 60 to 90 minutes before bedtime.
• Avoid eating certain foods such as grapefruit juice, which may prolong the effects of modafinil (due to inhibition of the enzyme that metabolizes modafinil) [15]

Use one tactic at a time to see if it will help your regular sleep patterns.For best results, try optimizing your sleep schedule before taking Modafinil to accurately assess how the smart drug will alter the quality of sleep you get.

• Take your Modafinil dose early in the morning.

This is the most important strategy of all those listed in this article. The sooner you take Modafinil, the more likely you are to fall asleep at a suitable time.

As mentioned above, if you take Modafinil before 10 a.m. m., you have a good chance of falling asleep before midnight.

Our test subjects found that taking Modafinil around 8:30 am or earlier gave them the best results. While Modafinil is still in your system after 12 to 15 hours, it doesn't get to the point where falling asleep becomes a serious problem.

And while this should be pretty obvious by now, DO NOT take Modafinil before bed unless you are absolutely determined to stay up all night!

• Avoid using other stimulants, especially after 4 p.m.

If you take Modafinil with other stimulants such as caffeine, you may find it even more difficult to fall asleep at a reasonable time.

Due to caffeine's half-life of 6 hours, you should take it before 4 p.m. m. to avoid feeling alert at bedtime.16]. We recommend not consuming caffeine after 2 p.m. for best results.

You will need to make appropriate adjustments for any stimulants you choose to take along with Modafinil.

• Reduce your daily dose of Modafinil

Our test subjects uniformly agree that their daily dose of Modafinil should never exceed 300 mg. Even then, most smart drug users should need no more than 200 mg of Modafinil to experience the full extent of its cognition-enhancing effects.

In extreme cases, some research subjects found that reducing their daily dose of modafinil to 50 mg was the only way to avoid feeling alert after 9 p.m.

As a side note, we do not recommend splitting the Modafinil dosage into different parts of the day. Studies have shown that taking 200 mg of modafinil in divided doses (i.e., 100 mg in the morning, 100 mg in the afternoon) maintains wakefulness at the end of the night much longer than a single dose.17].

• Use Modafinil fewer times in a week

Modafinil should not be taken more than 1 to 3 days per week to avoid long-term interference with a regular sleep schedule.

Additionally, we recommend spacing doses evenly throughout the week to ensure you can take Modafinil and sleep well (i.e., one dose on Monday, one dose on Wednesday, one dose on Friday).

Taking modafinil more frequently may mask fatigue and other symptoms associated with excessive sleep deprivation. As one individual told us, "Modafinil ALLOWS you to stay awake, rather than MAKING you wake up."

Needless to say, modafinil is NOT a substitute for getting 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every day.

• Explore the use of pharmaceutical or over-the-counter sedatives.

To be clear, we do not directly endorse the use of these sleep aids. Some of them may require a prescription and their drug interactions with Modafinil are not well known:

• Zolpidem (some ER residents have used this insomnia medication to counteract the wakefulness-promoting effects of modafinil) [18]
• Antihistamine medications (doxylamine, cetirizine, mirtazapine, hydroxyzine)
• wisteria
• melatonin
• Magnesium

Dosage and timing will vary from sleep to sleep, but some users report better results when taken 1 to 2 hours before bedtime.

• Try our “Modafinil insomnia” cocktail before going to bed

If you want to ensure that Modafinil and insomnia never exist together, this combination of natural sleep aids will help you achieve the "Modafinil sleep" you are looking for.

If you are smart with your Modafinil use and follow all the tips mentioned so far, drinking this cocktail 1 to 2 hours before bed will help you get rejuvenating sleep that will leave you feeling refreshed and awake in the morning:

• cherry juice – 2 servings [19]
• CBD oil – 70mg
• Ashwagandha – 600 mg [20]
• Chamomile tea – 1-2 cups [21]

If you only take one of these four ingredients, we highly recommend cannabinoid oil (CBD).

According to Healthline, there are several studies that demonstrate its beneficial effects on sleep.22]:

• Patients sleep better and have lower anxiety levels.
• By reducing chronic pain, CBD may indirectly improve sleep
• May treat excessive daytime sleepiness
• Can eliminate morning grogginess

For people concerned about getting a good night's rest after consuming Modafinil, simply follow the plan outlined above.

Modafinil and sleep can coexist if you are aware of your lifestyle habits and your Modafinil use!

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Modafinil and insomnia

Before we get into a brief discussion about Modafinil, let's talk about what insomnia is and how it affects sleep.23]:

“Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to go back to sleep. You may still feel tired when you wake up.

…many adults experience short-term (acute) insomnia, lasting days or weeks. It is usually the result of stress or a traumatic event. But some people have long-term (chronic) insomnia that lasts a month or more. Insomnia may be the main problem or may be associated with other medical conditions or medications.“

Modafinil and insomnia are rarely discussed in the same space, due to multiple factors that can contribute to the onset of insomnia.

If you've followed all the advice in this article and still can't rest, the best thing you can do is stop using Modafinil completely for a few days and see how it affects your ability to sleep at night.

We recommend this step because when smart drug users ask "Can you sleep on Modafinil?" they actually ask if they can sleep while Modafinil is still active in their system.

In fact, it is possible, but many users report waking up numerous times during the night. This is yet another reason why we do not recommend using Modafinil late at night unless absolutely necessary.

If your sleep schedule fails to resolve itself naturally, you may have a form of insomnia caused by another condition.

Talk to a licensed doctor so you can determine what is causing your insomnia and take steps to fix it.

Above all, remember that there is significant variation in an individual's response to Modafinil. There are numerous environmental factors that can alter your response to Modafinil.

Therefore, a user's experience does not necessarily reflect the experience you may have when discovering how to sleep on Modafinil.

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Modafinil and sleep | The verdict

We hope this guide has been informative to show how to sleep with modafinil.

If you take Modafinil before bed at a reasonable time (i.e. early morning) and plan your day in advance using the lifestyle habits mentioned, Modafinil and sleep can be part of a very productive day.

Smart, experienced drug users have managed to make the "modafinil dream" possible and there is no reason why you can't do the same.

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