PROVIGAL » shift work sleep disorder http://pro-vigal.com A Drug For You To Keep Awake Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:20:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Provigal And Shift Work Sleep Disorder http://pro-vigal.com/provigal-and-shift-work-sleep-disorder/ http://pro-vigal.com/provigal-and-shift-work-sleep-disorder/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:11:35 +0000 tony http://pro-vigal.com/?p=15 One of the officially approved uses of Provigal or Provigil is to treat the sleepiness associated with Shift Work Sleep Disorder. Shift Work Sleep Disorder (popularly known as SWSD) is a sleep disorder that results from frequent and regular disrupting of your normal sleep patterns due to having to keep awake during shift work. The normal body follows a normal circadian rhythm of 24 hours where we are awake in the day and sleep at night. However when we are faced with shift work our regular rhythm is disrupted to the extent that we need to keep awake when the brain should be sleeping and need to sleep when the brain is fully awake. Although over the space of a week or two the body adjusts to accommodate the change of shift, very often the shift changes again, when the body has to readjust. This results in a situation when very often, when one is off duty and should be sleeping, one remains awake, unable to sleep, and irritable. When one is on duty, the brain is half asleep and fighting to keep awake, and irritability or depression may ensue.

Features of shift work sleep disorder:

Insomnia
disrupted sleep schedule
Problems with interpersonal relationships
Reduced work performance with difficulty concentrating
sleepiness at work
irritability and depression, headaches, lack of energy

Ultimately, the consequences of SWSD are
-an increase in work time accidents and work-related errors
-an increase in off work accidents
-an increase in medical leave

Treatment of shift work sleep disorder

Sleep must be made a priority in treating this problem. That is, when one goes off duty, the priority must be to get sleep. Thus there must be a minimum of exposure to bright lights, loud noises, excitement, and social gatherings where the brain needs to keep awake. Family and friends must understand that it is essential to get good sleep to combat the feeling of fatigue and irritability that will come on without sufficient sleep.

However if there is no choice but to keep awake, then one will have to depend on caffeine, or take a brain stimulant such as Provigal (officially known as Provigil), which will reduce the feeling of sleepiness and help at least reduce the other symptoms of SWSD.

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