Modafinil is one of the most popular nootropics that can provide you with incredible benefits and help you maximize your brain’s potential. This cognitive enhancer is a stimulant of sorts but doesn’t come with the jitters and other negative side effects of stimulants, such as increased heart rate, hyperexcitability, and restlessness.
It simply promotes wakefulness. It reduces drowsiness, makes you more alert, improves your focus, and motivates you to complete all your tasks at hand, supercharging your productivity and helping you steer clear of all the possible distractions.
If you are thinking about using Modafinil to enhance your cognitive abilities and increase your productivity, read on to explore its benefits and effects, as well as take a look at its potential side effects and popular successors.
Improved Alertness
There was a study investigating practical use and risk of Modafinil that proved that anyone who wants to stay awake and alert to complete their tasks can safely use this cognitive enhancer. This is because it promotes wakefulness and reduces fatigue, providing you with more energy and motivation to work, study, or engage in any other complex tasks that require the use of your cognitive abilities.
Therefore, Modafinil is a great solution if you’re having trouble sleeping and are less productive because of it. However, have in mind that you will experience much more potent effects of Modafinil if you develop a healthy sleep pattern.
Better Focus
Modafinil can help you have a laser focus, being able to engage in your tasks without letting anything distract you. It’s like you have a 100% tunnel vision, that is, concentration on a single objective. Whatever task you need to complete, you can fully focus on it and finish it much faster than usual, and more effectively.
That’s the primary purpose of Modafinil and many other nootropics – helping you reach your full potential. Smart drugs don’t make you smarter, but rather help you maximize your brain’s potential and achieve your desired goals. They help you keep distractions at bay and fully focus on what’s in front of you.
Higher Productivity
This benefit goes hand in hand with the aforementioned ones. When you’re more alert and can easily focus on your tasks, successfully avoiding anything that could distract you, your productivity will spike. You’ll be able to achieve much more in less time.
With better focus and alertness comes more energy, as well as better memory, higher creativity, and greater motivation. Therefore, Modafinil can help you effectively beat procrastination and turbocharge your productivity.
Are There Any Potential Side Effects?
Modafinil is an FDA-approved nootropic, and it’s actually a very common medicine that doctors prescribe to help patients treat various sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), shift work sleep disorder (SWSD), and narcolepsy.
However, just like with any other drug, there can be potential side effects, but only if you don’t follow the stacking and dosage instructions. Always stick to the recommended dosage and you will effectively prevent potential side effects.
Potential side effects of this cognitive enhancer include headaches (if you don’t hydrate well), anxiety and trouble sleeping. Again, this is only if you don’t follow the instructions.
Dr. Anna-Katharine Brem from the University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School stated it a review on the Modafinil study that “modafinil may well deserve the title of the first well-validated pharmaceutical nootropic agent”, meaning that it’s the first safe smart drug that truly does improve cognitive abilities.
The Successors to Modafinil
Perhaps you’ve heard about Provigil, but did you know that Provigil is actually Modafinil? It’s one of its trade names, such as Alertec and Modavigil. However, there are other nootropics that are similar to Modafinil (even in name), so you should definitely be aware of them.
The popular successors to Modafinil include Modvigil, Modalert, and Armodafinil (trade name Nuvigil). Modvigil is commonly referred to as Mr. All-Rounder, as it’s a very well-balanced high-quality Modafinil. Its effects are subtle and last much longer.
Modalert also has subtle effects and is more expensive than these other brands, but it’s much more effective than Modvigil. Armodafinil is almost the same as Modafinil, but it doesn’t include any side effects, nor does it negatively affect your sleep. It’s a purified form of Modafinil that can keep you alert, but also allow to fall asleep easily.
The differences between all these cognitive enhancers are pretty slight, so the key to choosing one lies completely in your own needs. Be sure to do your homework and thoroughly explore all of them before taking any, so that you can make an educated decision and choose what’s best for you.
Now, let’s address the huge elephant in the room: are nootropics safe? The answer is yes, they are 100% safe. Cognitive enhancers, such as Modafinil, can only be classified as nootropics if they don’t contain any toxic substances and don’t negatively affect someone’s health. Otherwise, they are not nootropics, so you can be sure that taking them is safe.
Have you already tried any nootropic? If so, was it the exact thing you were looking for? We love hearing stories, so feel free to leave a comment and share your experience with us!
a) Image Credit Geoff Greer via Flickr
b) Image Credit Niels Heidenreich via Flickr
