Headline, January09, 2014

''' THE WEIRWOLF MIND-BODY 

RELATIONSH​IP''' : 

POOR POOR -SOUL?

DAY THREE : Having just had four hours of broken sleep as in experiment, here was the breakthrough I was waiting for.

Within an hour of  ''dropping'' , the yawning stopped, the exhaustion evaporated, the post-lunch crash never came. This must be what it felt like to have nine hours' sleep.

This pattern continued, the Modafinil coming into its own as a subtle but remarkable restorative, gradually correcting my widening sleep=deficit. 

Whether this amounted to a tangible  ''enhancement'' in intelligence was less obvious, but as a performance improver, the attraction was clear.

''Some people aren't desperate for a huge effect, they just want something to counteract jet lag or stay awake longer so they can finish off a piece of work before a deadline,'' says Sahakian. 

No wonder she can see the day when a lifestyle market exists.

''It's really pushing us to choose as a society how we feel about healthy people taking these drugs if the side effects are quite minimal,'' she says.

''Surgeons might be able to sustain their attention for longer without tremors. What would have been the societal benefits if Einstein had a cognitive enhancer?''

On the flip side are moral issues  -access, competitive advantage and messing with our personalities. Would it widen the gap between those who could afford them and those who couldn't?

As Francis Fakuyama writes in our Posthuman Future: Consequences Of The Biotechnology Revolution, ''The original purpose of medicine is to heal, not turn healthy people into gods.''

My low point was a dramatic energy crash  -it was like a plug had been pulled. A night of vivid flashing memory in place of sleep relegated the pills to occasional use only.

For those who are exhausted but unwilling to take the plunge, there are alternatives.

''You can always try getting more sleep, connecting with others, learning new things throughout life,'' says Sahakian.

''All have been shown to have cognitive effects.'' Sleep. Maybe she was on to something.

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of the World. See Ya all on !WOW! the World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless:

''' The Meditation & Greatness Pill '''

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless