>From: James Rogers
>The basic operational subtlety from a military standpoint is that
>amphetamines prevent sleep, whereas eugorics eliminate the need to sleep.
Of course this is very unlikely to be true. Sleep, while perhaps
irritating, is likely to play important functional role(s) (e.g., in
the regulation of memory). Animals deprived of sleep eventually die
from bacterial infections caused by immune suppression. There is also
the more subtle issue of the effects regular administration of these
sorts of drugs might have on the synchronization of circadian rhythms
within the body. It would be an unfortunate to develop something akin
to Seasonal Affective Disorder from being awake for long periods at a
stretch.
However these drugs sound ideal for those quick conference trips over
to Europe or Australia when you don't really have time or a desire to
adjust your sleep-wake cycle to local conditions. Perhaps as a useful
adjunct to melatonin? Anyone tried this out?
--patrick
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Patrick Wilken
Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology, Caltech
Editor: PSYCHE: An International Journal of Research on Consciousness
Board Member: The Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness
http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/ http://assc.caltech.edu/
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