Concentration and focus are the chief requirements for cultivating a fruitful mindset and achieving your goals to the fullest extent. Global development and new-age technology have seen several results in academics and business opportunities, and approximately 5.9 million business owners are under 35. Unfortunately, keeping up with the growing demands often proves more difficult than anticipated, and according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, only a third of the businesses survive.
Lack of focus impacts young entrepreneurs and even significantly disrupts students’ academic life and work-life balance. Statistics recorded that 17.9 million students were enrolled in degrees, of which 40% drop out yearly because of stress and academic difficulties. Loss of focus and difficulty staying alert are some of the chief factors behind the ongoing issue, and several younger people are opting for nootropic agents like Modafinil.
A word about Nootropics and Modafinil
Nootropics or Smart Drugs are a heterogeneous group of compounds that are used to improve human thinking, learning, and memory, especially in cases where they are impaired. Animal studies have shown that they interfere with the metabolism of neuronal cells in the CNS to enhance the effectiveness of protein kinase receptors and enhance thalamocortical activity. The popularity of nootropics has especially risen since 2021 because of increasing consumer spending on supplements, increasing incidence of stress and anxiety issues, the rising popularity of brain health improvement drugs, the inclination of parents towards making nootropics their kids smart with the help of drugs, and a rise in research & development activities in the field of smart drugs like Modafinil.
Image Credit – https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/nootropics-market
Modafinil is an FDA-approved stimulant that was originally developed for treating excessive sleepiness conditions of SWSD and Narcolepsy but which, in due course, has evolved as a nootropic. Surveys have recommended it among the top-ranking nootropic psychostimulants and most used for improving cognitive abilities.
Image Credit – https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/nootropics-survey-2020-results
Modafinil Use in Students
Researchers Febrilia and Waroka have previously stated in their journal that their moods influence students’ ability to interpret information. Memory, categorization, Innovative problem-solving, decision-making, and learning are regarded as dynamic cognitive functions that are adversely impacted by unnecessary pauses and distractions in the form of attitudes and study habits.
Studies have shown that students find stimulants like Modafinil helpful in preventing procrastination, particularly concerning feeling disinterested, overloaded, or insecure regarding their academic and social life. A clinical trial consisting of 18 healthy students using Modafinil for academic performance has shown that Modafinil not just improved their academic performance but was even helpful in helping them lead an active life by maintaining a balance between studying and time off by improving their motivation powers and helping them with memorizing.
Other than smaller studies of Modafinil use in students for cognitive stimulation, its use has been reported in elite U.K based universities like Oxford and Cambridge, where one in five ( Oxford ) and one in ten ( Cambridge ) have reported using the medication.
While many have reported fierce workplace competition and growing academic pressure, other students have explained its safety and efficiency in cognitively demanding times as the reason for its popularity.
The rising popularity of Modafinil has especially contributed to its improved efficiency than other potent psychostimulants like Methylphenidate when the. Methylphenidate showed only memory improvement without consistent evidence, while Modafinil uses improved attention in well-rested individuals while maintaining wakefulness and memory, and executive functions to a significantly higher degree.
In contrast to the improved attention, speed of response, and visuospatial ability, the adverse effects were surprisingly less, with the drug exhibiting good tolerance and a low liability to abuse.
Image Credit – https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0227818
After evaluating the results of clinical trials, in-vivo tests, and animal studies, researchers have concluded that Modafinil exerts its pharmacological effects on the brain’s catecholamines, serotonin, glutamate, and gamma amino-butyric acid histamine systems. The result is a regulation of stress responses and reduced neuronal excitability.
Image Credit – https://europepmc.org/article/med/23934211
Keeping in mind the Modafinil selectivity for cortical sites ( concerned with language and decision-making ) over subcortical sites ( concerned with emotions ), they further concluded that Modafinil uses effectively counters the adverse effects of overnight sleep deprivation on working memory and activates the executive network of the CNS to execute tasks of a moderate extent.
Overall. Modafinil helps students and academicians pull all-nighters and work/study with improved attention, memory, and focus without making them sleepy the following day. Because of its effect on episodic and working memory, it enables them to retain the information in the brain. Additionally, it facilitates their planning, comprehension, reasoning, and problem-solving skills that aid in academic performance. Studies have shown that only 11% of college students in America sleep well, and 40% feel rested each week and reflected that Modafinil use could give them an advantage in an exam or study situation.
Modafinil use in young entrepreneurs
Like students, entrepreneurs need concentration, energy, and the ability to stay focused while pulling all-night sessions of planning, coordinating, and coping strategies. The need for a successful, stimulating agent and rumors of its supposed mention in Science-Fiction movies have attracted new-generation entrepreneurs and resulted in the penetration of the medication into the business and a tenfold rise in the drug’s off-label use.
While regarded as ‘Viagra for the Brain’ by traders and hedge funders of NewYork, the fact that Modafinil isn’t an amphetamine-like Ritalin and Adderall and is not habit forming is one of the chief reasons for its popularity in the entrepreneur world.
A 2017 report by the House of Commons has shown that the majority of businesses are small or medium-sized businesses that are between 1-9 employees, are run as small family businesses, and, in the majority of conditions, face serious challenges to survive and are always on the look-out for a competitive edge that will help them survive.
In most conditions, Modafinil use is limited to people with sleep disorders and students while being considered by several doctors to help people suffering from alcoholism. That said, entrepreneurs and small-business owners are increasingly relying on the cognitive effects of medication to focus on their tasks and have the advantage of a better memory that will help them manage their businesses better.
An important advantage of Modafinil is its effectiveness in dealing with ‘Decision Fatigue’ or the Deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long decision-making session. Entrepreneurs deal with problems continuously and, in turn, exhibit symptoms of decision avoidance and procrastination that stall their work.
In-lab clinical trials have demonstrated that Modafinil use significantly improves energy and concentration levels while moderately impacting anxiety, confidence, and irritability. For fatigue-vulnerable groups like small business owners and young entrepreneurs, the positives awarded by Modafinil are highly advantageous in reducing decision fatigue and helping them put a positive approach to their businesses.
But there are safety issues as well.
Despite the growing popularity of Modafinil as a safe and effective nootropic, the fact remains that the medication has not been tested for long-term use on healthy brains. FDA has approved Modafinil use for sleep disorders like Narcolepsy, SWSD, and Sleep Apnea but not in healthy individuals because of the possibility of hypersensitive reactions and potential neuropsychiatric adverse effects. Lack of public awareness about possible drug interactions, safe dosage levels, and the drug’s authenticity is another safety concern that needs to be addressed to stay safe. Using Modafinil under the guidance of a physician or health care practitioner remains the ideal option to avoid misuse or usage mistakes.
https://fitsmallbusiness.com/entrepreneurship-statistics/
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24606831/
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https://startupmindset.com/how-this-study-drug-can-help-entrepreneurs-boost-their-brains/
