A good night's sleep is exactly what the doctor ordered. It helps to form new pathways in the brain so we can retain more information, it’s essential for physical repair and healing, and it makes us feel more productive. There is no greater feeling than waking up refreshed, arms stretched, in silk pyjamas, like a perfectly poised coffee advert.

And yet, twice a year, every year, we’re jerked out of our blissful sleeping patterns and forced to live life an hour out of kilter. Prepare yourselves, because from this moment until Saturday evening you will likely have to navigate the tango that is ‘don’t forget to turn the clocks forward’, ‘I thought they go back’, ‘it’s definitely forward, by an hour，An oil vaporizer runs on oil vape battery which needs charging. Now imagine one that takes long hour to pre-heat! Isn\'t that irritating? So, it\'s always better to buy an oil vape pen battery from reputed online sites.’

For the record, this Sunday at 1am they go back an hour. Goodbye Daylight Saving Time, hello the long tunnel of winter.

It’s easy to wonder if the sudden jolt in time is detrimental to your health. After all, the doctor doesn’t recommend a good night's sleep for no reason.

The people it can effect are those that are already sleep deprived, particularly with conditions such as sleep apnea

Joseph Gannon, 29, Chief Sleep Physiologist and Clinical Lead at The Sleep Disorders Clinic believes the sudden change can be cause for concern, though mainly for a minority of people with underlying health conditions. ‘If you’re healthy, have a good amount of sleep and are young, there’s not too much of a consequence,’ he says. ‘The people it can affect are those that are already sleep deprived, particularly with conditions such as sleep apnea.’

Gannon goes on to explain how Daylight Saving Time changes our circadian rhythm. ‘Your rhythm is how your body regulates your 24 hour body clock and it’s dictated by light. For example, if you think back to when we were cavemen and women, in the morning the light would enter our eyes, which would reduce the amount of the hormone melatonin being produced. [Melatonin is a natural hormone that helps induce sleep and is prohibited by light.] Then as the sun sets, not having that inhibitory effect from the sunlight, the melatonin level increases in our body and we start feeling more tired.’

"I felt great all day and for a number of days after that," she says. The drug worked so well that she gave her husband some when he complained of feeling groggy. 

Matt Parsons couldn't get through the day without drifting into an exhausted stupor. Barely 30, the Midlothian, Virginia, office manager always woke up feeling like he hadn't slept at all. He started calling in sick to work. When he did show up, he didn't accomplish much. 

Eventually, he was diagnosed with a disorder that caused his limbs to jerk uncontrollably, disrupting his sleep. Anti-seizure medicine was ruled out because of the side effects. Instead, his doctor prescribed Provigil. An hour after taking his first pill, he remembered that his living room needed painting: "I looked over at the paint cans," he says, "got up, did all the prep, and painted the wall that evening." 

A California lawyer had no medical reason to take the drug, but he did have a common complaint: "I work 10 to 14 hours a day, so I would have no personal life if I didn't sacrifice some sleep," he told an online support group. He now takes Provigil four times a day. "At the right dosage," he reported online, "this wonder drug is really great." 

These aren't the only people enthusiastic about Provigil. Some sleep scientists have been impressed by its potential since the FDA approved modafinil (Provigil's generic name) in 1998. Sold by drugmaker Cephalon, the drug induces wakefulness without stimulating virtually the entire nervous system -- an impossibility for its pharmaceutical predecessors, Ritalin and amphetamines. "Provigil works in a much more localized part of the brain, the hypothalamus, which controls the sleep-wake cycle," says Cephalon senior vice president Paul Blake. 

Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. We now sleep one-fifth less than we did a century ago: the National Sleep Foundation reports that adults under 55 average just 6.7 hours of shuteye per weeknight. In part, that's because the 9 to 5 workday has become a relic of the past for many Americans. Somehow we also need to fit in time for ourselves, or for family and friends. 

So the appeal of Provigil and of similar drugs that are sure to follow is obvious. Their development will mean that we've entered a new world in which we may be able to realize an impossible dream (If only there were more hours in the day). But are we just trading one problem for another? 

Though considered safer and less likely to be addictive than the previous generation of stimulants, Provigil can be habit-forming. And because the drug is new, there are few long-term studies on its effects.