Provigil is used to improve wakefulness in people who have extreme sleepiness due to narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, or shift work disorder .Take provigil by mouth with or without food as directed by your doctor, usually once daily in the morning. Or, if your doctor directs you to, the total daily dose of modafinil may be divided into a morning dose and a noon dose. Only a few small trials have investigated Modafinil's effects on cognition, with mixed results. Participants reported feeling more alert, attentive and energetic on the drug, in one 2003 trial, and some improvements in certain memory tasks - such as digit span and visual recognition.