Surviving an all-nighter can be tricky. Here are Emma Wynne's top tips to help get you through the night.
We’ve all been there. It’s the night before an assignment and you have spent the past few hours on Facebook contemplating starting your monster of an essay – you realise that this is going to be a very loooooong night.
One of the major life lessons I learnt during my student years is how to stay relatively human on very little sleep. I have also learnt since then that all-nighters are surprisingly unnecessary. If you manage your time well and start your work a few weeks in advance then you can pretty much get by without staying up until the birds are tweeting.
However, if you’re like me and you’ve convinced yourself that you work much better last-minute and under pressure and therefore going on unrelated Wiki walks all day is totally acceptable (ahem – it’s not), then here are some of my top tips for staying focused until the crack of dawn.
Try to take a power nap in the day or early in the evening to boost your energy and leave you feeling in a better state of mind for your late-night study binge. Staying awake for over 24 hours has been proven to lead to anxiety, confusion and an inability to focus – not great if you have an exam or deadline the next day!
I honestly don’t think I would have gotten through my degree without my trusty 2am energy drinks, or without chugging black coffee before a morning lecture. However, it probably isn’t wise to over-do the caffeine drinks. While studies conducted by John Hopkins University show that caffeine not only keeps you awake and helps to improve your thinking and memory skills, it is also known to dehydrate you rapidly. So, if you do hit the Red Bull, make sure you drink plenty of water too. A top tip is to start the night by drinking water and save your caffeinated drink until later. You might not need it.
Order some pizza in
I am most certainly not condoning living on a diet of energy drinks and pizza, but to pull a successful all-nighter, foods high in protein, fat and carbs are great! Other foods that cut it are cheese and crackers, fruit, salted popcorn and peanut butter sandwiches. Yum!
Try to avoid taking generic ‘sad study face’ selfies and Instagramming your workload and energy drink binges – you may think that you’re showing the world your dedication to studying, but in reality, you’re just showing the world how much of a procrastinator you are.
FYI: Facebook Limiter is a great app which allows you to block your Facebook while you study.
In order to get through an all-nighter without cabin fever, you need to take regular short breaks.
Get some fresh air. Take a short stroll around your dorms. If you don't, then you will more than likely develop a serious case of cabin fever and end up rocking backwards and forwards to Taylor Swift.
Note: this hasn’t actually happened to anyone, especially not the author of this article who obviously has a much better taste in music.
Make sure that you are working in a brightly lit room – study lamps will just make you want to doze off – trust me!
Listen to some upbeat music, cue Arctic Monkeys! Avoid classical music – even though many people argue that a bit of Mozart in the background helps to stimulate your mind, at stupid ‘o’ clock in the morning it will just send you into a sleepy stupor.
Although you’re planning to stay up all night, there is still a chance that you might doze off, so it’s a good idea to set a few alarms just in case. You really don’t want to end up missing your deadline or your morning exam!
Struggling through push-ups is probably the last thing you want to do at the end of an all-night study session, but findings show that a quick workout can help boost your brain’s ability to retain information, as well as making you more alert.
If push-ups aren’t your thing, then have a nice morning jog around your neighbourhood. Fresh air will definitely help wake you up and nothing will make you feel more productive than running around deserted streets while everyone is in bed.
…you’ve finally made it. Pheeeeww! Give yourself a big pat on the back!
Now, it’s important to go to bed early tonight and get back into a normal sleeping pattern. To reaffirm what I said earlier, all-nighters aren’t necessary or particularly wise, but we’re all human and sometimes this is where we find ourselves. It's important though that they remain rare – you shouldn't do it often!
I hope some of the tips above will help limit the impact should you find yourself burning the midnight oil.
Sometimes the dreaded all-nighter just can’t be avoided. Maybe you have a new job working night shifts, it’s finals week, or you’re having a sleepover party. Regardless of your reasons, staying up all night is tough.
Human sleep patterns follow natural circadian rhythms. Your circadian rhythms are like internal clocks affecting the way you think, feel, and behave throughout the day. Circadian rhythms are based on the lightness or darkness of your environment.
When your brain perceives darkness outside, your body begins to release a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin makes you drowsy and prepares your body for sleep.
Staying up all night means fighting this natural process, which is not only difficult, but also unhealthy. Sleep deprivation can impact your ability to learn and focus. It can even be dangerous. In 2013, there were at least 72,000 car accidents caused by drowsy driving.
If you must stay up all night, the following tips can help you do it safely.
The easiest way to stay up all night is to reset your internal clock. This can take up to one week, but it’s possible. You may experience serious drowsiness at first, but your body does catch on.
If you’re switching to the night shift, give your body a few days of practice.
Your circadian rhythms still rely on light cues, so make sure you’re sleeping in a very dark room during the day. Blackout curtains and eye masks are particularly helpful.
Caffeine is a helpful pick-me-up and can increase your alertness. It helps fight one of the natural substances your body releases to make you drowsy.
Studies have found that moderate doses of caffeine (600 milligrams [mg] or more than four cups of coffee) can improve your ability to think and perform tasks, but high doses (900 mg or more) have the opposite effect. High doses of caffeine can cause symptoms like anxiety and shakiness that make it harder for you to concentrate.
To stay up all night, don’t rely on one big dose of caffeine. Too much coffee can lead to stomach upset. Instead, try taking several smaller doses throughout the night such as espresso shots, caffeine pills, or caffeinated gum.
Energy drinks contain varying amounts of caffeine, typically the equivalent of one to five cups of coffee.
They also contain guarana, an ingredient that also contains caffeine, which makes the total amount of caffeine higher than it appears.
When using energy drinks, it’s difficult to know exactly how much caffeine you’re ingesting, and extremely high doses of caffeine can be toxic. They’re especially dangerous when mixed with drugs or alcohol. In 2011, more than 20,000 people went to the emergency room because of energy drinks.
Taking a series of small naps throughout the night may help you stay alert. Although it’s not equal to a full night’s sleep, short naps can be restorative. Most studies on night-shift workers find that naps reduce sleepiness and improve performance.
Try to catch 15 to 20 minutes of sleep during a break. If you’re driving through the night, pull into a rest stop for a quick nap.
Daily exercise helps you maintain a healthy sleep schedule, but experts recommend avoiding exercise late at night, if you want to sleep well at night. That’s because your body produces a lot of energy when you exercise, which can keep you awake.
If you’re trying to stay up all night, try 30 to 40 minutes of aerobic exercise. If you don’t want to exercise, try getting up and moving around. Pace back and forth for 10 minutes, take a walk outside, or do a few jumping jacks.
Darkness cues your body to release melatonin, a hormone that makes you feel sleepy. One study found that using bright lights at night and creating darkness during the day can help night-shift workers reset their circadian rhythms.
Find a lamp that can distribute light widely throughout the room. Look for an LED bulb that can simulate sunlight. This should help you stay awake longer.
Your electronic devices, including laptops, tablets, TVs, and phones, emit something called “blue light.” The blue light emitted from your devices can delay the release of melatonin, the sleep hormone. This can prevent you from becoming sleepy.
To keep yourself awake, use a device that you can interact with. Try playing video games on your computer or tablet.
The closer the blue light is to your face, the more awake you will feel.
Taking a cold or lukewarm shower can help wake you up when you start to get tired. If you don’t want to shower, splashing your face with cold water can help. Brushing your teeth can make you feel refreshed.
Staying up all night isn’t good for you and should only be done as a last resort. After staying up all night, you’ll feel very drowsy. Try to make up the sleep the next day.
For more sleep support, check out our sleep shop.
October 1, 2020Tips
Discomfort, coffee with chocolate and trolling will help you stay awake until the morning.
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Getting ready for bed usually involves a sequence of activities: putting on pajamas, drinking milk, reading a book.
For ordinary days, this is an advantage: the body immediately understands that now you are going to bed. If you need to stay awake, these habits are best avoided.
Being slightly hungry will keep you awake, as you are supposed to be active in order to get your own food.
Do not change into pajamas, even if they are very comfortable. Wear something you can't sleep in, like brand new, unworn jeans. Another helper will be shoes with laces. It will not give you the opportunity to "just lie down for five minutes." Unless, of course, you are used to falling asleep in your shoes every Friday.
If you really want to sleep, you will fall asleep even on a hard chair with nails sticking out in some places. A soft bed will not leave you a single chance to hold out until the morning. Therefore, choose not the most comfortable seats.
Studies have shown that bright light suppresses drowsiness.
Turn on the overhead light, sconce, table lamp. It is impossible to overdo it in this matter. True, you should not pull this trick at parties: other visitors to a nightclub may be dissatisfied with the lights suddenly turned on.
Find a person with a questionable position on Facebook* and try to convince him. You can sincerely argue or frankly troll, but the effect will be the same: from indignation, you will not only fall asleep - you will not be able to sit still.
Not the most unexpected, but working way. A sleepless night the day before leaves you virtually no chance to be productively awake. Unless, of course, you flew from the future to save John Connor. Therefore, before a strategically important night, sleep as hard as you can.
Caffeine does suppress sleepiness. True, there are nuances of drinking coffee, depending on how you want to spend the morning.
If you drink it too actively, there is a risk that you will be too alert even when it's time to go to bed. If you drink just a little bit of coffee, you will easily fall asleep when the caffeine leaves your bloodstream.
Instead of trying to pinch yourself to stay awake, outsource this activity. Eat a portion of spicy, burning food. It will irritate the mucous membrane in your mouth enough to make you forget about sleep.
On a sleepless night, the very property of fast carbohydrates that adherents of a healthy diet scold them for is useful: they quickly break down into simple sugars and provide a strong, albeit short-term burst of energy. So ignore the advice of grandmothers "do not eat sweets at night, otherwise you will not fall asleep" and stock up on sweets.
Keep an eye on your level of fatigue, as the energy will leave your body just as quickly: as soon as you feel tired, it's time to take another bite from the chocolate bar.
Rinse face and wrists. Cold water is a kind of stress for the body, and therefore it will inevitably cheer up to eliminate discomfort.
Research has shown that chewing will keep you awake. The brain receives a signal that food is on its way to the stomach, and does not allow the body to relax in anticipation of a portion of energy. In general, you can chew anything, but chewing gum will be a longer-lasting option than food.
Dehydration can lead to fatigue, so listen carefully to your body's signals of thirst. The advice has an added bonus: Have you ever tried to sleep with a full bladder?
Physical activity is invigorating, and if you get up every hour and do 15 squats or push-ups, this will significantly extend the period of wakefulness. But jumping is better to avoid, although communication with the police squad, which the neighbors will call because of the noise, can invigorate better than any squats.
Surely there are puzzles that make you forget about everything in the world. For some, these are puzzles, for others - a new level of computer games. If you choose a movie or game, it is better that they are new to you and that you have to carefully follow the twists and turns of the plot.
A sleepless night is a great time to practice multitasking. Switch between different tasks to avoid switching to automatic work mode.
What methods do you use? Share in the comments.
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*Activity of Meta Platforms Inc. and its social networks Facebook and Instagram are prohibited in the territory of the Russian Federation.
Coffee with Coca-Cola, the smell of lemon zest and oranges, good exercise with music and plenty of water.
As well as a 20-minute "Stirlitz dream" and even a meeting with ants. Leading automotive experts and athletes shared with Gazeta.Ru recipes on how not to fall asleep at the wheel.
When setting out on a long journey, car experts advise drivers to plan their strength and break up the road into several sections where they can relax and stretch. In order not to fall asleep, experienced travelers recommend always having something to chew in the car, carrying only talkative and attentive passengers, and not neglecting a short nap. "Gazeta.Ru" has collected the most useful tips on how to last longer while driving and feel cheerful.
Sergei Yuryevich Lobarev, Chairman of the Board of the Guild of Driving Schools, advises you to constantly switch your activities while on the road.
“For novice motorists who have just received a driver's license, I recommend driving no more than 50 km a day and avoiding busy roads,” Lobarev explained to Gazeta.
Ru. - In order not to doze off during a long journey behind the wheel, you need to constantly be busy with something. – Open the window, change the driving speed depending on the condition of the roadway.
It is better to seat a passenger, if any, in the back and force him not only to keep up the conversation, but also to constantly follow the driver's eyes in the rear-view mirror.
As soon as the driver's eyes begin to droop, the passenger must let them know immediately. Driving accidents can be avoided by choosing the right speed, knowing the route and stopping for a short restorative nap.”
Vladimir Chukov, Vice-President of the Federation of Russian Driving School Associations, advises drivers to stop to warm up and drink water.
“On the eve of the trip, you need to get enough sleep and not drink alcohol,” Chukov told Gazeta.Ru. —
Be sure to follow the regime and rest every two to four hours. You can't drive all the time.
Drink water, do exercises - sips, squats.
All this will help you to cheer up. On the road, it is better not to eat a lot, this is just an extra burden on the body. It’s better to have a good snack during the next rest stop.”
Alexander Dobin, editor-in-chief of the Avto+ TV channel, advises to chew something on the way, and in extreme cases, make an energy drink from Coca-Cola and instant coffee.
“When I get very tired on the road, I loudly turn on some club music,” Dobin admitted to Gazeta.Ru. “I hate him myself, but he irritates me so much that he stops making me sleepy instantly.
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Be sure to chew something - from seeds and nuts to chewing gum. It looks like you're busy all the time. It will be good to have a conversation with a passenger: it is very difficult for one person to travel long distances.
If it becomes very difficult to drive, then Coca-Cola with instant coffee will help.
It turns out an explosive mixture - the eyes just pop out of their sockets. Compared to such a drink, energy drinks simply rest!
You have already reached the place, went to bed and still cannot sleep.
I also heard advice from truckers - to carry oranges with you. When you feel the approach of fatigue, you need to peel the fruit from the peel and inhale their smell. You can decompose the zest right in the car. This method can give you another three to four hours of wakefulness.
There are also quite extreme methods of combating sleep, from the “do not repeat!” series, which are practiced by motorists.
“I have a friend who often travels long distances alone,” says Dobin. - He sits on an anthill!
But they bite so hard that he itches the rest of the way. Falling asleep and passing out is impossible. This is five or six hours of itching, but 100% guarantee that it works.
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Eduard Nikolaev, winner of the Dakar rally-raid as part of KAMAZ Master, believes that route planning by sections will help you get to your destination faster and stay awake.
“Each driver must understand what his norm is and how far he can drive without problems,” Nikolaev told Gazeta.Ru. - You can set yourself the task of driving a certain number of kilometers, and then rest. Riding will be easier and more enjoyable if you know that you are waiting for rest. Thinking about your destination will also help you stay on track.
For example, if you are driving on vacation, then thinking about what you will do there will give you strength and you will get there even faster.”
Famous racing driver Oleg Keselman advises you to get enough sleep before a long trip.
“You need to leave early in the morning, and go to bed before 12 the night before,” Keselman told Gazeta.Ru. – It’s better not to eat very much in the morning, but to take a few healthy snacks with you. If you chew something on the road, it will really help you stay awake. But let it be fruits or vegetables.
It is better to eat less chips, crackers and salted nuts on the road, otherwise stomach pain will save you from sleep.
The driver warns drivers against Napoleonic plans and advises them to take 15 minutes of sleep while driving.
“Often, if I want to sleep, I stop for a 15-minute nap,” says Keselman. — It's much better than any energy drink or a thermos of coffee.
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