I don't know why, but all nighters seem to have a certain allure. Whether you want to go out and party or you just want to be uber-productive and work through the night, people seem to have romanticized the idea of staying up all night.
Now, as someone who has lived the nocturnal lifestyle, I can tell you that it isn't all its cracked up to be. Honestly, I much prefer sleeping regular hours on a regular basis and would highly suggest sticking with that.
However, if you are going to pull an all nighter, there are some things you can do to improve your odds of being successful as opposed to throwing in the towel and turning in at the halfway point.
1. Keep Food and Drink Handy
Since your body won't have the chance to recharge via sleep, you'll need to find other ways to refuel. Food and drinks will help with this. Now, a lot of people go the route of energy drinks or sodas and other sugary stuff. This will help keep you awake, but you also risk crashing.
Another problem is that if you frequently attempt this, your body will develop a tolerance for it. There were points where drinking a can of soda did nothing for me to the point where I was able to go to sleep mere minutes after finishing it.
You could use other beverages that don't rely on sugar and caffeine to help sustain yourself if need be.
Food is also important. You don't want anything too heavy, but junk food isn't always the best bet either. There's the obvious nutrition problem, but again, it doesn't guarantee you the energy you need to endure that long night.
2. Sit Up Straight
It sounds odd,but the last thing that you want to do is get comfortable. The instant you get comfortable, you find that your eyes will start to get heavy and it will only be a matter of time before you find yourself dozing off.
You will need to fight that urge because it will hit you hard and fast. Once it starts, it's hard to stop and even food or drink might not be enough to save you.
Try to avoid couches, recliners or beds. Sit in a desk chair, while you may still find your eyes getting heavy, sitting up in that position is not as conducive to sleep as others.
3. Move About Every Once in a While
You'll want to get up and go every so often. It will help keep your body active and it will give you a surge of energy as you become more mobile. Sometimes, just the simple act of getting up and stretching is enough to negate any fatigue you might have begun to feel.
4. Keep Yourself Busy
Watch movies or television, work, listen to music, find something to pass the time and keep your mind off the fact that you should be sleeping right about now. I would advise against reading. Normally, reading is an activity that should be encouraged, but in this instance, it can work against you.
You'll want to keep your mind focused on other things as this will give you something to concentrate on and keep you from wanting to turn in for the night.
5. Keep the Lights On
Darkness lends itself to sleep. Even if you are in a dark room with a computer or television on, it's easy to want to doze off. Keeping lights on will make it more difficult for you to transition. It can also grant you the illusion of "daytime" so that you can better trick your internal clock into avoiding its natural urge to go to sleep.
Final thoughts
So, there you have it. While I don't really recommend all nighters as they tend to do more harm than good, if you are so inclined to attempt one, these should help you plow through to make it to daylight.
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