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shpadoinkle_sue's avatar

Are there specific ways to keep awake the day after pulling an all nighter?

Asked by shpadoinkle_sue (7188points) February 7th, 2011

I checked for other questions like this and I still wanted to see if there were any other ways to keep awake. I have a mid term today and I stayed awake all night to go over everything. It wasn’t that bad about an hour ago, now I’m dragging. I can’t really keep moving because I won’t be able to get up from my seat except for about once an hour. I’ve drank so much caffine over the year, it has lost the inital energy boost it used to have. I really don’t have time to go and get food. Yes, I should be studying right now and not here, but I’ve got a moment to spare. Is there anything else that could at least keep me awake for the next 7 or 8 hours?

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11 Answers

Summum's avatar

The 5 hour energy boosts help some.

IchtheosaurusRex's avatar

Lots of water, B vitamins, and stay in the brightest light you can find. Do something to keep your brain engaged, like play solitaire.

And this is not a good way to study for an exam. Your retention will be poor. The test is the assessment, not the objective.

JLeslie's avatar

Caffeine as you already stated. And keep talking, stay in engaged in something. Staying up all night is a huge mistake. Don’t do it again. Do you have time to nap before the test? If you make it through today go to sleep as soon as possible, I recommend not driving, especially as the day wears on. Your body will try to go to sleep every opportnuity it gets. Let me know if you catch a cold in a few days.

Nullo's avatar

Take a nap.
Physical activity, showers, stimuli, chewing gum. For future reference, all-nighters are better suited to projects due the next day – you’ve already put the work in, and can thus more likely afford to be blargh for the class. As far as brain efficiency goes, sleep deprivation is like drunkenness.
I’ve only pulled a couple of all-nighters in my career, but I would frequently whittle my sleep hours down to two. On days like that, I’d get a large coffee and an energy drink and mix ‘em together, and sip the concoction throughout the class. It gives you a stomach ache and jittery fingers, but you’ll be moderately awake.

wundayatta's avatar

Cold air. A brisk walk. Talk to friends. Chocolate bars.

The test itself should perk you up what with the adrenaline.

Studies have shown that people who sleep the night before a test do much better than people who cram all night, no matter how little you know

marinelife's avatar

Eat something. Some sugar followed by protein.

nailpolishfanatic's avatar

Drink alot of energy drinks :D

Haleth's avatar

You asked seven hours ago, so the school day has probably come and gone, but here’s my advice for pulling an all-nighter in the future.

1) If you can fit any sleep into your schedule, try to get at least 3–4 hours. That way you’ll get enough rest to have one REM cycle and you’ll wake up feeling more refreshed.

2) If you go for caffeine, black coffee has a lot more caffeine than espresso. Any method of brewing coffee (french press, cone drip) where the water stays in contact with the grounds for a long time will give you more caffeine.

3) Drink lots of water. On days when I don’t get enough sleep, I alternate between black coffee and water so I can be awake and hydrated. Coffee is a diuretic and will dehydrate you if it’s the only thing you drink. Unfortunately doing this means you’ll be peeing all the time.

4) Get enough to eat, especially something with lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and lots of nutrients. My favorite breakfast is fresh fruit, granola, and peanut butter in a whole wheat wrap or a tex-mex omlette with lots of veggies like red peppers, mushrooms, and spinach, also in a wheat wrap.

5) If you can’t stay moving, then at least keep engaged. I move around as much as possible when I haven’t had enough sleep, but talking to people or reading/ watching something interesting also keeps my mind involved. If you’re in a class, volunteer lots of answers or ask lots of questions.

6) If you have a test in one class, sleep in the other classes.

Berserker's avatar

Eat bananas if you have some. Sounds crazy, but it works.

Rv654321's avatar

When I pull all nighters which is sometimes more than I would like. I drink alot of water through out the night but when the daylight hits those 5 hour energy drinks work for me.

JLeslie's avatar

Well, enough time has passed for the OP to catch up on sleep. I hope he comes back and tells us how it went.

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