All-nighters: Expert Advice from a Self-proclaimed Pro
I used to think it was bad to stay up late at night. This started when I was about 6 years old and would sneak out of bed to watch TV at 3am because my parents never let me watch it during the day. They always said it would “rot my brain”… I wonder if the TV had the same effect at 3am. Either way… Night Court was worth it.
As I got older, staying up late was about sneaking out at night after my parents went to bed. I’d usually go and meet up with my childhood friend and we’d ride our bikes around in the dark. I’m not really sure why… but at the time, it seemed just so… badass.
Then in college, late nights were about partying, definitely not as cool as the bikes.
And now, after college, sadly enough, staying up late has become a good time to get that work done that just can’t wait until tomorrow. Who would’ve seen that one coming?
I’ve pulled more than a few all nighters… and some of those quite recently. If you’re ever in the situation where you need (or want) to stay up all night, here are my best tips.
Andy’s Tips for All-nighters
1. remember to keep eating every 4 or so hours. it takes a lot more energy to stay awake and be active. feed your body. Try to eat food with plenty of energy. I like to eat pasta when I’m staying up all night… I usually make extra at dinner time and keep eating it until sometime past breakfast.
2. take vitamins. ok, ok you don’t need to do this but for the hypochrondriac in all of us, taking a little extra vitamin C might not be the worst thing you’ve ever done. My favorite cocktail is 1 multi-vitamin (chewable), 1 echinasia, 2 500mg vitamin C (pill form). Lately I’ve been on a flintstones vitamin kick.
3. don’t over caffeinate. I made the mistake my first time of trying to drink coffee every few hours. After a while the caffeine ain’t going to do it. I find that holding off on caffeine until the very latest possible is the best approach. It’s also better if you can drink tea instead of coffee because the awakening effect isn’t as severe and thus the crash isn’t either.
4. music – it feeds your soul. I could never make it without some tunes. I recommend sites like slacker.com and pandora.com… after all it gets tiring trying to pick out CDs at 6am in the dark before the sunrise.
5. drink plenty of water. dehydration can make you tired. Most people are constantly dehydrated. They say the typical intake for an adult is something like 8 8oz glasses a day. I’d do double that as you’re supposed to be asleep and using less water.
6. find a buddy. it’s way easier to stay up all night if you have someone who’s doing it with you. And no, inflatable friends don’t count.
7. exercise. I find doing a bit of light exercise at around 4am can really get my batteries running again. Maybe 20 pushups or some jumping jacks. Yes, you will look insane doing this in your living room when you should be sleeping… but then again staying up all night is kind of an insane thing to do.
8. keep the temperature a little lower than usual. While this contradicts #2 in terms of trying not to get sick. It does wonders for keeping you awake. A little frostbite never hurt anyone right?
9. cold showers. This might wake you up but I’m not sure if it’s worth the pain… especially when you’re coming down off a 10 hour caffeine high. If you really want to – go for it but be warned about taking nice, warm, and toasty showers… they’ll do you in ever time.
10. write useless lists. I’ve made it at least another 30 minutes doing this which is 30 minutes closer to tomorrow morning. Boo yah!