Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Planning fun activities
• Part 2 of 3: Keeping yourself awake
• Part 3 of 3: Healthy ways to get more energy
• Tips
• Warnings

Staying up all night is fun, and a way to challenge yourself and your friends! To get the most out of a night's sleep, prepare yourself to stay awake for a long time, plan the right food and stimulating activities. During the whole night you can leave your daily routine behind and just focus on the things you want to do.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Planning fun activities

1. Tell scary stories in a circle. Everyone has to sit in a circle. You can make up your own stories or read from a book together. There are also websites with collections of scary stories that you can read to.
   • Challenge each other and let people write and read their own scary stories.
2. Host a video game party if you are all gamers. Schedule a series of multiplayer video games for whatever system you use. Invite your friends to bring some of their own multiplayer games too.
   • Host an MMO (mass multiplayer online) party, and invite friends to bring laptops to have adventures in a computer game.
   • Another example is, for example, multiplayer racing, combat or cooperative FPS games.
3. Plan a scavenger hunt around your house. When planning a scavenger hunt, you must choose a theme. If it's a holiday hunt, hide objects related to the holiday. It can also be a theme based on a show that you and your friends like, and you can hide items in the house that are related to the show.
   • Make sure you explain the rules clearly to everyone, and provide everyone with their own overview of the rules.
   • Have flashlights available to everyone in case they need to find objects outdoors at night.
4. Make stamps with craft foam and wooden blocks. To make stamps, press self-adhesive craft foam in different shapes onto wooden blocks. You can buy foam shapes from the store or cut them out yourself.
   • Use any shape you want, such as stars, hearts or smiling faces.
5. Apply a coat of paint to the foam molds. Use any color of paint for the stamp. Paint serves the same purpose as ink for the stamps. Stamp the shapes on pillowcases.
   • The pillowcases must be pre-washed before they can be stamped on.
   • To change the paint colors, wash the stamps in water and let them dry before applying more paint.
6. Make edible jewelry with candy. Use a plastic needle, thin yarn, or baking twine to thread the string through soft candies. Thread the center candy first and add the rest on each side.
   • Use a paper towel to wipe the needle between each stitch to keep the flavors from interfering with each other. You can use any kind of gummy candies including gummy bears, lifesavers, twizzlers, gummy berries, etc.

Part 2 of 3: Keeping yourself awake

1. Eat snacks that are high in carbohydrates and proteins throughout the night. Too much sugar like candy will put you in a slump, while protein can provide you with energy for a longer period of time. Peanut butter and beef jerky are packed with protein to keep you awake.
   • Avoid heavy meals such as pasta and fried chicken as they make you sleepy.
   • Choose foods that are easy to prepare. Also make sure you have coffee ready to brew. If you don't drink coffee, tea is a healthier option as it also contains antioxidants. However, be wary of the caffeine content. Teenagers aged 12 to 18 should not consume more than 100mg of caffeine per day.
   • Take B vitamins with a healthy meal so that your body can fully absorb it and get the most out of it.
2. Do not set the thermostat too high. People fall asleep when it is too warm inside. Keep the room at about 19 degrees to keep yourself and your friends more alert. You can also put on a layer of extra clothing if you don't get the room warm.
   • If you are sitting at a computer, darken the screen to avoid straining your eyes or making you sleepy.
   • Don't wear clothes that relax you. It can motivate you to relax and eventually fall asleep.
3. Take a walk with friends every 45 minutes. If your parents don't let you walk around at night, you may be able to walk around your house. It should be easy to take frequent breaks if you drink a lot of water, because you have to go to the toilet often.
   • A ghost hunt in your backyard or basement at night will get your adrenaline pumping. Bring flashlights and cameras to look for paranormal activity and scare yourself.
4. Splash some ice water on yourself every time you start to feel sleepy. Cold water shocks your system and wakes you up. Splash cold water on your face in the bathroom or kitchen three times.
   • Encourage everyone to do this on their own throughout the night, but don't do it to the others as that can irritate people.
   • Drinking ice cold water can also keep you awake and hydrated.

Part 3 of 3: Healthy ways to get more energy

1. Sleep as long as possible the night before. Getting more sleep the night before will keep you more alert all night after. You will be able to stay up longer and have more fun with your friends.
   • If you are off from work or school on the weekend, Saturday is a better day than Friday to spend the whole night, because you can probably sleep longer in the morning.
   • Use relaxation techniques to get a full night's sleep. Try meditation, deep breathing, and reading.
   • Don't drink caffeine the night before staying up overnight.
2. Eat healthy throughout the day. Make sure to eat healthy foods, such as fruits and lean proteins, during the day, as you won't be cooking at night. Food full of B vitamins, whole grains and iron will give you the nutrition you need throughout the day so you can stay awake all night.
   • Eggs are packed with B vitamins, so start the day with eggs and whole grain toast.
   • Eat nuts and fruits throughout the day for protein and healthy carbohydrates.
3. Take a caffeine nap before sitting all night. Have a cup of something caffeinated right before your nap. Set an alarm for 15 to 30 minutes to take a nap. Do not sleep longer than 30 minutes, otherwise it is no longer a "power nap".
   • Dimming the lights and cooling your room will make you sleepy enough to take a nap.
   • Don't take too much caffeine or you could develop anxiety or other health problems. However, young people from 12 to 18 years old should not take more than 100 mg per day.
   • Caffeinated drinks will list how much caffeine they contain on their nutrition labels.

Tips

• Set a time to start and end the night. You can't really stay up all night until 7-9 in the morning, when the neighbors and other people wake up and start their daily activities. But you can go to bed at 6 a.m. if you can't stay awake anymore.
• Avoid closing your eyes and lying down as you may fall asleep and it will be difficult to wake up.
• When your parents are at home, don't play the music or movies loud. Instead, you can play stimulating sounds, such as beta waves, that are meant to keep you alert.
• Take short walks outside in between game sessions, movies or other activities. Fresh air and exercise work better than another cup of coffee.
• Help each other stay up. If someone is drunk, call a taxi.

Warnings

• Don't get into the habit of going all night as that can cause severe sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can worsen pre-existing mental and physical problems.
• Make sure you don't have anything important to do the day after a night. Chances are, you won't be able to sleep as much as you need during the day.
• Don't drive after staying up all night. Driving while extremely tired and shaky from all the caffeine is just as dangerous as driving drunk. Take a taxi or have someone pick you up.