Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Loading the Body and Mind
• Method 2 of 4: Change the environment
• Method 3 of 4: Using Mental Techniques
• Method 4 of 4: Taking stimulants and other medications
• Tips

Are you staying up because of a movie marathon with your best friend? Or are you trying to stay awake with him, just to see if you can? Perhaps you are studying for exams together? Since severe sleep deprivation can be harmful to health, do not let the person fall asleep only if they asked for it.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Loading the Body and Mind

1. 1 The main thing is not to fall asleep yourself. If you do not fall asleep yourself, you can make sure that your friend does not start falling asleep and interfere with him. When you are healthy, you will be able to talk to your friend and provide the support you need.
2. 2 Make it move. Candidates who have entered the basic SEAL training program (known as BUD / S) and have successfully completed their Hell Week, during which they hardly sleep for five days, say that it is almost impossible to fall asleep with constant movement. Candidates are constantly walking, doing exercises, and listening to complaints from their instructors. You can use some of these techniques to keep your friend awake:
   • Create an exercise cycle to keep moving. Try doing 10 push-ups, 10 torso lifts, 10 squats in as many sets as possible.
   • Throw a ball or play soccer. Towards the end of the hellish week, instructors force candidates to play sports games to keep them awake.
3. 3 Talk to your friend. Tell him a story and speak loudly.
   • Tell the funniest story you can remember.
   • Tell a scary story.
4. 4 Stand as long as possible. If you decide to work out late at night, take notes while standing on your feet.
5. 5 Nudge or shake your friend slightly if you notice that they are starting to fall asleep. Tell him to get up now and walk around the room.
6. 6 Yell out loudly at your friend if they doze off. This is a familiar method in BUD / S. The instructors are constantly yelling at the candidates.

Method 2 of 4: Change the environment

1. 1 Find or create a cool or cold environment. Navy SEAL candidates say that when you are cold, it is almost impossible to fall asleep. They are immersed in water for 15 minutes, the temperature of which barely exceeds 15 degrees Celsius. However, you should be careful as extreme cold can lead to life-threatening conditions such as hypothermia (hypothermia).
   • Have your friend drink a cold drink.
   • Prepare an ice bath and have your friend sit in it for 10 minutes.
   • Adjust the air conditioner to make the room cooler.
   • Let your friend take a cold shower for 10 minutes.
2. 2 Make your friend feel incredible physical discomfort, but don't physically harm him. According to one candidate who successfully passed Hell Week, people find it harder to fall asleep when they are uncomfortable.
   • Get wet and roll in the sand. Jump into the water and then lie in the sand, as the SEAL candidates do.
   • Sit in the most uncomfortable chair possible.
   • Take your friend's pillow and bedspread.
3. 3 Turn on loud music. It is quite difficult to fall asleep to loud music.
   • Listen to rock, death metal or high-energy pop music. Don't play slow and soothing music.

Method 3 of 4: Using Mental Techniques

1. 1 Help a friend write a goal. Is it the goal of staying awake throughout the day? Or within two days? Research shows that writing a goal increases the chances of achieving it.
2. 2 Break the goal down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Research shows that when a person breaks down their goals into smaller pieces, they complete them more quickly and more accurately.
   • Help your friend simplify this challenge by breaking it down by the hour or even more, like minutes. The goal may be as follows: stay awake for another hour until 2 am. When this goal is achieved, the next one can be done the same: stay awake for another hour until 3 am. Trying to stay awake for another hour (or 15-30 minutes) is more doable and easier than trying to stay awake for a day or 12 hours.
3. 3 Repeat and recite the mantra. Often times, chanting a mantra can help you focus on something other than the dire situation you are in. A good mantra should be short, reassuring, and rhythmic.
   • Come up with a mantra for yourself.
   • Take someone else's mantra and repeat it. Try "I will do it" or "I am strong, I can and I will reward myself."

Method 4 of 4: Taking stimulants and other medications

1. 1 Invite your friend for coffee. Caffeine is a legal drug found in coffee, chocolate energy drinks, and pill form. This stimulant will make it much more difficult for you to fall asleep.
   • Experts agree that for humans, the daily safe dose of caffeine is 400 mg. There is approximately 95 mg of caffeine in one cup of coffee. In the energy sector - from 74 to 111 mg.
   • Children and adolescents are advised not to consume more than 100 mg of caffeine per day.
   • Don't consume too much caffeine - it can be dangerous in large doses. Caffeine can increase blood pressure, speed up the heartbeat, and lead to dizziness, dehydration, and headaches.
2. 2 Make sure your friend is not drinking alcohol. Excessive amounts of alcohol can calm the nervous system (the opposite of the aphrodisiac effect that caffeine has).
3. 3 Make sure your friend is drug-free. Although some drugs are stimulants (methamphetamine, cocaine), do not use them to stay awake. They are harmful, prohibited, and can be fatal.
4. 4 Make sure your friend does not take any off-label prescription medication. Don't let your friend take someone else's prescription medication. Tell him to take his medications only as prescribed by the doctor and not otherwise. Failure to follow the instructions for use of the medication can lead to serious medical complications and even death.

Tips

• Never, under any circumstances, allow a friend to operate or operate heavy or dangerous equipment while deprived of sleep.
• Be careful. If you and your friend are trying to stay awake, be sure to be in a safe place and / or with trusted people.
• If your friend is constantly sleepy during the week, it could be a sign of poor sleep or a medical condition like narcolepsy. If so, advise him to speak to a specialist.