Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 1: How to stay awake at night
• Tips
• Warnings

Have you ever faced a situation when you urgently need to do a job that you didn’t have time to finish during the day, but you are catastrophically sleepy, your attention is scattered, your thoughts are floating, and your eyes are treacherously sticking together? If so, then this article is for you. Below are tips to help you cope with sleepiness at night.

Steps

Part 1 of 1: How to stay awake at night

1. 1 Drink caffeinated beverages. Coffee, black tea, or other caffeinated beverages will give you a much-needed boost and energy throughout the night, especially between 4 and 8 a.m. when most people are particularly sleepy.
   • The effect of drinking a cup of coffee comes in 15-30 minutes, and its invigorating effect lasts from 2 to 4 hours. So if you drink a cup of coffee every 2-3 hours, you can easily stay awake all night.
   • Just remember that as soon as you stop taking caffeinated drinks, you will feel very tired. Therefore, try not to overdo it and either maximize the time intervals between two coffee drinks, or combine this method with other ways to increase activity at night.
2. 2 The room should be cool. Heat makes you sleepy, and the warmer the room, the more you will feel sleepy. Turn on a fan, air conditioner, or ventilate the area.
   • If you are unable to lower the temperature, take a shower. This will give you a boost of vivacity.
   • You can also use cold compresses on your head and wrists.
3. 3 Move more. Walking around the room and taking regular breaks from work improves blood circulation and increases activity and vigor. Scientists say that exercise is significantly more effective than some drugs for toning and reducing fatigue (this does not mean that you should stop taking the drugs that your doctor prescribed for you).
   • Take breaks by periodically looking away from your computer screen. Continuous use of the computer can strain the eyes, causing drowsiness and fatigue. Take relaxing eye breaks every hour by covering them or looking at objects in the distance.
   • Exercise periodically. Try to devote at least 30 minutes to this. Exercise will increase your energy level and help you stay awake. Whenever you feel drowsy, get up and do a few squats, intense vigorous jumps, or just walk quickly around the room.
4. 4 Combine the type of mental activity. Switch to different types of tasks. Monotonous work, when you do the same type of operation over and over for a long period of time, can cause bouts of drowsiness. That is, every time you feel that you are about to fall asleep, switch to more difficult tasks that require more concentration.
5. 5 Have occasional snacks. Low blood sugar can cause bouts of drowsiness and weakness, so you will need to keep your energy levels up with occasional meals. High-energy snacks that can maintain blood sugar levels for an extended period of time should be preferred.
   • Eat yogurt and muesli with fresh fruit, or peanut butter with whole grain crackers and celery. Food should be high in protein and healthy carbohydrates. These components are found, for example, in oatmeal, fruits and vegetables.
   • Avoid sugary foods. Sugar-containing foods provide an immediate burst of energy, but it dries up very quickly, leading to a significant increase in the level of fatigue and distraction of attention.
6. 6 Create bright lighting in the room. Light affects the organs of vision, stimulates the activation of physiological processes and creates the effect of slowing down the biological clock. Bright light affects the cyclic oscillations of receptors, making changes in the course of the biological clock, significantly slowing it down. Be careful as this can lead to long-term sleep disturbances.

Tips

• Lower the temperature of the room you are working in. Open the window. While the effect of a cold shower is much stronger than lowering the room temperature, this step can be perfectly acceptable in many situations, increasing performance and concentration.
• Set a specific time in front of you until which you plan to stay awake. Very often people overestimate their capabilities and cannot properly distribute their strength for the whole night.
• Be sure to let your loved ones know that you are going to work at night, and that this will be accompanied by airing the room, bright lights and showers. Make sure they don't mind this activity at night.

Warnings

• Doing this on a regular basis can seriously disrupt your sleep patterns. Try to compensate for the night wakefulness, subsequently going to bed earlier than usual, restoring your strength and gradually returning to your normal rhythm of life. Do not risk your health, as sleep is one of the most important factors in a person's biological rhythms.
• Be prepared for some of the consequences that could change how you feel the next day. Unless you are in the habit of getting little sleep, do not schedule night waking hours before important appointments or a busy day at work. Try to either postpone things that require a lot of concentration and energy expenditure until a later period.
• Make sure you are not allergic to caffeinated beverages as this can be hazardous to your health.
• If you decide to stay awake at night to prepare for the exam, then keep in mind that good, healthy sleep has a much better effect on brain function than cramming all night long.