All-nighter tips? 🌙

[Cwynne]

So it's 4:30 in the morning and I have a ton of work due Monday, and I wanna be able to actually go to bed at a decent time tonight (as in Saturday night) rather than staying up until 3-5am as I've been doing all week. I figured it'd probably be easier to just pull an all-nighter rather than going to bed now and most likely not finishing my work by tomorrow evening.

All that to say, any suggestions for the best way to go about this? I'm already pretty tired and don't wanna end up just crashing at noon or something. I mean I get that I should probably take naps at some point but if anyone has some concrete advice to share I'd really appreciate it

 

[rhinoo]

I do all-nighters for fun. Tea/Coffee is always the answer.

 

[LambdaDelta]

whatever your brain tells you, don't lie down "just to rest" or anything

also, small generally mindless low energy tasks usually work best for me. preferably something non-electronics though, since that ends up hurting my eyes at a point

usually for me after a few hours of omega tiredness it sort of breaks through with the rest being smooth sailing. until you then end up just staying awake until like 7am the next day anyways, because apparently ****ed up sleep schedule brains are just in a constant state of "**** you"

 

[rianne]

Work with lights on and, if you don't lose concentration with it on, music. If you work in dim light or semi darkness, you'll be more likely to fall asleep scientifically speaking since your brain and body aren't being stimulated/distracted by those external factors. Sit at your desk and keep shifting/moving every now and then; don't keep sitting still. If your eyes start to feel heavy, try using some eye drops to keep the irritation level down. Set alarms on your phone to keep track of how much time you have; the alarms blaring will also keep you awake lol.

You got this.

 

[Cwynne]

Thanks so much for the tips, guys. I've gotten through a lot of my to-do list and I'm almost (more like halfway) done haha. I really appreciate it!

 

[rianne]

Having ongoing conversations definitely helps too haha (,: Glad that your workflow is going nicely so far!

 

[Cwynne]

Yeah definitely, it's also almost 7am at this point so the sun will be up within the next 45 minutes or so which I think will help

I've definitely pulled all-nighters before but not usually due to work or while needing to do much the next day so I was definitely very stressed for a bit around four but I've perked up a bit haha.

 

[rianne]

Yeah definitely, it's also almost 7am at this point so the sun will be up within the next 45 minutes or so which I think will help

I've definitely pulled all-nighters before but not usually due to work or while needing to do much the next day so I was definitely very stressed for a bit around four but I've perked up a bit haha.

Yeah it's been awhile since I've had to do one since I'm not in school anymore. Sometimes I miss them---I've had some all nighters where I've written really good material imo.

 

[Cwynne]

Yeah it's been awhile since I've had to do one since I'm not in school anymore. Sometimes I miss them---I've had some all nighters where I've written really good material imo.

Yeah and since I'm the only night-owl of the house it's a lot less busy at night so it's easier for me to focus and complete tasks then anyway

 

[rianne]

Yeah and since I'm the only night-owl of the house it's a lot less busy at night so it's easier for me to focus and complete tasks then anyway

Sounds ideal to me, #teamnosleep aside. Usually the only one who's awake (when he's at home) into the late hours at my house is my dad since he's been consistently working graveyard for more than 20 years lol. Now that's someone who is a gold medalist for all-nighters to me.

 

[Snowesque]

I wish you luck. How I usually get passed them is caffeine, regret, and always doing something.
If I had to sit a while for lecture or something, I'd chew gum to keep me awake honestly.

The eye drops are a really good idea, I don't use them myself but I really should.

 

[MapleSilver]

I have done this in the past, and my longest time is around 60 hours. Here are a few tips that worked well for me:

- If you start to feel drowsy at night, splash your face with cold water. Alternatively, take a shower for a few seconds on the coldest temperature.

- If it is during the day, go outside for a few minutes. The light can really help with staying awake.

- Avoid doing repetitive tasks for long periods of time. They provide the perfect distraction as you fall asleep.

- Try standing up, since that is not the body's natural sleeping position. You can easily fall asleep while sitting, but your body will want to avoid falling over unless it is truly desperate for sleep.

Also, it is important to realize that staying up like this is incredibly bad for your health and should only be done very occasionally. If you want to do this again sometime, make sure you have no other option.

 

[AppleBitterCrumble]

For me:

Caffine keeps me up for sure
Eating food, because my stomach always gets weird at night where I feel sickish (but im usually just hungry)
I try not to read my textbook, if I'm studying I try to actively work on something or listen to short videos to keep me engaged
Splashing water on your face/showering helps
Stretching your legs/muscles

 

[Midoriya]

Echoing what LambdaDelta and MapleSilver said here. Whenever you lie down just to “rest”, you usually end up falling asleep anyway, so it’s important to not do that. Also, doing this reduces your Melatonin count which is why it’s really bad for your health. I was doing this on a consistent basis this past year because I was taking classes that were way too difficult for me, and it really ended up hurting my health long term. I fixed some of it by going to sleep early and waking up around 6 a.m. during the Summer, and then going to sleep at a decent time and waking up at a decent time this semester, so the dark circles around my eyes are completely gone, but it’s impossible for me to pull an all nighter now, or even stay up late. So I would only do this very occasionally when there’s no other options available, and make sure to get plenty of rest afterwards.

 

[Damniel]

I understand you may have a lot of work, but you should make sure you get at least a little rest. If you have a friend who also needs to get work done, try doing it with them so you can keep each other awake. Doing something invigorating like taking a walk/music can also help get the blood flowing

 

[Roshan]

Bluelight keeps ur brain awake