People need sleep, that's a given, but as a college student there may be times that you just feel an all-nighter is exactly what you need to make it through an assignment. Whether it be to study for that big exam or finish up that 10 page essay, you may one day find that despite your best efforts you may need to put in some extra time at night to really do your best on an assignment, so if again, you find that depriving yourself of sleep is absolutely necessary then you want to be sure to do it the right way, so here are the top eight ways you can have a successful all-nighter:
1. Sleep well before
If you know that you just need to pull an all-nighter and you have some spare time before then you should try catching some Z's while you can! Even the shortest nap can be beneficial to your health.
2. Drink tons of water!
Keeping hydrated is also very important, even more important than binging on caffeine in fact. Dehydration on the other hand can make you feel groggy and even mentally tired, so drinking ice cold water can help in keeping you awake and alert (plus this will force you to get up and take lots of bathroom breaks!)
3. Minimal doses of caffeine
Resorting to caffeine may sometimes seem like a good idea until you crash, but if you find that it's unavoidable then be sure to only take it in small doses.
4. Snack small and healthy
When looking for a little something to eat in the middle of the night, try to avoid big meals or foods that have too much artificial sugar. While it may seem like a good idea, blood sugar spikes can also often lead to crashes. So when looking for snacks, be sure to mainly focus on foods that have natural sugars, such as bananas, apples, and other fruits and juices.
5. Lighting
Have you ever wondered why, after a long night of texting in bed, you still can't seem to fall asleep? Even after feeling exhausted? That's because of the phone's effect on your eyes in the middle of the night. Texting on such a bright screen can stimulate sunrise to your brain, and although this may seem like an ideal trick to keep you awake for an all-nighter, this can also work against you because of the strain a bright screen can have on your eyes. Nevertheless, it's best to work in a bright, well-lit environment to keep you awake, so try to avoid working with the lights off!
6. Don't work in bed
This seems like a given, but I'm pretty sure we've all had those moments during an all-nighter where we've thought "Well I guess I could do this assignment in bed" or "Why work on this here when I could be relaxing and laying down as I finish this." It may seem like a good idea at first but the only thing this can lead to is you dozing off.
7. Breaks don't hurt
What keeps you up at night? For some it's scary movies, for others it's laughing at some dumb pictures they found online, so if you do find yourself slowly falling asleep it's best to take a short break and do what you can to keep yourself awake! Try opening a window or taking a walk, or even just playing some hardcore, death metal music. Anything that'll help keep you up and alert.
8. Set alarms
Some may think that because you'll be pulling an all-nighter you won't need any alarms to wake you up in the morning, but in all honesty a lot of us can't make it through an all-nighter, and there's no shame in that. Just in case you do find that you've passed out the night before you at least want to make sure you don't miss that huge exam of yours the morning after.
Although all-nighters may seem fun and exciting at first, you'll usually feel like crap the day after, plus they tend to be bad for your health -- so if possible try to avoid them at all costs! Even if you do find yourself in need of some extra time to finish assignments up, just waking up early the next day is always an option or if possible trying to at least get some sleep that night helps as well. Little sleep is better than none at all!
