Best way to stay awake when you're tired

In My Humble Opinion
1

In a couple weeks I’m going to be starting school. I’ll be going to school from 7AM-3PM, then working from 5PM-1AM. Ouch. Needless to say, you won’t be seeing too much of me around here. (Please hold your applause until after I’m gone. I’m emotionally fragile. Thanks :))

Anyway, I was wondering if y’all have some tips on keeping yourselves awake and alert. Pep pills? Cold water in your face? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

2

Have a short nap in-between. A 15 min. sleep is supposed to work wonders.

3

Advice from the King of the 72-hour Studyathalon:

  1. No pep pills. After a while they just make your eyes hurt and your stomach get upset–then you develop a tolerance, and they just upset your stomach.
  2. Cold water on the face helps. Ice water (or an ice pack) on the back of the neck helps more.
  3. Try to grab that short nap. If you have a really hard time waking up from it, or it makes you groggy for the rest of the evening (short naps do that to me), then skip it.
  4. Drink a lot of water–not coffee, not cola, but water. Pee a lot–it helps flush toxins out of your system. It helps a little, and it’s better for you anyway.
    5)Breathe deeply. Get more oxygen. This is the real secret of my stamina in college. Try to breathe more deeply than you currently do all the time. Failing that, do deep-breathing exercises several times each day. This slows the buildup of fatigue toxins.
    6)More breathing, for when you’re already tired: Inhale deeply, then exhale as forcefully as you can through tightly pursed lips. You should make a loud hissing sound, like an air hose. This increases the air pressure in your lungs a bit, allowing you to absorb more oxygen–which translates to greater alertness. Repeat it a couple of times–if you start feeling lightheaded, stop. This buys me about 10-15 minutes of increased alertness, but YMMV.
4

Did this in the army to stay awake in the field, but it’s kind of nasty otherwise.
If you don’t mind spitting, do some dip/snuff, whatever, and just a pinch mind you, it’ll keep you buzzed for a good while. Doesn’t taste too bad, but it sure as hell isn’t healthy, and you’ve gotta keep spitting. DO NOT drink water when doing this, swallowing the stuff will result in an immediate sensation of wanting to puke. But you won’t fall asleep that way either…

5

SUGAR
Granted it’s not great for you, but it’s better than pep pills or dip.
I used to eat a roll of sweettarts a day to keep me from sleeping in school.

6

[sarcasm] What ever happened to good ole fashioned crack? Bust out the pipe man! [/sarcasm]

7

Sweettarts, yuck. Dip, double yuck and a gag reflex besides. I really don’t recommend resorting to any drug, including tobacco, to stay awake.

As for sugar, it peps you up for a little while and then flattens you. When you eat it, it kicks your blood sugar up (which does make you feel more alert). Then your body overcompensates with the insulin, and leaves you with a lower blood-sugar level than you started with. Trust me, it feels like the bottom of the biorhythm chart. If you feel you need to do this, eat something with lots of carbs at the same time (a buddy of mine buttered bread and poured sugar on it). That gives you a longer-term sugar input as your body processes the bread and prevents (or lessens) the disastrous crash. The one guy I knew who just ate straight sugar would get really manic for about 45 minutes, then suddenly fall over snoring. If you start eating straight sugar, you have to keep doing it (e.g. regular doses of sweettarts) to avoid this effect.

8

I swear by naps, too. You wouldn’t think it, but 15 minutes curled up under a desk really revives me, even if I don’t actually fall asleep.

That and lots of caffeinated soda (but not right before the nap). Unless you like it really sweet, coffee just doesn’t deliver the one-two punch of caffeine AND sugar.

If you’re leery of caffeine, or just looking for an alternative, I highly recommend yerba maté, a tea-like beverage from South America. It’s got some caffeine in it, but most of the pep comes from as-yet-unidentified stimulants. Don’t worry! It’s herbal and all-natural, and so it’s completely safe, right??? :wink: But it’s a nice pick-me-up, and it doesn’t make me jittery like too much caffeine does. Look for “Morning Thunder” tea by Celestial Seasons (which is a blend of maté and black tea), or “Mucho Maté” tea by Traditional Medicinals. Some people say it tastes terrible, but I like it. It’s got a nice roasty taste with a delightful peppery finish.

9

This is probably closely related to the breathing advice from Balance, but oh well. Exercise. Just a bit to get you going. When you’re feeling tired, ride your bike to the store, or run around the block. It gets everything moving, air in your lungs, heart beating, etc…

Plus, it’ll help you sleep better when the time comes.