What would be the best way for a human being to stay awake ( and concentrated ) for a long period of time ?
Let’s specify a little bit with an example of what i mean :
A person work on an abstract matter ( mathematics, statistics, computer programming, etc ). He need about 80 hours to finish his job and has 88 hours until the deadline. Now, everyone has trick like : lots of coffee, lot of water… But whats the best way to go through this while keeping productive and ( preferably ) don’t end at the hospital
I find that if I take a “power nap” for 15-30 minutes I feel much better than just trying to stay awake. I can’t drink caffeine because then I’m wired but still tired which is not good. The other thing you might want to try would be to sleep for a few hours at a time, like 3-4 every day. I can stay on the road for days with only a few hours of sleep at a time.
I’d stay away from the “drugs” and just try a little bit of sleep since that’s what you need any way. If you want to wake up try getting a Screamin Meanie, it’s a trucker alarm that’s 120db, quite loud and will wake you up.
Last time I had to write a big paper, my friend recommended tea instead of coffee. I normally don’t like tea, but he was right. Coffee will make you feel sick to your stomach and make you crash after a few hours.
trick #1 - (Only works if you are non-smoker) Buy a pack of cigarettes and smoke one every 4 hours or so. This worked VERY well for me during college. NOTE: This is very hazardous as those &^%#$&#-ing things are indeed addictive. Luckily I got freaked out the first time I considered buying a carton and never touched them again.
trick #2 - if you are going to “power nap” DO NOT nap for longer than 20-25 minutes, unless you have four hours to sleep. Sleeping any interval between 20 min and 4 hours leaves me much more tired than simply not sleeping at all. YMMV
The trick to finishing the project on time is starting earlier.
Seriously though; I used to work all kinds of hours and very long stretches at times (I think somewhere between 50 and 60 hours was about the limit we went to, but this was with only about four hours of tea and meal breaks in there, so it was quite punishing) - Most of the team used to start on the Pro-Plus (Caffeine tablets), but I didn’t find that helped; regular snacking seems to help, as do occasional strolls around the room. Since this was a team, we developed a very close working relationship and almost our own culture, in-jokes and so on; laughing together and entertaining each other was probably the single most important factor in keeping us going.
I seem to do fine with 30 to 40 minute naps, but I agree, sleeping for an hour or two leaves you very tired. Don’t be too comfortable when you take a nap - don’t turn off your lights, and make sure you can’t turn over. I used to take naps with my legs hanging off the end of the bed, feet on the floor. Nowadays I just take quick naps at my desk.
A day as a computer programmer just before the release date
So let’s see, ‘power nap’ of about 15-30 minute. I’ve never tried and i surely will. But don’t you think that after a while, it’s just impossible to stay focus. By experience, i find that my limit is about 60 hrs, after that their’s no possible way do math without mistake… does sleeping a little while really gets you back on your feet for this kind of job ??
One thing i do in winter is to go out for a smoke while it’s -20 celcius. this does wake you up but only for 30 minute or so.
