Pulling off an All-Nighter 2.0
A few weeks ago, Elise wrote an article on how to pull off an all-nighter. You can find it here. It's lighter, nicer, and much more wholesome (like Elise) than what we're going to discuss below.
We will be covering the following:
Where to begin
Fuel sources
Hacking your sleep cycles
Why this is a bad idea
The morning after
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, April 6, 1909
1. Where to Begin
So you've procrastinated and need to pull an all-nighter :) That's great! We've all been there. If you haven't yet, you will soon.
Where do we begin? Oh, yes. In the pit of despair, as you realize that you will not finish your work in time, should have planned ahead, and will not be sleeping tonight. Stew in it a little. Scroll through social media. What's stopping you? After all, the panic doesn't set in until around 11 pm and diamonds are formed under pressure.
Just kidding. Start as soon as possible. Write a to-do list and then re-arrange them according to the order of priority. If you know you'll start falling asleep, set an alarm to ring every 15 minutes as a precaution.
The best strategy is to study the toughest material first, as it requires the most brain power. Save the easier work for early morning hours when you're more tired and substantially less motivated.
2. Fuel Sources
Get protein and fiber. You can find these in nuts and seeds. You can find nuts and seeds at the supermarket, in trail mix packs and Clif bars. Avoid almonds, though! They contain tryptophan and magnesium, which may cause slight drowsiness.
Whole fruits are your friends! Natural sugars can increase your energy levels. Be careful with dried fruits and fruit-flavored snacks, however; they can induce a crash after an initial buzz.
Try to avoid carbs. No ramen unless you like feeling bloated!
While caffeine is a no-brainer, don't drink so much coffee at first. Your body tends to develop a tolerance to the effects of caffeine. The caffeine will work better in small doses, so sip your drink throughout the night instead of chugging all 2 liters in one go.
If you don't drink coffee, black tea has lower levels of caffeine than coffee but will still work.
Dehydration causes grogginess, so drink water! Studies have shown that drinking two to three glasses of iced water an hour can have the same effect as drinking a caffeinated beverage.
3. Hacking your sleep cycles
We will now go through types of naps.
The Power Nap (10-20 minutes)
Good for boosting focus and productivity.
The 30-Minute Nap (believe it or not, 30 minutes)
Brings you to Stage II sleep. Stopping at 30 minutes will prevent you from feeling groggy. A 2015 study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found sleeping up to 30 minutes can reverse the hormonal impact of a poor night's sleep.
The 60-Minute Nap (you guessed it! 60 minutes)
May help you feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Known for improvement in remembering facts, faces, names, and boosting alertness for up to 10 hours.
The Refresher (90 minutes)
In which you run through an entire sleep cycle. Helps to clear the mind, improve memory recall, restore lost sleep, limits sleep inertia, makes it easier for you to wake up.
Your sleep cycle lasts roughly 90 minutes. If you plan to sleep, try to wake up when your sleep cycle ends to prevent that nasty groggy feeling. Luckily, this sleep cycle calculator exists.
You can also take a coffee nap. I can't be bothered to explain the science behind it, but there is legit science behind it. You can find it here.
Studies show that it's effective, though, so if you're desperate, it's worth a shot (of espresso). It's very simple. You drink coffee (or tea, or soda, which have less caffeine than coffee; obviously energy drinks have caffeine too, but they're gross) as fast as you can so you can sleep before the effects hit your bloodstream. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Wake up just as the caffeine is beginning to work.
Don't sleep through this! You snooze, you lose!
4. Why This is a Bad Idea
We'll quickly run through why it's a bad idea and why you shouldn't do it. It increases the stress hormone cortisol, which weakens your immune system and increases the chances of you getting sick. Sleep deprivation is also linked to weight gain, as it increases your craving for junk food while impairing your ability to feel full.
It worsens your memory and concentration, as well as your reaction times and decision-making skills. You're probably going to also look like crap the morning after.
5. The Morning After
Frozen spoons can help decrease puffy eyes. Peach-colored eyeliner at your waterline reduces redness.
Grab a light breakfast, preferably high-protein and low-fat. Fat takes a long time to digest and you may end up feeling sluggish.
Get some rest when you get home! Pay back your sleep debt. You owe it to your body.