We all know what it’s like to be dozing off late at night. The paper is unfinished, the PowerPoint is incomplete, and the calculus problems won’t solve themselves. There’s probably no better time to make friends with coffee, tea, and energy drinks. But who really wants to be addicted to caffeine? Sure, coffee is nice sometimes, and Red Bull does give you wings (plus a super strong sugar high) but enough is enough. There are healthier and more natural ways to keep yourself awake. Plus, coffee can keep you awake when it’s finally time to go to bed, only perpetuating the problem.
Most importantly, you need to address why you are feeling so tired. Here are some things you can cut out of your evenings so you don’t end up working past 3am:
- Get off of Facebook! If you’re like me, before you start doing work (and sometimes in between assignments) you’ll spend about 20 minutes creeping on Facebook. I know it’s fun getting into poke wars, but wouldn’t you gladly take an extra 20 minutes of sleep?
- Do all of your reading assignments during the day instead of at night. Reading a short story at 11pm while you sit on your comfy couch is only going to make you tired! If you read it during the day, you can enjoy the story without feeling like you’re going to fall asleep.
- Don’t eat food too late in the evening. A Bronco run is nice sometimes, but that food will make you full and consequently tired. Just avoid it!
Not all of these things may apply to you though. You may be thinking, “I don’t use Facebook, I already read during the day and I never eat fast food.” If you are thinking this, then props to leading a healthy lifestyle! Regardless, you still might need a little extra energy to keep you up because, in the end, work is work and sleep is sleep. Well, here’s what you can do to keep yourself awake without forcing yourself to shotgun two Monster energy drinks (which, by the way, gives you a very, very, very bad headache that I’m pretty sure is absurdly unhealthy).
- Take short breaks to watch your favorite YouTube videos. A good laugh will keep you awake and a video will keep you stimulated. Just make sure you don’t get sucked into playlists. CollegeHumor, GoodNeighborStuff, and FailBlog are all great channels, but they’re considerably addicting. Watch the viral videos instead so you don’t end up getting sidetracked.
- Turn up the AC! According to WikiAnswers, the cold air actually keeps you awake longer. Hopefully you live in one of the dorms on campus that has AC (Campisi FTW). Warmth accelerates mental fatigue so open the windows and turn on the fans! You can also drink cold water for the same effect.
- 3. Do physical activity! This can be anything from jogging around campus to simply chewing gum. Just make sure your body is stimulated in some way. Your blood will get flowing and your mind will stay charged.
- My personal favorite: meditation. Some meditation (not all) will actually give you a slight boost of energy. For example, transcendental meditation (which is scientifically proven to reduce stress, manage ADD, and lower blood pressure) will give you a boost of energy after a 20-minute session. I recommend everyone to try it; it is a real life-saver because it calms you down and keeps you awake. Win-Win? Yes.
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Sometimes the best way to stay up is to just find a friend and study with some company. Nothing makes us calm down more than the presence of our friends. They cheer us up and make us laugh; it’s the best way to stay up late.
In the end though, you need to put your physical wellbeing before your anything else. An all-nighter here and there is fine, but don’t burn yourself out. Learn to let go and treat yourself to a nice, long slumber. You’ll have better days, you will be healthier, and you won’t burn out. College is supposed to be hard, but don’t make it harder for yourself by staying up every night past 3am! If you really need to, remember there are always ways to stay up without caffeine. Now, stop procrastinating and get back to your homework!