At some point during your university career almost all of you will pull an all-nighter. Sometimes it will be out of the necessity because somehow, this week of all weeks, you were handed not one, not two, but three vital essays and there just simply isn’t time. Others will simply see the all-nighter as your safety, your backstop, a sacred night where no matter how much of that essay is left, it can be accomplished by working from dusk until dawn.
And so you will take up that offer of Happy Hour drinks at 6 on Monday and then again on Tuesday, until before you know it, the essay is due in 3 days and that essay plan you wrote three weeks ago, well, it doesn’t even make very much sense now (trust me, I’ve been there). So here are five tips that helped get me through the all-nighter.
My top 5
1/ The Small Sleep – This should be no longer than 15 minutes. The longer you sleep the harder you will find it to wake up as the deeper asleep you will be. I would recommend one of these power naps at 2am and one at 4am.
2/ The Low Dose – This should be done in conjunction with point 1. Many people will recommend sweets, general comfort food, coffee, Red Bull, Proplus and Lucozade as stimulants to keep you awake. In moderation, yes the short-term highs are dynamite and may get you through that tricky paragraph but in an hour’s time you’re going to exhausted and twitchy if you have anything more than a small cup of coffee. As for timing, take a cup of coffee just before your nap at 2am or 4am. When you wake up the caffeine will have kicked in and you’re ready to crack on but without feeling like you’re actually on crack.
3/ Chewie – Chewing gum is a surprisingly good tool for staying awake. It keeps your body doing something at all times without requiring any intense use of the brain cells to distract from their primary, essay based focus.
4/ The Apples Of Your Eye – Although it sounds a bit new age and overly eco-friendly an apple is your secret weapon. Some say they’re better than a cup of coffee in the morning to wake you up, or in this case to stop you going to sleep.
5/ Live Together, Die Alone – Strangely enough, socializing can also be your best way of surviving the all-nighter. If at all possible, head out of your house and into the 24 hour clusters with friends or plan it with a fellow course member. Around the 1:30-4:30 period you will experience extreme boredom. Therefore, talk to friends and even that guy sitting next to you whom you’ve never met. It will give you that boost of stimulation needed to get through the trickiest period of the night.
What are your thoughts on staying awake though? What weird and wonderful tips have worked for you in the past? Sound off in the comments below:
By Alex Howes a recent English Literature graduate whose written his fair share of essays in 24 hour computer clusters. Find out more about Alex’s latest project here