<p>Scenario: Its the night before your huge chem test, you have to do an oral presentation in spanish the next day which you've yet to memorize, and on top of that you have a 5 page research paper to write on Vietnam. Yup...time to get comfy with your old friend Mr. All-nighter (that sounded corny...i know)</p>
<p>Question: So you know you have to work through the night right until the bus comes the next morning if you want to get your work done. But just because you know you need to stay awake doesn't mean you actually will stay awake. What can you do to prevent yourself from falling asleep?? I think alot of people will benefit if we all share our methods for pulling the classic all-nighter.</p>
<p>My method is very simple and not too effective (i fall asleep about 60% of the time and either have to skip school or go to school without my work done the next day). Basically, i just drink pepsi, because its about the only thing in my house with a decent amount of caffeine that i will drink. I hate tea. I've taken to refferring to it as the "Blue can of hope," because whenever i feel my eye lids shutting, i just take another swig of pepsi and i get a short burst of consciousness (that is one hard word to spell :P), unfortunatley that burst is all too short. And you feel horrible the next day with 4-5 cans of pepsi in your system (assuming you don't fall asleep before you get to your 2nd can)</p>
<p>P.S. This is different from the "How do you stay awake" thread. That thread is about staying alert through tests, not staying awake during the night. Just so you don't think i didn't bother searching the forums before i posted this.</p>
<p>Being the slacker that I am, this is what I would do:
1. Do all the homework that's before lunch tonight.
2. Sleep until 6am, wake up, start on after lunch homework.
3. Do the homework that's due after lunch during lunch.</p>
<p>Of course, this is based on the assumption that these things are divided into before-and-after lunch periods. If not, this is what I'd do:
1. Quickly write the paper on Vietnam. As in, screw AIM, screw phone calls. If I'm efficient enough, I'll finish the entire paper in about an hour.
2. Memorize half of the presentation and save the rest for 6am wakeup call.
3. Study chem until I feel too drowsy and fall asleep.</p>
<p>I'm not a big fan of pulling all-nighters and I have never pulled all-nighters. I've pulled close ones (napping at 4:30, half-falling asleep, waking up 6:30, go to school half-functional)</p>
<p>Hmm, my method isn't really any better, and while it may sound like its a joke, I really DO do this.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Find a CD with some obnoxiously annoying and loud screaming yealling music</p></li>
<li><p>Plug in headphones.</p></li>
<li><p>Turn Volume to MAX.</p></li>
<li><p>Place headphones on ear.</p></li>
<li><p>Push Play.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>**If you are scared of any possibilities of losing your hearing abilities, there is an alternative that I heard my friend tried, as the last resort:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Fill a bathtub with cold water.</p></li>
<li><p>Jump.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Okay okay, the main point that people SHOULD learn from pulling an all-nighter is to PLAN AHEAD and not procrastinate. It just isn't worth all that pain and suffering. Your cozy bed with your warm comforters...nothing can beat that.</p>
<p>Lol, soooo true. You keep telling yourself, "5 minutes on the comfy couch won't kill you." Next thing you know, its 7am, the bus is about to come, and you haven't done any of your work.</p>
<p>So here's the list so far:
Mandatory:
STAY OFF COUCHES AND BEDS, AND KEEP YOUR HEAD UP AT ALL TIMES!!</p>
<p>Optional (mix and match as you please):
1) Load up on caffeine
2) Blast heavy metal music into your ears
3) Fill a tub with cold water.....and...jump <em>shivers</em></p>
<p>Other:
Work on the stuff you have before lunch first. That way if you fall asleep and don't get to the rest of the stuff, you'll have lunch and some of the school day to salvage something.</p>
<p>If such situation should ever happen, I will just skip school......but I doubt it will ever happen.
I do my homework it during lunch, on the bus, in the 2 minutes before class starts, or sit it in the back of the class so no one can see me.....:)</p>
<p>Caffiene has negative effects in the long run... you might end up staying up.. but whatever work you produce will be half-assed. This only works if your teacher doesn't expect high quality work.</p>
<p>The best way is to finish ahead of time.</p>
<p>But if you must... keep lots of cold water with you. Drink water often... pee often.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Coffee -- it's a classic, it's universal, it works. If you don't like it, live with it... or put a lot of cream and sugar in.</p></li>
<li><p>Eat -- it's tough to fall asleep if you keep eating. This is healthier than drinking coffee, although I think it might be slightly less effective.</p></li>
<li><p>Exercise -- seriously, go for a run/jog for just FIVE minutes... It's very effective, as it gets your blood pumping, gets rid of cramps etc, clears your head, gives you some fresh air, makes you feel good.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you're up all night, you're gonna need to eat sometime anyways... even if it's not a habit, if dinner is at 6PM and breakfast is at 6AM, that's insane..</p>
<p>Recommend going for a run, drinking a large class of water when you return, then put on the coffee, and whenever you get hungry, eat.</p>
<p>The process can be repeated as the run only has to be a few minutes.</p>
<p>Good suggestions, i particularly like the excercise one. I'll try that next time.</p>
<p>But from the sound of it, it looks like alot of you guys have never pull all-nighters. I was under the impression that this was normal and happened often (like 2-3 times a month). At least thats the way it is in my school.</p>
<p>Is it possible that you guys are just all model students who never get behind?</p>
<p>Last year I had a 75 page thing I had to write for APUSH.</p>
<p>I thought I was doing a good job spreading out the work, but ended up pulling an all-nighter anyways.</p>
<p>I've probably only done it a few times this year.... although last year I did it many more times.</p>
<p>I'm still a person of little sleep, though... going to bed at 1AM is fine... I can go to bed at 3AM and not feel any effects (unless it happens several nights in a row).</p>
<p>Perhaps I've just adapted to feeling like **** so it doesn't even bother me</p>
<p>
[quote]
Last year I had a 75 page thing I had to write for APUSH.
[/quote]
Geez man...that SUCKS. I think if you add up all of my APUSH writing for this entire year, it'd probably be around 75 single-spaced pages. </p>
<p>I don't really pull all-nighters, but I frequently go on 2-3 hours of sleep...I've also been known to eat breakfast before going to bed, because I know I won't have time for it after I drag myself up in 3 hours...</p>
<p>i don't like allnighters, esp. for tests and if you only have to study cuz i make lots of stupid mistakes when i don't get my 8 hours of sleep. yes, im spoiled sleep-wise.</p>
<p>Caffeine! Have lots of it handy. Otherwise you'll fall asleep on caffeine low. </p>
<p>What about maintaining interest? I'm supposed to be writing a paper on Great Expectations right now, but I have writer's block and am so bored I want to hurt something.</p>
<p>I second the "drink a lot of cold water, pee a lot." The large amount of water consumption followed by the quick trips to the bathroom keep you up. Also, walk around your house for 5 minutes every hour to get the blood pumping.</p>
<p>I have a phobia of pulling all nighters. I haven't had one this semester, but last semester I think I pulled three in one week.. two of which were consecutive nights. </p>
<p>I suggest playing the same three songs over and over and set goals for how much you are going to get done by the end of the song or the set of songs. What I've unfortunately observed is that procrastination comes insanely easy during an all nighter, so you have to keep yourself focus.</p>
<p>It makes me sick to even think about it, though... My stomach begins to digest itself and it's gross.. i'm sick for at least a week after I do it.</p>
<p>Try to get angry about how much homework you have and how hard it is. Get really worked up and frustrated. You'll be so angry that you won't be able to sleep. :)</p>
<p>Chewing gum is always good... you can concentrate better and it keeps you up. I always keep a ton of gum handy.
I second the suggestion about excersise.. I put on loud music and do a few sit-ups when I<code>m starting to doze off... it works.
And yea, definately STAY AWAY FROM BEDS/COUCHES... I can</code>t even remember the number of times I said to myself, <code>oh only 10 minutes.....</code> and then I look at the clock and it`s past 7a.m.</p>
<p>I have to "almost" do it quite a bit...I stay up until 3 or 4 in the morning a lot, then get up around 6-7. My suggestions:</p>
<ol>
<li>If you are an internet-addict like me, stay AWAY from the computer, unless you need to type a paper or something. Whenever I study near the computer I end up playing on the internet.</li>
<li>Gum is very good. It's a lifesaver.</li>
<li>Eating is very good. Eat chocolate, crackers, etc. and drink coffee/tea/coke/sprite or something like that if you don't do caffeine.</li>
<li>Exersize...but keep it moderate; you don't want to make yourself too tired.</li>
<li>Loud music in the headphones...doesn't really matter what...but don't be like me and end up doing more listening to the music than doing homework. Of course, if it's the only thing that will keep you up, you must do what you must. Sometimes I concentrate better with softer stuff, even classical, but I usually end up on rock, just because classical puts me to sleep...</li>
<li>Reward yourself. Do something fun every once in a while, take breaks. Just don't take hour long breaks. :-)</li>
</ol>
<p>I'm an avid procrastinator, so all nighters are my thing... :-)</p>