How To Stay Up All Night

When homework piles up and rehearsals and meetings last past midnight, students often end up sacrificing sleep in order to try to stay on top of everything.

We all know this is a regrettable situation. But if you find that you must burn the midnight oil, Flyby has some tips to help.

If you know early in the day that you'll need to pull an all-nighter:

-Try to save eating your dessert until the end of the day. The extra sugar kick will come in handy when you're trying to stay awake.

-Take a short nap early in the night. Your concentration level will probably benefit for hours from a little strategic sleep.

-Consider this unusual proposal: a caffeine nap. Drink a cup of coffee and then nap for 15 minutes. According to Wired, the caffeine will kick in just as you wake up.

-Stock up on the essentials. Make sure you have your preferred caffeine source on hand, whether that's soda, coffee, tea, energy drinks, or even breathable energy.

If you're in the middle of an all-nighter:

-Try to break your workload into smaller, more manageable chunks, and consider changing work areas as you complete each section. For example, work in the library for a problem or two of a p-set, then switch to your room for the next few questions, then move to a common room. Yes, relocating takes time, but the new scenery and the sense of accomplishment each time you check off a task will help keep you alert.

-Take a short walk around a well-lit part of campus. Walking around in the cold could be just the right physical and mental break you need.

-Dim the brightness on your computer. Unnecessary brightness puts extra strain on your eyes.

If you just must stay up and have tried everything else:

-Consider taking caffeine pills. Be sure to read the warnings on the box and to only use them rarely.

-Remind yourself how far you've come and concentrate on more relaxing days that lie ahead. Remembering that there is indeed an end to the vicious cycle of all-nighters may be just the motivation you need to make it until morning.

Of course, choose to avoid all-nighters altogether when you can. Through good daytime organization and focus, you might be able to get your sleep after all. And we all know that too many all-nighters are a very scary prospect.