How to Stay Awake Naturally

By Camille Peri
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
WebMD Feature Archive
With more and more of us getting less and less sleep, it’s tempting to reach for a Red
Bull or an espresso when we feel sleepy at work. But consuming caffeine to combat
sleepiness can lead to a vicious cycle.

The java jolt that helps you stay awake can take up to eight hours to wear
off. Caffeine can also reduce your sleep time, alter the normalstages of sleep, and
decrease the quality of your sleep.

How can you stay awake naturally? Try some of these 12 jitter-free tips to take the edge
off sleepiness.

1. Get Up and Move Around to Feel Awake

In one well-known study, Robert Thayer, PhD, a professor at California State University,
Long Beach, studied whether people were more energized by eating a candy bar or
taking a brisk 10-minute walk. Though the candy bar provided a quick energy boost,
participants were actually more tired and had less energy an hour later. The 10-minute
walk increased energy for two hours. That’s because walking pumps oxygen through
your veins, brain, and muscles.

If you work at a desk, get up frequently for short walks. At meal breaks, walk to a
restaurant or, if you bring your lunch, head for a nice spot to eat it. Whether you take a
walk outside or just in the building where you work, it will make you feel more alert and
refreshed.

2. Take a Nap to Take the Edge Off Sleepiness

There are two things to remember about naps: Don’t take more than one and don’t take
it too close to your bedtime. “Nap between five and 25 minutes,” says Barry Krakow,
MD, author of Sound Sleep, Sound Mind: Seven Keys to Sleeping Through the
Night. It’s best to nap about six or seven hours before you would normally go to bed. If
you must take a late nap close to bedtime, make it a short one.
 Napping on the job can be touchy. If you need to nap at work, do it during your break
and use a vibrating alarm clock, if necessary, to make sure it doesn’t spill over into your
work time. Sleeping at your desk is usually not a good idea, but many companies now
provide nap rooms for employees.

“If you can’t nap, even resting quietly with your eyes closed for 10 minutes or so will
help,” says Allison T. Siebern, PhD, a fellow at the Stanford University Sleep Medicine
Center in Redwood City, Calif.
3. Give Your Eyes a Break to Avoid Fatigue
Continuous fixation on a computer screen can cause eyestrain and worsen sleepiness and fatigue. Look
away from the screen for a few minutes periodically to relax your eyes.
4. Eat a Healthy Snack to Boost Energy
Sugary snacks give you a quick energy boost followed by the sugar “lows,” whenlow blood
sugar produces mental fogginess and lethargy. Snacks such as these will provide better overall energy in
the long run:

 Peanut butter on a whole wheat cracker or celery sticks

 Yogurt and a handful or nuts or fresh fruit
 Baby carrots with a low-fat cream cheese dip

5. Start a Conversation to Wake Up Your Mind

If you’re fading fast, engaging in conversation can get your mind moving again. “Talk to a colleague about
a business idea, politics, or religion,” says Krakow, medical director of Maimonides Sleep Arts and
Sciences, Ltd. in Albuquerque, N.M. “It’s a very strong behavioral stimulator -- especially when it’s a
conversation about politics.”
6. Turn Up the Lights to Ease Fatigue
Environments with dim lighting aggravate fatigue. Studies have shown that exposure to bright light can
reduce sleepiness and increase alertness. Try increasing the intensity of your light source at work.
7. Take a Breather to Feel Alert
Deep breathing raises blood oxygen levels in the body. This slows your heart rate, lowers blood pressure,
and improves circulation, ultimately aiding mental performance and energy.
The idea of deep-breathing exercises is to inhale to the abdomen, not the chest. You can do them at your
desk. Sitting up straight, try this exercise up to 10 times:

 With one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other on your chest, inhale deeply through your
nose and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move.
 Breathe out through lips pursed as if you were whistling. You can use the hand on your belly to help push
air out.

Another technique, called stimulating breath, is used in yoga for a quick energy boost and increased
alertness: Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed but relaxed. Make
your in-and-out breaths short -- do about three of each cycle in a second. Then breathe normally. You
can do this for up to 15 seconds the first time and then add on five seconds each time after until you
reach a minute.
8. If You’re Driving, Pull Over When Sleepy
“Driving while sleepy is as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol,” says
Siebern. Common tricks such as opening the windows and turning on loud music won’t
keep you awake for very long behind the wheel. “Have someone else drive or pull off
the road and take a nap until you’re no longer sleepy,” Siebern says.

If you’re on an extended trip, change drivers often. Stop at least every two hours to take
a walk and get some fresh air.

9. Switch Tasks to Stimulate Your Mind

In 2004 Finnish researchers who studied people working 12-hour night shifts found that
monotonous work is as harmful as sleep loss for alertness. At work or home, try to
reserve more stimulating tasks for your sleepy times. Or switch to more engaging work
responsibilities when you feel yourself nodding off.

10. Drink Water to Prevent Tiredness

Dehydration can cause fatigue. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids and eat foods high
in water such as fruits and vegetables.

11. Get Some Daylight to Regulate Your Sleep Cycles

Our circadian rhythms, which regulate our sleep-wake cycle, are influenced by daylight.
Try to spend at least 30 minutes a day outside in natural sunlight. (Sleep experts
recommend an hour of morning sunlight a day if you have insomnia.) Even a step
outside for a breath of fresh air will revive your senses.

12. Exercise to Increase Energy and Reduce Fatigue

In an analysis of 70 studies involving more than 6,800 people, University of Georgia
researchers found that exercise was more effective in increasing energy and reducing
daytime fatigue than somemedications used to treat sleep problems. Regular exercise
also improves quality of sleep.

Try to exercise 30 minutes a day. If you decide to exercise hard some days, your
energy level may drop for a bit and then surge for a few hours. Eating a meal that
contains both protein and carbohydrates within two hours after a heavy workout will
lessen the initial energy loss. Be sure to finish your workout a few hours
before bedtime so you are not energized when you try to sleep.
 How to Stay Awake at Night
Part 1 of 2: Preparing to Stay Awake

1.

1
Take a nap beforehand if possible. If you know you're going to be up all night, then grab a
nap in the afternoon. You will want to make sure that you don't sleep for too long and that you
don't nap too close to when you would normally go to bed (try to take the nap 6 or 7 hours
before your usual bedtime).[1]

 A half hour nap is good for jump-starting your system. If you go too much over that, you'll get
into a deeper sleep and will feel groggier when you wake up. If you go too much under that you
won't get enough sleep to help.
 An hour and a half nap can help make up for lost sleep, in that you usually get through one
sleep cycle in that amount of time so it can help you feel less sleepy, especially if you've been
pulling a lot of all-nighters.

2.

2
Get some sun. Daylight (and sunlight) influence our circadian rhythms (which govern our sleep-
wake cycles). So, before you pull that all-night event, spend at least 30 minutes outside in the
sun and in the daylight. This (and the fresh air) will help keep your sense revitalized.
 3
Drink lots of water. Dehydration can make you feel sleepy and cause you to be tired. Combat
this early, before the night sets in, by drinking lots of water. It's especially important if you're
going to be drinking coffee, because coffee can aggravate your dehydration, which will make
you crash harder.

4
Grab a friend. You'll stay awake much easier if you have someone to help keep your brain
stimulated with conversation and presence. They can also help check that you're on track with
your plan to stay awake.
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Part 2 of 2: Staying Awake at Night

1
Drink something caffeinated. Coffee or other type of caffeinated drink can give you a much
needed energy boost to get you through the night, especially if you pace your coffee drinking so
that you don't crash heavily and painfully in those hours between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. which is
when a lot of people fail.

 Coffee takes about 15 to 30 minutes to kick in, but the benefits from it can last 3 to 4 hours. If
you plan on drinking a cup of coffee every few hours, you'll keep pretty awake and energized.
 When you stop drinking your caffeinated drink, you will crash heavily. Avoid it either by spacing
out coffee drinks, or by utilizing other staying awake methods.
 If you don't want to drink caffeinated beverages, drink very cold water and sip on ice chips. The
coldness can help to keep you awake and alert.
 2
Make the atmosphere cool. To sleep, your body prefers to be at a warm temperature, so the
warmer the temperature of your environment, the more you will want to fall asleep and the
harder it will be to stay awake. Turn on a fan in your room, if you can, or open the windows.

 If your environment is too hot and you can't cool it down, consider taking a cold shower. That
will give you a boost of alertness.
 You can also apply cold compresses to your head and wrists.

3
Get up and move around. Moving around and taking a break helps get your blood flowing and
keeps you from feeling sleepy. Scientists found that exercising could be more effective than
some medications for increasing energy and reducing fatigue (this does not mean that you
should stop taking medication, if you're on some).[2]

 Take breaks from your computer screen. Staring at your computer screen for hours and hours
on end can cause eyestrain and make your sleepiness and fatigue worse. Relax your eyes for a
few minutes each hour, either by closing them or looking at something else for a while.
 Exercise. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise. This will increase your energy level and
help you stay awake. Whenever you're feeling a hit of drowsiness, go for a brisk walk or do
some jumping jacks.

4
Switch tasks. Monotonous work (doing the same thing over and over and over for an extended
period of time) can be just as bad as sleep deprivation for staying alert. This means, when you
 feel yourself getting drowsy, switch tasks to something more difficult that requires greater
concentration.

5
Eat a healthy snack. Low blood sugar can make you super groggy and sleepy and foggy, so
you'll need to keep your energy level up with healthy snacks. You especially want to eat snacks
that will give you more energy to burn for a longer period of time.[3]

 Eat things like yogurt and granola with fresh fruit, or peanut butter on a whole wheat cracker and
celery. You'll want protein, healthy carbs (like oats), and lots of fruits and veggies.
 Avoid sugar. While sugar can give you an immediate burst of energy, it very quickly wears off,
leaving you more fatigued and foggy than you were before.

6
Keep the lights bright. Light stimulation to your eyes slow your biological clock. These lights
hitting your receptors will delay your circadian rhythm, changing your biological clock to restart
later and later. Be careful, as this may lead to a prolonged change in your sleeping schedule.

Tips
 Have a goal set in mind for how late you want to stay awake. It is common for people to
overshoot, and get too tired to finish their work for the night.

 You can make your room colder by opening the window. Although this will lower the effects of
the cold shower, this may help keep you awake enough to not resort to that step.

 Be sure to let the people you live with know how late you intend to stay up. Make sure they are
okay with whatever steps you follow in the guide.

 Try to engage in many different activities. Instead of staying on your computer, do some
exercise or read a book.
 Listen to some loud/upbeat music for a while. Keep your body moving when possible.

 Take a bath with cold water and have some ice cream.

 Play some heavy metal music loudly through your earphones.

 If you start to fall asleep, pinch yourself.

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Warnings
 Be prepared for the consequences the following day. Unless you are used to this amount of
sleep, do not plan on doing this before a large test or important event.

 This may change your sleeping pattern permanently if done on a regular basis. You may not be
able to revert back to your old sleeping pattern unless you set a goal to sleep earlier everyday.
Do this at your own risk!

 If you're staying up all-night to study for a test, remember that getting enough sleep is actually
more beneficial to doing well on the test than cramming your head with facts for the whole night,
as you won't retain as much.

 Be sure you are not allergic to any of the high caffeinated drinks as it could be hazardous to
your health.

How to Study Late at Night

By following these steps, you will be able to study at night.

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 Steps

1
Get some sleep during the day.Taking a nap during the day will give you some energy to
study when the nighttime comes.

2
Take a cold shower before going to study. This will make you feel refreshed and ready to
study.

3
Eat a fruit before you study. This gives you energy to stay up, it also gives you better brain
function.

4
Go to a quiet comfortable area. You will be able to concentrate much better in a quiet
comfortable area.

5
Study for about 2-3 hours with 15 minute breaks every 30 minutes.

Tips


o Stay away from distractions.

 Always wash your face when you start to get lazy or sleepy ...this in most cases will make you
feel more energized.

 Take a walk during your break time, so you'll feel more energized. You can also try doing some
pushups whenever you feel sleepy.

Warnings


o Do not shower with hot/warm water because you will begin to feel sleepy.
Improve study habits: How to stay awake healthily
October 21, 2013/0 Comments/in CB Blog, College life, College success tips, Student health /byLorraine Savage

If you find yourself dozing off during a study session, it might be a good time to readjust your sleeping habits.
Campus life is full of sleepy students. The demanding schedules, the unhealthy food, the fluctuating sleep patterns,
the tendency to wait until the last minute to write papers or study for a test. All-nighters and gallons of energy drinks
are not the answer. For safe student health, here are some healthy and sustaining ways to stay awake and alert in
dorm rooms, study halls and classrooms so you get the most out of your study time.

Food and drink tips to stay awake

 Eat a healthy diet. Nutrient rich foods like salad and soup as well as lean protein and a plain baked potato
give you sustained energy for long stretches throughout the day. Too much fatty food like fries and nutrient
deficient foods like pizza weigh your body down and give you the blahs.
 Eat breakfast. Breakfast gives your body fuel to work and gets your body into metabolism-burning mode
for the rest of the day.
 Eat an apple or orange not a candy bar. Both will give you a sugar boost, but the natural sugar from the
fruit will give you sustained energy without the hard crash afterwards.
 Stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water. “Water is even better for staying up when you’re studying.
Dehydration can make you sleepy, so keeping your body hydrated will stave off those symptoms. If you are
really sleepy, drink a lot of water to make sure you stay up,” wrote Jamie in “How to stay awake & alert while
studying (without coffee!)”SurvivingCollegeLife.com, October 29, 2007.
 Drink coffee. Yes coffee and caffeine in soda work to keep you awake. An 8 oz cup of coffee has 95 mg of
caffeine, soft drinks have 40-50 mg, 5-Hour Energy has 200 mg and Red Bull has 80 mg. Taken in moderation,
 spaced out throughout the day, caffeinated drinks will keep you awake. However, the Mayo Clinic advises that
adults get no more than 500 mg of caffeine per day.
 Don’t eat or drink heavily before bed. Eating a big meal right before bed puts your stomach in digestive
overdrive and make you feel heavy and full.
 Lay off the alcohol. Alcohol makes you sleepy.
Other tips to stay awake
 Take power naps throughout the day. You’d be surprised how much a 20-30 minute nap can refresh you.
Aimee Hosler suggests in “Top 10 ways to stay awake in class”OnlineColleges.com, February 6, 2012: “Have
an hour to kill before class? Take a power nap. According to a study conducted by the National Institutes of
Mental Health, even short naps prevent burnout and provide a mental boost.”
 Keep a regular sleep routine. Schedule night time sleep the same time every day, say 11 pm to 6 am or 12
am to 7 am. Seven to eight hours per night is recommended. Pulling all-nighters disrupts your sleep patterns
making it difficult to get a refreshing rest when you’re ready to go to sleep.
 Get up and walk around periodically. Jump, stretch, walk around the room, walk down the hall, throw a
ball around with a friend for 10 minutes. Keep the blood flowing. Sitting in one spot, crouched over a desk for
hours, will make you stiff and tired.
 Study in groups. Having a study buddy or two helps you bounce ideas around, practice lessons, memorize
test subjects, and keep each other awake and alert.
 Study during daylight. Our bodies are naturally alert during daylight hours and goes into sleep mode
when the natural light goes down and darkness approaches. Especially during the dark winter, do the majority of
your studying during the day.
 Go to the gym or recreation center. Jessica McCoy reported in “How to stay awake during final exam
week” DailyTitan.com, February 24, 2011: “Exercising helps relieve stress. … Take an hour away from
studying and run on the treadmill, take a drop-in fitness class or run on the indoor track. Do something so your
body can function and get its second wind.” Exercise does so much good to regulate your body’s rhythm for
activity and sleep cycles. It also improves brain power and controls your weight.
 Be a little bit too cold. Studies have shown that the body’s metabolism runs more when you’re cold. So
wear short sleeves, keep the heat low, take off a sweater. But don’t overdo it; being way too cold or being too
warm both can make you more sleepy

Tips To Stay Awake While Studying by DynamicJo(m): 1:45pm On Feb 05, 2012

Drink a Lot of Water

When you’re trying to stay awake waters the way to go. Dehydration can make you sleepy, so keeping you
symptoms. If you are really sleepy, drink a lot of water to make sure you stay up. If you have to get up to
keep you awake! by water I don’t mean alcohol or coffee because it may contain water)

Take Breaks
Your brain is a complex thing but it still needs rest if you want to study hard for a long time as well as doin
Schedule out your time so you can take a break try a study routine for 45 minutes, break for 15, and so for
you don’t forget (or if you’re afraid you’ll fall asleep). Watch a TV show, talk to a friend, read a book, or list
related at all, even if it’s a TV show.

Exercise
Exercise can be a great way to wake yourself up take a short walk, dance to some music on your iPod (with
parents depending on where your living and the time), or head over to the gym for a little while. Taking a s
even more (cold will wake you up but shocking the body’s never good so just a general shower). Don’t Stud
up into a nice ball on your pillow with soft music playing the background will not help you stay awake, may
just to sit on a chair back straight lamp on and revise, no pillows, no comfortableness, when your body wan
comfort ability should be what your actively seeking to stop.

Eat a Snack
Get your blood sugar up by eating a healthy snack (junk food will just give you a burst of energy but then y
wake up and realise you didn’t do any revision). Apples are always a good food to help you keep your blood
lot of people say they will wake you up better than caffeine and hey its also one of your 5-a-day)

http://www.studentsatuni.co.uk/Students_should_know/Tips_to_stay_awake.shtml

1 Do your work. Plenty of times, you get sidetracked. Avoid this by setting a constant pace for yourself: 50
break. Besides, keeping your mind occupied will make it easier to stay awake.

2 Avoid caffeine, if possible. See warnings for reasons why. Drink two brimming glasses of ice cold water ev
keep you awake, but you’ll need to urinate very often. It’s difficult to sleep on the toilet.

3 Play (softly, if you have a roommate) hardcore metal music. You may enjoy it, but it must be, at all costs
stick to instrumental music, which is less distracting. This will keep you from being lulled to sleep.

4 Work with windows open: cold air will keep you awake. Warm air knocks you out. If you find the cold air
can even go to the bathroom and wash your face with cold water. Only wash your face if you are getting tir
time.

5 Set your computer screen to a lower setting, (duller and darker) so as not to strain your eyes. See warnin

6 Turn off instant messengers, your cellphone, the TV, and do not surf the Internet, edit wikiHow, read, dra
This can distract you very easily.

7 Do not work in bed, on a couch, or on the floor. If you work in any other place than a cold, hard table and
sleep. If possible, work somewhere far away from your room/bed, so it’s a pain to go back and sleep. Try to
you do not feel comfortable sleeping in your chair.
 8 Set a timer, if you’re going to nap. Don’t nap for more than 20 minutes, and stay half-awake. Avoid napp
minutes of relaxation” will more likely involve you waking up past your class the next day.

9 Rotate subjects every hour, if applicable. You’ll quickly mentally wear out on one topic.

10 Work through it all. If you have time at the end, pack up your stuff, lay out your clothes, then set your a
most possible sleep.

11 Try sitting in different places around the room.

Remember: if you are tired and are completely slumping over your work, sit up straight. It could immediate
sounds silly, but try it.

Eat protein-rich foods like sandwiches, cheese, and other dairy products. Sugary foods may make you feel
eventually make you feel drowsy. Apples or apple juice also help, especially if you eat cheese with it. Apple
you’re able to stay awake longer, some say they’re better than caffeine!

Think positively. Thoughts such as: “I am almost done,” “This is actually not too bad,” “I will get to see the
definitely help.

Get scared. Sure, it sounds silly, but do it. Watch a horror movie or read something frightening. You’ll be to
there is work to be finished, though!

Tap your feet! It may seem weird, but it helps for some people to consistently tap their feet. If it becomes a
falling asleep at those final dire moments.

Chew gum. Like tapping your feet, it keeps you awake without being distracting!

Squeeze and Massage your Ears There are acupoints on your ears, and when stimulated, send electrical sig
immediately.

Don’t eat granola, milk or lemons. These are all foods that will make you tired and sleepy.

Always have the light on. Its hard to stay awake when your in a nice dark room.

Late Night Eating & Studying Tips

1. Eat regularly throughout the day - Do you miss lunch, squeeze in a quick snack between classes and then find
yourself parked in front of your refrigerator at 10pm? Your body would prefer to get energy when it needs it, which is
all day, rather than fill up at the end of the day. Bring food with you! Try to eat every 4 hours or so, and have a light
snack for late night studying.
2. Don't keep "junk food" around. Chips, dips and candy don't just "appear" magically in your food cupboard. One
reason you snack on junk is because you made the choice to buy it and bring it home! Change your environment,
change what you eat.
3. Choose smart snacks. If you're hungry, eat. But, especially if it's late at night, you'll quickly add calories if you're
choosing candy, ice cream, wings, chicken finger subs, etc. Keep plenty of healthier, lower calorie foods around for
when you're a little hungry (fruit, cereal, whole grain crackers, low fat cheese, yogurt, soup, etc.)
4. Get physical during study breaks - Every hour (at least) stand up. Even better, take a short walk. This engages your
metabolism, increases oxygen to your brain, gets your blood flowing again, and helps you refocus on studying. Don't
eat food or drink "energy drinks" to stay awake.
5. Take snack breaks rather than eat continuously. Everyone is different, but for grazers, it's easy to eat a lot more
calories than you're aware of because you're focusing more on the book or the screen rather than sensing if you're still
hungry or tasting the food. Eating mindfully without distraction may make you feel more satisfied.
6. Portion snacks and meals - If you grab from the bag, it may be empty before you realize it. Serve snacks in a bowl or
on a plate and put them away. A very large meal, more than 400 or 500 calories, will likely interfere with your studying
by pulling blood to your stomach rather than your brain.
7. Protein foods may help you stay alert. Protein containing foods may help you feel more alert and motivated.
Examples: lean meat, beans, lentils, low fat dairy, soy foods, high-protein snack bars, nuts (~2-4 Tbs). Excess
carbohydrates may help us relax and feel sleepy.
8. Include fluid, and be aware of the calories. Stay hydrated AND get a movement break by visiting the restroom.
Sometimes we reach for food when we're thirsty. If you're dehydrated, you may find yourself craving grapes or other
watery foods. Make sure you get a minimum of 2 quarts of water a day, and more if you're active or in hot weather.
Avoid excess caffeine (>2 cups) as it may affect the quality of your sleep (and prolong stress).
9. Avoid eating right before bedtime. Try to have your last snack at least 2 hours before going to bed to avoid gastric
reflux and feeling tired in the morning (your body worked all night digesting). Usually our choices are sloppier when
we're tired. The best strategy for studying is to eat small amounts every few hours.
10. Hot foods, hot liquids - Hot foods tend to make us feel more satisfied, and steaming hot foods are hard to eat quickly.
Try bringing instant soup or instant oatmeal with you. Know where the microwaves are on campus to heat up a quick
snack or meal. Choose soups that are lower in sodium such as Dr. McDougall's line of instant lower sodium soups.
11. Limit sedentary time. Any form of exercise while you watch TV can help add activity to your day when you're short
on time, but may also keep you from snacking, as the TV easily lures us to eat with constant food commercials. There's
mounting evidence that this "sit time" is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic (Harvard School of Public Health).