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Time management is extremely vital to success. It’s no wonder that one of the first things we all learn in school is to start working towards goals early.
Smaller deadlines or milestones can be set to keep progress moving. However, for one reason or another, sometimes that deadline approaches faster than expected. Almost everyone has had to “pull an all-nighter” at some point in their lives.
Staying awake for 24 hours straight is much easier said than done. However, with a few simple (but healthy) tricks, you can stay awake all night to cram for your final, or get your work done before your deadline.
Trick #1: Drink Healthy Sources of Caffeine
Ah, Caffeine: the most reliable (legal) substance for boosting energy!
Caffeine is a stimulant that activates dopamine and serotonin in the brain, waking you up and improving your mood. Beverages with Caffeine can also heighten concentration, awareness, and alertness. With that in mind, it goes without saying that a caffeinated state can be quite helpful for staying up late.
There are two major types of Caffeine: natural and artificial. Natural Caffeine comes from plants, like coffee and tea. Artificial Caffeine is synthetic, or produced in a lab. Artificial Caffeine is absorbed faster by the body and can increase the chances of jitters and crashes in energy.
For long-lasting energy, natural Caffeine is definitely the way to go. Proper Wild's Clean All Day Energy Shots are made with organic caffeine extracted from green tea, one of the purest sources around.
Proper Wild's energy shots also contain the amino acid L-theanine, which can help balance some of the negative side effects of caffeine. Combined with natural Caffeine, L-theanine helps to deliver a calm, focused energy versus a jittery over-hyper one.
When choosing your energy drink, make sure to look for this combo of natural Caffeine and L-theanine, otherwise, you’ll be left with the jitters and that big unwanted crash that a lot of other energy drinks tend to cause.
Trick #2: Eat Healthy Carbs
When sleep-deprived, your body naturally craves food that is high in carbs. The release of insulin that comes after eating interrupts sleep and prevents the rest of the body from shutting down.
So, midnight snacking might be bad for those looking to fall asleep, but it’s great for those needing to stay up late!
Starchy snack foods and desserts may seem like good late-night options, but healthier alternatives are actually much more effective at keeping you up. Fresh fruits and vegetables are complex carbs full of natural energy!
Instead of grabbing a processed snack like an “energy bar,” choose raw baby carrots, berries, cauliflower, or celery sticks. If you can add a bit of healthy fat like almond butter or avocados to the mix, you’ll have a balanced snack full of energy.
Sticking with light snacks is best practice. Overly fatty or salty food can make you feel sluggish and unmotivated.
Trick #3: Take A Power Nap
Napping can be a dangerous game; a small bit of shut-eye often leads to full-blown sleep. But, those that harness the power of naps properly are typically more prepared to stay up all night.
The key is to avoid falling into REM sleep. Rapid eye movement sleep is the deepest period of sleep where dreaming occurs. It usually takes about 90 minutes to fall into this type of slumber, so as long as there are effective alarms set, REM can be prevented.
The optimal nap length is a concise 15 to 20 minutes. Anything more than that comes with the risk of falling into a deeper stage of sleep. If you wake up at the wrong part of the cycle, you’ll feel groggy and confused.
Taking several short 15 to 20-minute power naps throughout the night to at least lay down can extend your energy by a lot. In fact, many people that work night shifts utilize this method.
Trick #4: Enjoy A Cold Shower
The warm embrace of a shower is tantalizing late at night, but it’s not ideal for staying awake! Health enthusiasts and runners have caught on to the many benefits of taking cold showers.
The invigorating shock of cold water jolts you awake and instantly improves your mood. Concentration and other cognitive functions are also enhanced. In fact, a cold shower’s impact is similar to Caffeine, so pairing the two together is a surefire technique to stay sharp.
Adrenaline pumps throughout the body when immersed in cold water, jumpstarting the nervous system. Frigid water can also reduce inflammation and muscle soreness, making cold showers great for runners and athletes. Even if you hadn’t worked out earlier in the day, the revitalizing effects of a cold shower can make you feel physically restored and ready for more hours of the day - or night!
Trick #5: Do Some Light Exercise
Common advice given to those with insomnia is to avoid any strenuous activity several hours before getting some shut-eye. Naturally, those looking to prevent sleep should follow the opposite advice.
If you’re looking to stay up through the night, a healthy way to keep your eyes open is by doing some light exercise.
Exercise increases heart rate, which pumps oxygen-rich blood to the brain at a faster rate. More oxygen means more energy. A short walk around the building, a few pushups, or a handful of sit-ups can do the trick. Or, if there’s a chore that needs to be done like laundry, walking up and down the stairs a few times might be all it takes to restore diminishing energy.
Trick #6: Drink Plenty of Water
Water is the most vital component of a healthy lifestyle. Drinking just an 8oz glass of the good stuff can help fuel your body for late nights. It does this by jumpstarting your metabolism to help keep you feeling energetic.
Drinking H2O will also combat dehydration, which is commonly associated with Caffeine - a natural diuretic. Side effects of dehydration include headaches, sleepiness, and brain fog; not exactly what you want when trying to stay up all night!
Additionally, it’s also difficult to fall asleep when you have to use the restroom frequently. Every time you refill a glass with water, you buy more time. Frequent trips to relieve yourself are technically built-in breaks with light exercise - combining several of the tricks from earlier on the list into one hydrating combo!
Conclusion
While we don’t recommend that you stay up all night frequently (sleep deprivation can have major ramifications to one’s overall health) it isn’t too dangerous if it’s only a rare occurrence.
However, if you have to stay awake all night, choosing healthier tactics will make you feel better in the long run. The inevitable crash after an all-nighter doesn’t have to be violent, which is commonly experienced when sugary drinks loaded with artificial additives are thrown into the mix.
Stick with 100% plant-based energy shots like Proper Wild for clean energy with reduced jitters. Our combo of organic Caffeine and L-Theanine will provide you with the focus and energy you need to complete your tasks at hand. Add in a few healthy snacks, some light exercise, and plenty of H2O, and you will be well on your way to staying up all night!
P.S. - A good night’s rest after an all-nighter does wonders to restore normalcy!
