How To Stay Awake After An All Nighter? 15 Scientifically Proven Ways!

We all have to pull all nighters every now and then, don’t we? Be it for work, homework, last minute assignments or even just because we can’t get any sleep. As bad as it is for one’s health, recovering from an all nighter to get on with the day is a struggle in itself. Wondering how to stay awake after an all nighter?

Often times we pull an all nighter to get things done that we have procrastinated about. But, when it comes round to the next day, finding the strength to carry on can be a struggle in itself.

Don’t worry though; we have some insights to share on how to survive the day after pulling an all nighter that you can check out by scrolling down.

How to Stay Awake After an all Nighter?

There are often people who are “pro” in pulling off an all nighter, not even realizing the kind of effects it is impacting on their body.

But, that said, you are definitely going to experience the aftermath of an all nighter the next day. From the constant drowsiness to a splitting headache, the effects of an all nighter are sometimes even unbearable.

So, let us pull you out of the misery and share some of the ways to stay awake after a sleepless night.

1. Drink More Water

When you are already tired and almost like a dead meat to the world, the last thing you want is to add to the effects further. Lack of hydration in the body is considered one of the most common reasons that add to the fatigue (R) further.

But, the one thing that you need to keep in mind when it comes to hydration, it is necessary that you get the same from water or high water content fruits on the side.

Try and avoid the energy drinks because those tend to have negative impacts in the long run. The electrolytes and the sugars charge you up with energy in the beginning but then will end up causing you to crash once the high dies down.

2. Let Your Brain do The Work

Our body is such a complex organ that we often end up struggling to keep things in check. When you are trying to stay awake after no sleep, there are instances where you don’t even need to do anything because the brain ensures to keep that in check.

The brain does have the capacity to compensate for the lack of sleep and letting you charge through the next day, provided that you get enough rest the next night.

In a conducted study (R), it was found in the MRI results that the individuals who stayed awake for 35 hours straight, completing difficult tasks, the impacts on the brainpower was heightened to regulate the other body functions.

3. Don’t Hit the Snooze Button

We often tend to pull an all nighter and then try to squeeze in a 1-2 hours of sleep before we have to be off for the day. If you are doing that, make sure that you avoid hitting the snooze button because that is where the problem resides.

Extending your sleep makes your body confused and makes it enter into a new sleep cycle, making you even more tired when you try to wake up the next time.

This is the reason why you should either avoid sleeping altogether or power through the alarm clock or prevent from hitting the snooze button.

4. Exercise Before Leaving for Work

It might not seem favourable but one of the best ways for staying alert even after staying awake for 24 hours is by indulging in some exercising in the morning.

The reason why this is effective is because exercising promotes the release of the endorphins (R) which makes you feel good and energetic throughout the day.

Not just that, exercising for 15-20 minutes in the body also promotes the overall blood circulation around the body which again has beneficial impacts in the long run.

5. Prioritise Things at Work

When you haven’t gotten any sleep the night before, chances are that your brain isn’t going to be in its best state and it is completely on you to handle how you take things over.

The brain can also make poor decisions in the state of fatigue. This is the reason why it is very important that you power through things and ensure that you have everything planned for the day before only.

When you know your priorities and what needs to get done after the other, it does make it a lot easier for you to respond and actually get things done, even if you have pulled an all nighter the night before.

6. Step Out of the House

One of the best survival tips for an all nighter is by stepping out of the house the next day. The reason why this helps is because getting in the fresh air and sunlight has been found to have beneficial impacts in helping improve your energy levels and your alertness as well.

Not just that, stepping out into the sun has also been found to help reset the biological clock (R), thus helping prevent the excess release of the melatonin in the body, preventing you from feeling excessively sleepy after an all nighter.

If you are feeling extremely tired and sluggish to get on with the day after an all night, wear something warm and step out of the house in the morning and take a walk around. This can effectively help in reducing the tiredness and help you get through the day.

7. Eat a Healthy Breakfast

While the prospects of eating from a drive through can sound very appealing, the same isn’t the best option, especially when you have pulled an all nighter the night before.

It is true that the junk food and the excess carbs will give you a sudden burst of energy but the same ends wearing off quite quickly, ending up making you crash the moment after.

It is important to eat something for breakfast that will provide with sustained energy and not make you crash and tired the moment after. Eating foods rich in fibers has been found to be quite effective in helping promote the overall condition.

When it comes to answering how to stay awake after an all nighter, the best way is to eat foods that are rich in natural sugars and high on fibers too. Alternatively, you can even eat a high protein breakfast to get that sustained energy.

8. Turn on a Bright Light

If you want better impacts in staying fully awake without sleep, one of the best ways to do so is by turning on a bright light in the room.

This one does have similar effects like that of the natural sunlight and helps in seizing the excess release of melatonin in the bloodstream.

Studies (R) have found that people who struggle with insomnia or pull an all nighter quite often should subject themselves to at least 20 minutes of light therapy in the morning for better impacts on the health.

This helps in resetting your internal clock and prevents the risks of feeling extremely drowsy and tired.

9. Hit up the Caffeine

Another one of the ways to survive the day after pulling an all nighter is by drinking a cup of coffee during breakfast.

The caffeine has direct impacts in triggering the nervous system (R) in the body, making you seem more alert.

Studies have found that the caffeine from the coffee does take up around 30-40 minutes to finally kick in the system. This is the reason why it is important that you drink it beforehand and not a few minutes before the important task at hand.

10. Stay in a Cold Room

If you don’t want to feel even more tired and exhausted throughout the day, it is important that you crank up the air conditioner in the room for better impacts on your mood and energy levels.

A warm room and atmosphere has been found to have direct impacts in emphasizing the mental fatigue even further which is why staying in a cold room is important after an all-nighter.

The reason how the cold atmosphere helps is because it triggers the body to work to produce warmth, thus helping keep your energy levels in check.

11. Take Power Naps

If you don’t want your body to completely crash after an all-nighter, one of the best ways to stay awake after a sleepless night is by taking 10-20 minutes power nap (R) every few hours.

Even a conducted study with individuals who have pulled an all-nighter followed by 26 minutes of nap the next day found to have lesser impacts on their performance and even experienced reduced lapses as well, thus contributing to better productivity throughout the day.

But, there are risks with overdoing your nap as well. Several sleep experts suggest saying that taking a nap for 40-45 minutes can make you feel groggy. This condition is caused by sleep inertia and lasts for a few minutes till you brush off the impacts and get on with the day as usual.

12. Eat Healthy Snacks Throughout the Day

If you are struggling to stay awake after no sleep, one of the best ways to combat that is by eating some healthy snacks throughout the day, every few hours.

Eating smaller meals throughout the day after an all-nighter helps in stabilizing your blood glucose levels, keeping your energy levels in check.

This can help in keeping the energy levels constant throughout the day and prevent you from feeling extremely sleepy and groggy or end up making you crash in the end.

13. Take a Cold Shower

Yet another amazing way to get rid of the tiredness after staying awake for 24 hours is by taking a cold shower.

1. As unappealing as it sounds, a cold shower does have amazing benefits in helping reverse the impacts (R). A cold shower helps in stimulating your nervous system and prevents you from feeling tired and fatigued. Not just that, it also helps jumpstart your body as well.

Additionally, you can even drink cold water to kickstart your body and get on with the day.

14. Dress Smart

Yet another one of the ways on how to stay awake after an all nighter is by dressing smart.

What we mean by this is what you see is how you are going to feel. If you step out of the house in some trackies and sweatshirt, chances are that you will feel groggy and tired and not ready to take on the day.

This is the reason why it is otherwise best to suggest that you dress smart and be ready to take on the day.

Dressing well and smart can help influence your mentality for the better as well, further helping you keep a track of the overall well being throughout the day of unrest.

15. Practice Some Breathing Exercises

Last but not the least on the list of things to do to survive the day after pulling an all nighter is by practicing some breathing exercises in the morning.

Deep breathing exercises work because it helps enrich the body’s oxygen levels which is a necessity when you are trying to power through the day.

There have been conducted studies which have found that deep breathing practices and meditation have important impacts in helping improve focus and concentration, letting you get through the day without issues.

The best way to practice some breathing exercise is by ensuring that you breathe slowly than usual to witness the benefits surrounding it.

If you have been looking into ways on how to stay awake after an all nighter, we would suggest that you do look into these tips that we have shared above. Not only do they help power through the day, but it also prevents your body’s equilibrium from getting disturbed, ensuring better overall health.