If you are not a night owl but want tips to pull your all-nighter successfully, you have landed on the right article. Here, I will be guiding you in how to pull an all-nighter without wrecking the body/mind.
Before directly getting started with the point, there are a few things I would want to share. First is that procrastinating official engagements/errands should be avoided in the first place. However, in case, things are not under your control, pulling an all-nighter is the only option you are left with. Considering the effects on health due to over-night working, I have provided the tips that would minimize the bad effect on your health for missing sleep. Plus, you will be able to use most of your time being productive.
Tips to Pull an All-Nighter Successfully
Set your goal and maneuver the action to achieve it
An all-nighter could be really tiresome both physically and mentally. So, if this is your first time doing it, make a note of the things you will be doing tonight. Once you know your goal, now segregate the work into small segments. For example, if you have to prepare a slide presentation of 20 slides for tomorrow’s meeting, break the work into 10 segments. In each segment, you will cover 2 slides per hour or two. In this way, your work pressure will be significantly reduced and you will know where you stand after a few hours of work.
Take a power nap after taking caffeine
Caffeine is an energy booster of your brain and body that prepares you for quick challenges, like completing a pile of tasks by staying awake all night. This chemical substance is basically found in cocoa, tea, and coffee. So, it is a good idea to take a cup of caffeinated brew just before taking a nap of 10 to 15 minutes. Now, talking about the power nap, turn off the lights of your bedroom, keep the surroundings cool during your naptime. Set the alarm as per the time mentioned above, wake up and get started with your task list. The perfect time to take the caffeinated brew is half an hour before starting with your all-nighter. Or, you can take it in times when you feel really tired but have to pull yourself a little more to finish the work in time.
Note: Caffeine consumption capacity may differ from one person to another. Where the optimal value of caffeine intake is 400 mg per day, taking an excess of it could be harmful to people who have diabetes or heart problems, etc. Being responsible for your health, you must know your body’s sensitivity to caffeine.
Obstruct distractions
There is hardly anybody who has not set soaring work goals to complete within a limited time over-night, but then got derailed by YouTube or Netflix entertainment. While you are committed to pulling an all-nighter, keep your attention on track and away from the common entrances.
If the situation requires you to uninstall all such mind enthralling software applications from your PC just to keep your mind focused, do that. Just imagine your boss is standing next to you all night watching your activities, then what would you do? Hope this will make the uninstalling part easier!
Keep your workroom warm and illuminated with bright light
As mentioned earlier in this article, a cool and dim environment is appropriate to quicken the sleep-coming procedure. Similarly, during work time, it is important to keep the surroundings lit with clear and bright light. Also, make sure to keep the room temperature higher than the evening temperature. Generally, the temperature during the evening drops and it drops even lower as the night crawls in. A cool environment always facilitates drowsiness and so, the warm environment requirement. Set a table lamp beside your PC and increase the brightness of your PC screen.
Take light snacks and keep yourself hydrated
Take snacks between intervals and most importantly, drink enough water to maintain the normal blood sugar level and metabolism of your body. Avoid taking the common carbs like rice or bread which encourage sleep very quickly.
The perfect snack to nibble, typically while pulling an all-nighter, is protein-rich foods including cheese, chicken, nuts, tuna, vegetables like carrots, salad, fresh fruits, and protein shakes. Spicy cum saucy food and chocolate containing ingredients like theobromine and tyramine are well-known alertness boosters of all time.
Listen to high beats music
Play high beats, energizing music with a fast tempo. Classical sound is helpful in studying and memorizing difficult study materials. However, too slow (in tempo) classical music may put you into a deep sleep, thereby derailing you from the all-nighter. Therefore, whether it is your studies or official work, go with happy, positive cum fast beat music.
Binaural beats are considered more effective to energize your brain functionality as such audio tracks are designed to tune a certain customized pattern by using multiple frequencies.
Spray soothing room fragrances
Sometimes a good fragrance can create an exuberant environment, thereby energizing your mind to work more happily, plus effectively. It is most recommended to use coffee bean flavored or strong floral or citrus fruit room fresheners as these render potential benefits.
Take short breaks
Do not sit in the same posture for long. Take short breaks between the activities as it will increase your potential to work or study longer. You can set a timer for every 1 to 2 hours after which you should take a short walk or other casual body exercises like jumping jacks, Zumba dance, etc.
Schedule retrieving time
Though we like ourselves to be invincible even after successfully pulling an all-nighter, you cannot ignore our bodily requirements of proper rest and sleep that you missed at night. Therefore, while planning your work goals, do not forget to schedule a time for recovery or sleep to restore your body. It is okay to take a midday nap after a painstaking business conference or exam. In this way, you can plan a better all-nighter that will both take care of your work and health requirements without a fail.
Caution
One thing that I repeatedly suggest to my readers is Please Do Not Drive At Night!! You might be an expert driver or might have won medals in your formula racing but when reality crips in, the road is not that arranged and free from crowds (not so often), trust me. Plus, driving at late nights when the outside temperature is way below than the day with a dark and dizzy sky often makes us feel like falling asleep leaving our consciousness aside. This might cost a life- which could you or others on the road-God forbid. So, now you know the doables.
