How to Stay Awake While Studying

The final hours of the night tend to be where a lot of studying actually gets done. If you’ve ever been there, you know what the hardest part is.  Staying awake! But over the years we’ve picked up some fantastic tips about how to stay awake during study marathons.

So don’t worry about that test because here are 18 top secrets for rocking a late-night study session.

1. Use Caffeine Wisely

 

Look:

Lots of students use coffee, tea, or other energy drinks to stay awake while studying. Some studies say it’s good, and some say it’s bad. So we’re not going to suggest going cold turkey if it works for you. But we willrecommend that you know the facts and be smart about it.

The Mayo Clinic suggests that a safe upper limit on daily caffeine intake is around 400 mg, which is about what you get in four cups of coffee, 10 sodas, or two energy shots. How does that stack up against your usual intake?

As any college student can attest, the dark side of caffeine is the post-high crash, headaches, nausea, or worse symptoms just a few hours afterward. Or the worst: Finally crashing in bed after a long study session and finding you’re too wired to sleep.

For us, coffee can really help during those first few hours, but if it gets late enough, we get a coffee induced stomach ache that won’t go away unless we sleep it off. Energy drinks, though popular, have a similar effect on people, and are usually unhealthy because of all the sugar and artificial sweeteners in many of them.  In some cases, these drinks only keep people awake enough to feel fidgety, and sometimes sick.

So here’s our advice:

Do:

• Balance coffee with other methods of staying awake (keep reading).
• Caffeinate in small doses throughout the night.
• Drink tea (or other hot drinks).

 

Don’t:

• Overdo the coffee, or chug it all at once.
• Drink energy drinks, as these will make you crash and are unhealthy. Plus, it turns out energy shots aren’t required to say how much caffeine is in each bottle, so you really don’t know what you’re drinking.

2. Drink Some Water

 

With all the press that goes to coffee, it’s easy to forget about the most basic beverage: water. There once was an RA who pulled an all-nighter finishing a paper just by drinking several glasses of cold water throughout the night.  According to a 2013 study in London, it turns out that drinking water improves brain function because dehydration literally shrinks the brain. So think of studying without hydrating like trying to pack a suitcase with someone sitting on top of it. It doesn’t work so well, does it?

Do:

• Keep a mug or thermos of cold water with you.
• Or if you’re studying in a public place, find a seat near the water fountain.

Don’t:

• Rely on sugary drinks: juice, soda, etc. (Remember the energy crashes we mentioned?)

3. Wash Your Face

 

In addition to drinking water, just splashing some on your face is a great way to refresh your sleepy system. You could also try brushing your teeth. Just get cold water on your face.  It will get rid of the itchy-face feeling that can come on at about two a.m., clear your bleary eyes, and wake up your brain.

Do:

• Make sure the water is cold.

Don’t:

• Use freezing cold water, as it will shock your system.
• Get distracted making faces at yourself in the mirror.

4. Play Some Tunes

You can’t fall asleep in a loud room. When studying during the quiet hours of the night, noise is sometimes your best friend.  But you don’t want this music to distract you or lull you to sleep.

While we, here at Chegg, prefer intense instrumental music, or even film scores (Hans Zimmer, or Daft Punk’s score for Tron) and electronic (like video game music or Lindsey Stirling), a recent study in Taiwan showed that the best music to work to is the music you don’t care too much about either way.

So find a chill jam that blocks out other noises, but one that doesn’t have you wanting to sing along!

Do:

• Listen to a consistent genre, or music with a similar feel, so you won’t be distracted by each new song.
• Loop a non-distracting instrumental track so you won’t have to keep going back and looking up more music. There’s even a “Study Music Project” on YouTube that claims to have a collection of the top music to study to.

Don’t:

• Listen to the catchier songs—the ones you’ll be more likely to sing (or dance) along to.
• Listen to music that’s so chill it puts you to sleep.

5. Remove All Distractions

 

Music isn’t the only thing that can pull you off task.  And trust us, when you’re racing against the clock to get as much studying in as possible before you do a faceplant in your textbook, the last thing you need is a distraction.

Some people try finding motivational videos to help them study. Does it always work? No. After hours of wandering the Internet and scrolling through the comments on dozens of videos, they’re super behind on their studying.

The moral of the story: Avoid the causes of distraction.

Here’s how:

Do:

• Turn off your phone, unless you need it as a calculator.
• Logout of Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr – whatever your primary sources of online distraction are, so that you won’t be tempted to check them compulsively. Get more study time in before you get really tired.
• Keep only one window open on your computer. If that window is a browser, only have open the tabs you absolutely need.
• Study with people who will keep you on task for some friendly peer pressure.

Don’t:

• Multitask. It breaks your focus even though it creates the illusion of feeling more productive.
• Study with distracting people. Which brings us to our next tip:

6. Find a Friend

 

Study with a studious friend! Unless you work best by yourself, studying and talking with another person can be really helpful (and more fun!).  Plus, you’ll have someone there to poke you if you start nodding off.

Do:

• Talk about what you’re studying. It keeps your brain engaged and thinking clearly.
• Quiz each other. If you fall asleep in the middle of flashcards, then you should probably just go to sleep already.

7. Guard Your Eyes

 

We all know that too much time spent staring at a computer screen or tablet can tire your eyes out.  Luckily, there are a few ways to fix this:

Do:

• Refresh your sore eyes by closing them for a few minutes or looking at a blank wall. Experts recommend looking away from your computer screen at least every 20 minutes.

Don’t:

• Keep your screen brightness too high, as that can overtire your eyes as well.
• Close your eyes so long that you fall asleep!

8. Fuel Your Engines

 

You need energy, and energy means protein and (healthy) sugars. Sugary snacks can be helpful (as well as delicious) since they provide quick energy.  But be warned: as is the case with coffee, sugar can give you a short energy spike and leave you feeling tired, and sometimes a little sick, depending on how late it is. So go easy on the M&M’s.

Do:

• Eat stuff with protein in it, like a chicken sandwich, almonds, an energy bar, beef jerky, peanut butter packs, etc.

Don’t:

• Overdo it with the sugary snacks.
• Eat dairy or granola, which can make you sleepy.

9. Find the Light!

 

Working in a well-lighted room tricks your brain into thinking it’s earlier than it is. So avoid dim or, even worse, completely dark rooms where you’re just relying on the glow from your computer screen to work by.

Do:

• Find a well-lit room, like a library, café, or other public building.
• Work next to a lamp.

Don’t:

• Be that person who turns off all the lights in the computer lab. You might think the surrounding darkness will keep you focused, but staying awake is the first step in staying focused, so put that first.

10. Take Scheduled Breaks

 

If you have a break to look forward to, you’ll be way more motivated to make your time spent studying count.  Experts suggest taking about a five-minute break for each half hour of studying for maximum productivity.

Do:

• Get up and stretch your legs.
• Reply to an email. A quick accomplishment will make you feel more productive, so when you go back to working, you’ll feel like you’re ahead of the game.
• Do something mentally stimulating during your break time. A sudoku, Rubik’s cube, or writing down some thoughts in a journal are all good things to do with your break time.

Don’t:

• Watch addicting YouTube videos that come in series. Instead watch something quick that stands by itself, like that new movie trailer you’ve been waiting to see, that (distracting) song you’ve been wanting to jam to, or anything that gives you something new to think about.
• Watch sad or emotional videos. They’re addicting and hard to get out of your head when you try to get back to work.
• Let your break run longer than the time you set for yourself.

11. Change It Up

 

Speaking of breaks, remember If you’re working on multiple projects, you can avoid burn-out by changing subjects every hour or so.  Breaking up your study time is better than seeing it as one endless lump of misery, and will keep you actively engaged in getting through your tasks.

Do:

• Stick with whatever subject you’re working on throughout the time you allow yourself.

Don’t:

• Get sidetracked and try to multitask.

12. Work It Out

 

Falling asleep is a whole lot harder on the treadmill than it is in your room.  If you think it’s a waste of precious time, as a bonus it can give you an energy boost that keeps you going afterwards.

Do:

• Go for a quick run, or hit the gym. (A cool shower afterwards doesn’t hurt either.)
• If a trip to the gym is just not doable, try some quick bodyweight exercises on the floor. We’ve even found that a short set of push-ups is helpful for getting our brain back in gear.

Don’t:

• Fall asleep on the floor between sets…

13. Keep Yourself Moving

 

Fidgeting.  We all do it, but usually subconsciously when we’re really in the zone.  It turns out that fidgeting has been proven to help you stay focused since it makes staying engaged more of a challenge.  According to Dr. Sydney Zentall at Purdue University, fidgeting while working “focuses the brain on the primary task.”

Do:

• Try tapping your foot, chewing gum, etc.
• Play with a fidget toy, squishy ball, or hand squeezers.

Don’t:

• Chew pencils or pens.
• Bite your nails. You’ll always regret it.

14. Nap (with Caution)

 

A power nap can give you, if not the sense of being rested, then at least the strength to keep studying for a few more hours.

Do:

• Take a 20-30 minute nap. It’s the ideal nap length for an energizing sleep, according to the Harvard medical newsletter.

Don’t:

• Forget to set your alarm, or you might find yourself waking up sometime the following afternoon, having missed classes and possibly deadlines.

15. Don’t Get Comfortable

 

While you might envision the ideal study experience as reading your notes in a bean bag chair with a warm blanket, the real pros study in a cold, hard chair at a desk.

We’ve heard stories about a roommate who was so hardcore that in her freshman year, she would write papers and read standing up with her book or laptop on top of a small bookshelf. This ended up getting her through her work much faster than our more relaxed poses would have. You don’t have to be that hardcore, but…

Do:

• Study at a desk and chair that encourages good posture.
• Sit up straight! Yes, we sound like your mom, but seriously, this helps!

Don’t:

• Study on a couch. Especially not lying down, because that can restrict movement and thus your ability to type and move between books and notebooks.
• Cuddle with your significant other. Sure, it feels great, but seriously the only time we’ve seen couples study well together is when they work separately and save cuddle time for the five-minute breaks. The other times, GPA’s plummeted.

Just remember: Cozy is the enemy of productivity.

16. Keep Your Cool

 

Speaking of getting cozy, it’s been shown that studying in a cooler environment can keep you alert and working.  Even walking around outside when it’s cooler for a couple minutes and then going back inside to work helps us a lot.

Do:

• Study in a colder room, or even outdoors if you can.
• Have a fan going next to you, if you can find one.
• Go outside if it’s cooler or warmer than the building you’re studying in. The change will wake you up.

Don’t:

• Stay in a freezing room, as it can have the opposite effect. You’ll reach for a cozy hoodie and not want to move.

17. Talk to Yourself

 

Sounds crazy, right?  Seriously though, this is one of the best methods we’ve used to keep ourselves awake when up and studying alone.

Do:

• Keep your stream of consciousness productive, so you’ll be saying things like
• “What am I reviewing first? Chapter one. What’s it about?  Ah yes…”
• “Je suis, tu es, elle est… and the plurals are? Ah oui! Nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont.”
• “Nailed Chem, now on to what? American Literature reading responses.”
• Use self-affirming statements to keep up the good vibes, helping you believe that you can succeed at what you’re studying and that you will stay awake, like:
• “I’mma rock this test!”
• “This paper is gonna be a masterpiece.”
• “The birds have started singing outside because they know I’m gonna do AWESOME at this test.”

Don’t:

• Sing to yourself, which can be counterproductive as it can distract you and make you too relaxed.

18. Know Your Limits

 

Let’s face it: We all have our limits.  And everyone’s are different.  Some people can stay up and write an A+ paper the night before it’s due (still a bad idea though). And some simply can’t function after 1 a.m.

Do:

• Be nice to your future self. Studying at night is never easy. So why not do your 2 a.m. self a favor? Instead of getting the busywork done during the day, put the effort in early and get the hard stuff done before nightfall.
• Know when you get too tired to work, so you can keep that as your deadline.
• Recognize the foods that make you tired. For instance, dairy negatively affects certain people when it comes to studying, focusing, and exercising. But a lot of people who have no problems with the stuff. Realizing which group you fall into, and that you have to do what’s best to keep yourself functioning optimally is really important in improving your study and fitness performance.

Don’t:

• Try to keep up with people who pull all-nighters all the time.
• Punish yourself. You’re not helping anyone if you keep staring at that screen or page when you know you can’t study anymore. You’re much better off sleeping so you can get a head start on things tomorrow.

Conclusion

 

You can do it!  With these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to close your laptop at the end of studying and know it was time well spent.

Late night studying is no fun, and definitely not something you should do all the time. But done the right way, it can be one of the best uses of your time as a student.   Just remember not to overdo it.

If you can snag some Z’s before dawn, you should.  Even 45 minutes of sleep before class can be a lifesaver!

 

Sources:

“Coffee Does Not Give You Energy.” Turning Point Chiropractic. N.p., 18 May 2016. Web. 11 July 2017.

Publications, Harvard Health. “Napping May Not Be Such a No-no.” Harvard Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 July 2017.