How to Stay Awake

**forHISglory** · 08-18-2009, 06:04 PM

Your eyelids are heavy, drooping. Every fiber in your body is aching for sleep. Your mind goes into melt-down. Ideally you should stop and rest, but in less-than-ideal situations how do you handle the creeping sleepies?

Do you get a cold drink? Do you guzzle caffeine? Jump and up and down 20 times? Slap yourself? Eat sugar? Scream?

I'm weary today. It's taking everything in me to not collapse. I've been working at packing for our move, and I just keep telling myself "One more box......" I look at FV and try to shake myself awake. yawn............ sigh............. I really could use a nap, but there just is not time.

So....... how do you stay awake during those times that you cannot afford to fall asleep?

**frugalfranny** · 08-18-2009, 06:38 PM

If getting up and getting moving doesn't do it.......and if I know the 'drop' isn't from not eating.......I am a firm believer in the power nap. It can take some practice NOT to have a two to three hour nap but I do the power naps and believe in them.

Also started taking a B12 this year.......and it has helped. Take it with food.

**Incognito** · 08-18-2009, 06:45 PM

I'm thinking you need a nap right now more than you need FV.
So why don't you shut off the computer, set the alarm for 20-30 minutes, and curl up for a snooze?

**Sara Noel** · 08-18-2009, 06:56 PM

No driving that's for sure.

I drink coffee and lots of it. Or I take a shower. I always get a second wind that gets me through, so I can accomplish what I need to. No food unless it's fruit or a raw veggie (something light). A main meal makes me more tired. (oops I wrote hungry hahaha. I'm tired now, can ya tell)

I love the idea of power naps, but I am not capable of them. If I'm so tired that I need a nap, then I'd never wake up. I'd be out for the night. I know they work for many people. I wish I was one of them. LOL

**monkeywrangler71** · 08-18-2009, 07:04 PM

I can't take naps when I'm like that because I can't make myself get up again. Unless it was drug induced sleepiness (allergy meds), then I can sleep it off in an hour.

If I'm sleepy from laziness, exercise helps, but if it genuine fatigue from working too hard, then it just makes me more tired.

Caffeine helps, but too much and I get shakey. I find sugar dangerous it this situation as the high doesn't last long and the low afterwards is way too low.

Really, for me, pushing through it is the most effective. Just one more, then after that just one more... No breaks, as then I would just crash.

**rebecca** · 08-18-2009, 07:08 PM

When I take my lunch hour and I am tired I take a 20 to 30 minute nap.
After that I feel much more refreshed.

**Shelli_wnj** · 08-18-2009, 08:55 PM

Chatting with a friend helps me. If I HAVE to do something and doing it when I wake up isn't an option (I'm not a napper, if I go to sleep it's for a few hours at least), then I call a friend I know is up. Chatting keeps me up

Hope you get everything you need done

**madhen** · 08-18-2009, 09:06 PM

I get up and go for a short walk outside. That seems to do the trick. Even just 10-15 minutes helps, but it has to be outside for me.

**forHISglory** · 08-18-2009, 09:24 PM

yawn........ I'm capable of naps, but not short naps. Here's what I did today to wake up: I made a glass of ice water and drank it. And then another. And then, about 20 minutes later.........

**MaryCarney** · 08-18-2009, 10:17 PM

I can give you my tried and true stay awake while driving cure (I am a night shift nurse, and this has literally saved my life)

Tune your radio to a station where there are people talking (not music)
Say everything the people on the radio are saying, every word. I don't know WHY this works, but within 15-20 seconds I am wide awake. You have to keep saying what the radio people say for this to continue to work.

**madhen** · 08-18-2009, 10:24 PM

Hmm...you aren't a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, by chance, are you?

**forHISglory** · 08-18-2009, 10:33 PM

Interesting take, MaryCarney! Or I could tune to the all talk radio and keep arguing with them outloud!

**MaryCarney** · 08-18-2009, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by madhen

Hmm...you aren't a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, by chance, are you?

Used to be, it was just like a family reunion every day!!!

**madhen** · 08-18-2009, 10:59 PM

I want to put up a sign on my door for Christmas, when my family comes to visit. I saw it in a catalogue, and knew it fit my situation perfectly. It read, "Remember, as far as everyone else is concerned, we are a normal family."

Only problem is, my family is so messed up, they wouldn't see the humour in it!!

**Contrary Housewife** · 08-19-2009, 12:23 AM

It's easier to stay awake if your brain is doing something interesting, it will keep producing the chemicals that stimulate you naturally. This is how you manage to stay up past midnight reading FV or watching a fun movie or hanging out with good friends, but find yourself falling asleep at work or while packing boxes.

Listening to the radio helps keep your brain stimulated, too, if it's the kind of radio you find interesting to listen to.

Obviously there is a physical limit to how long your body can keep going with tricks like these. It's good for a few hours, but you do stress yourself if you miss sleep. There is no making it up the next day, even if you sleep in.

When I was in college I had a roommate who used to drink an entire pot of coffee before leaving in the morning, and then would drink another at his GF's before going to class. Finals came around and he came to me and my BF and said he was struggling with his studying, and wanted to know what we did to stay awake in the evenings while cramming. I looked at him for a moment and then said. "Well, you notice we don't drink coffee the rest of the year..."

These days I usually only drink coffee when we're on the road and I need a real jolt of caffeine to keep us between the white lines at night.