May 15th, 2008 @ 12:37 am by: Marc
17 Drug-Free Ways to Stay Awake
Staying awake is easy… 5 shots of espresso and 2 lines of cocaine is all you need. You’ll certainly be wide awake and wired, but you may also die from a heart attack a few hours later. In all seriousness, conquering drowsiness before it overwhelms your mind can be quite a challenge without the help of drugs.
So the big question is: What are some healthy, drug-free ways to stay awake
- Crank Up the AC – Warm, stuffy environments accelerate mental fatigue. If you need to stay awake in a lecture hall or meeting room find an open seat under an AC vent.
- Cold Water – Splash some on your face and the pulse area of your wrists. Drinking an ice-cold glass of water can also help to wake you up, and if you drink enough of it you’ll be up on your feet using the restroom every 30 minutes as well.
- Fasting at Mealtime – The human body expends a great deal of energy during the digestion process. This can create a great deal of fatigue when you are trying to stay awake. Fasting is a great way to avoid this natural fatigue. As long as you are drinking enough water, fasting for a meal or two is also a healthy way to detoxify your cells and rejuvenate organs.
- Light Exercise Breaks – Take a break and take a walk or do a couple jumping jacks to get your blood moving. Even the slightest bit of exercise can act as a healthy way to energize your mind and body.
- Chew Sugar-Free Peppermint Gum – It won’t rot your teeth and it will generate just enough physical activity to keep you awake. Strong peppermint flavors seem to work best for me… there’s just something about that refreshing minty taste.
- Write – The idea is to keep your mind busy. If you are attending a lecture or business meeting, write down everything that is said. If you are simply trying to stay awake, create a detailed to-do list for the week or plan out your perfect weekend getaway.
- A Good Laugh – Watch a funny video clip or read your favorite comic strip. A good chuckle will stimulate your mind and help you to stay awake a little while longer.
- Inspirational and Motivational Material – Sometimes all you need is a little pep talk. Watch a video clip that inspires you.
- Music – If it’s not too much of a distraction, listening to fast beat music can be a great way to keep your mind awake.
- Tickle the Top of Your Mouth Cavity – Obviously, you’ll want to do this with your tongue. Rub your tongue against the top front area of your mouth cavity. It feels a little weird, but it does give you a quick, irritating nerve jolt that can actually help to keep you awake.
- Turn On All the Lights – Darkness promotes sleepiness. Turn on every light in the room.
- Hangout with a Friend – It’s so much easier to stay awake when you have someone else to interact with.
- Play Video Games – First-person shooters, fast paced driving games, or online RPGs like the great World of Warcraft are sure to keep you wide awake.
- Go Outdoors – Getting some fresh air outdoors is always a good way to rouse your senses.
- Pull Down on Your Earlobes – This may sound strange, but pulling down on your earlobes can help you stay awake and alert when you’re feeling drowsy. Just try it.
- Nutritious Low Carb Snacks – Low carb fruits such as raspberries, apples, oranges, and grapefruits are great energy boosters. Heaping scoops of spicy salsa on a few small crackers is another goodie. Stay away from meats, breads and dairy products.
- Get Enough Sleep When You Can – This one should be obvious. The best way to stay awake is to be well rested. If you get enough sleep on a regular basis it will be much easier for you to stay awake or pull an all-nighter when you absolutely must.
Check out these books for more natural ways to stay awake:
- 365 Energy Boosters
- The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy
- The Secrets High-Energy People Use to Beat Emotional Fatigue
If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to our RSS feed.
Or subscribe via email.
28 Comments
May 15th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Thinking about sex does the trick too. Kept me alive on a late night road trip.
May 17th, 2008 at 2:03 am
Sex is one of those simple pleasures.
May 17th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Light exercise is my second favorite, but someguy and Marc stole my thunder, so I’ll talk about my #2. I enjoy a light exercise like push-up, squats, or a walk around the block. It helps me focus on the moment and forget about all the junk that’s floating around my brain.
May 19th, 2008 at 7:10 am
@Karl:
I completely agree. A quick, light exercise session is one of the primary keys to staying awake and keeping the mind fresh. I use this trick on a regular basis, even in the office. I’ll take a short walk outside, do knee raises in my office for 2-3 minutes, and sometimes handle a few push-ups too.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Fantastic post. I usually have some late nights blogging and promoting my blogs and look forward to trying some of your tips!
May 20th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I’ll stick to the cocaine, thanks.
July 20th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
How about eating apples?
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Lauderdale is right… coke… speed and crystals work best.
December 17th, 2008 at 9:19 am
If you are so unfortunate to have flies in your office as we do, (we’re located on a farm) you’ll be sure to stay up all day. Trust me, I’m going insane as I type this.
IIIIINNNSAAANNNEEE
June 24th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
WoW will definitively keep you awake. Too bad I can’t play at work!!
July 20th, 2009 at 5:13 am
a great way to stay awake is smoke cigarettes if you are a smoker, it vitalizes you nervous system and keeps you alert. And shut down the television, and not watch TV, it causes your brain to distract the central cord and weaken the brain which then leads to sleepiness.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
I HATE Mr. Lenzi’s home work assignments. I am up till 3 in the moring doing the home work. Thanks for the tips. Hope they work.
October 11th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
I really appreciate this list as a college student I am constantly sleep deprived and I will be sure to try out all of these tips!
Also, everything else you guys write is equally awesome
Thank you!
October 15th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
and any product like extenze or ensyte makes your blood flow better witch will also make you stay up
December 17th, 2009 at 7:02 am
I’m currently switching from a monophasic style of sleeping (sleeping once a day, like most Americans) to sleeping 2 times a day, for an hour each. Supposedly, if you space them perfectly apart, you can sleep for 2 hours, fall immediately into REM sleep, and feel perfect in when you wake up. On my first time night right now, and I have an hour and a half before I can take my first name. I’m very much looking forward to it! Thanks for the tips!
January 21st, 2010 at 3:36 am
ok this actually worked. its around 3:00am and i was super tired , so i read this (above)
and one of them said, pull down on your earloabs,
i did it for about 5 seconds then i wasnt tired at all
=O
January 28th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
hey.. superb post… i love the Tickle the Top of Your Mouth Cavity
February 1st, 2010 at 10:46 am
the whole earlobe thing… wow, that’s kind of scary, i did it too, and now I can keep my eyes open
February 4th, 2010 at 5:16 am
I’m on a bs watch from 0000-0800…i’ve been up since 0600…I’m exhausted….I did the earlobe and the mouth cavity at the same time…worked great…just 7 more hours to go…
May 18th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Thanks, I have to write a ten page essay due tomorrow and this is the second night I’ve had to pull an all-nighter. Two nights to write a ten-page essay!! Man, I’m gonna be a zombie tomorrow at school… Like I wasn’t one today… good gods.
Some of these ways to stay awake I can’t do, but the ones I can, they really help me. Greatly appreciated!
PS: “Good Gods” was taken from Xena Warrior Princess.
May 20th, 2010 at 12:46 am
I just tried number 10 and I must admit it works. You just saved me from having Red Bull
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:53 am
Woah… the earlobe trick worked!
June 30th, 2010 at 7:03 am
Wow!
Just I haven’t been able to sleep ALL summer before 7am.
Insomnia? xD
So I randomly Googled
“how to stay awake naturally”
& found this.
I’ve done ALMOST EVERYTHING on this list.
I’m not so much tired anymore,
but I’m still yawning, & whenever I yawn I seem to feel a little tired again.
I’m staring at the computer right now, & I’m not really blinking. Whenever I look away, I’ll blink & I get REALLY tired.
I’m FREEZING, (All AC’s on)
& I’m shakingggg.
BUT I’M STILL TIRED.
Fml. But these helped alot
Thank you!!
July 18th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
I will def. have to try everything on this list.My friend is over and we want to stay up all night.I have heard good comments about these tips and I hope they will help us go to sleep.Thanks
July 28th, 2010 at 4:38 am
Before I did the ear lobe trick I though there were weights attatched to my eyelids! I feel fine now.
Another trick I use regularly is to gently rub my temples and the back of my neck, also going for short walks around the block every 2 hours helps.
August 4th, 2010 at 8:56 am
me and my friend have done pretty much all of these and they work great! what i noticed is typing or being on facebook helps you stay awake too!
tying back your hair really helps too, especially if the AC’s on.
and when your very sleepy, everything just seems kinda funny and if your with somebody its easier to laugh
August 7th, 2010 at 10:32 am
It’s really freaky, but the earlobe thing works! I HAVE TO DO IT EVERY FIVE MIN. THOUGH:( BUT! other than that it works great!!!
it’s 7:31 a.m. i’ve been up all night this helps!!!!!!! THAAAAANK YOOOOOUUU!!!!!!!!! 
August 16th, 2010 at 5:58 am
Well I work in an office answering phones and typing. The hrs are 11pm-7:30am. It is very slow but I can’t leave my desk. During my 30min lunch I sleep and sometimes when it’s very slow I catch myself dozing off. I have a 7yr old and 6mon old at home so it can be hard to get my sleep during the day. I’ve tried the 5hr drinks but they don’t work.
Leave a Reply