NationStates Jolt Archive

Ok guys, i'm in the middle of an all nighter here as i've been studying for my chemistry exam which happens to be in two and a half hours. As of about an hour ago however, i'm getting really damn tired and my stomach feels like hell too. Anyone who has any tips on surviving would be greatly appreciated and much fluffled! Thanks in advance!

Ehhh just go to sleep. Your body will thank you. And you already know all about that chemistry thing. Sleeeeep!

trying to stay up all night to study is counteractive

if you really wanted to do well on the test, you'd say "forget it" and go to sleep.

cramming it all and then trying to pull the shindig off with no sleep is impossible.

go to sleep.

during finals, you have to rememeber to keep all your normal routines. it's the only real control you have, because teachers will put whatever shit on tests that they want to.


good luck hon

Get some air and walk around a bit. If you've been snacking and drinking caffene(crapSP) then thats what doin' your stomach in. You also might be at the last of your effectivness and a short nap might not be a bad idea.

Change locations if you can't nap. It'll wake you up a little and reset you a bit.

Stretch for a little bit.

Switch what you've been drinking, unless it's water. Water is probably the best.

Thats all off the top of my head.

Ok guys, i'm in the middle of an all nighter here as i've been studying for my chemistry exam which happens to be in two and a half hours. As of about an hour ago however, i'm getting really damn tired and my stomach feels like hell too. Anyone who has any tips on surviving would be greatly appreciated and much fluffled! Thanks in advance!
Use caffine sparingly when only at your tiredist and lots of carbs ... breads and subs are great (I work 72 hr weeks on top of finishing my masters ... I know what no sleep is like)
When falling asleap stand up ... move about ... leave the room a bit then come back

and again carbs (prefferably not sugars)

I choose subs usualy

I'd suggest getting 2 1/2 hours of sleep while you can. That's about the minimum amount of sleep I can get and actually some affects of rest. I'll assume that it's the same case for everyone else. If you're feeling groggy and you have a stomach ache you're going to faaail without some rest.

Don't worry. The point of an exam is to see if you learned anything over the semester. If you were paying attention in class and you studied for tests then you shouldn't have any trouble (or, at least, I wouldn't, but everyone has varying degrees of retention for that kind of stuff). If your teacher isn't an asshole then he won't throw any curve balls at you. They're supposed to save those for normal tests and quizes.

Oh yeah, and drinking alcohol heavily helps, as long as you also drink alcohol heavily on the day of the test. Preferably the same brand, even the same bottle. That way the spirit of the spirits is there to help you.

Ehhh just go to sleep. Your body will thank you. And you already know all about that chemistry thing. Sleeeeep!


Noooooooooo!!!! Don't sleep, please, don't sleep. That is the worst thing you can do with so little time before your exam. You need to sleep at least three hours to complete a sleep cycle, if you don't you will just be even more disoriented.


As for the stomach, eat some yoghurt. Also bring a coke to your exam, the caffine and sugar will help you.

Ginseng is the way to go. It makes you feel alert without making you too hyper/twitchy. Of course it is kind of hard to find unless you live in a place with lots of chinese people. A lot of the chinese shops near where I live sell it in little vials with honey.

trying to stay up all night to study is counteractive

if you really wanted to do well on the test, you'd say "forget it" and go to sleep.

cramming it all and then trying to pull the shindig off with no sleep is impossible.

go to sleep.

during finals, you have to rememeber to keep all your normal routines. it's the only real control you have, because teachers will put whatever shit on tests that they want to.


good luck hon


I second that. Please don't try to pull another all-nighter before an exam, get your sleep. To be well rested is more important than whatever you manage to read in the hours you could have been asleep.

Noooooooooo!!!! Don't sleep, please, don't sleep. That is the worst thing you can do with so little time before your exam. You need to sleep at least three hours to complete a sleep cycle, if you don't you will just be even more disoriented.

Really? It seems to be two hours for me. Is it different for each person?

Ginseng is the way to go. It makes you feel alert without making you too hyper/twitchy. Of course it is kind of hard to find unless you live in a place with lots of chinese people. A lot of the chinese shops near where I live sell it in little vials with honey.

There must be Chinese immigrants hiding in a back room in our local K-Mart. ;)

Thanks a lot guys, will try the carbs thing and am taking the dog running in about twenty minutes so i think that should help me up... yeah i've been drinking this mate stuff from south america so i'm quite caffeinated. As for why i didn't sleep it was more that i knew NOTHING rather than that i wanted some last minute revision, so sleep really wouldn't have helped there. No chinese people in rural england (at least not round here that i know of) but i'm gonna try and get some sort of energy drink for the exam.

P.S. - Don't you just love a forum where you can post a problem and have a load of answers in about twenty minutes... hehe

Really? It seems to be two hours for me. Is it different for each person?


sleep cycles do wary, so I put in a conservative figure. But when considering that according to the OP, at the time of posting the exam was 2½ hours off. Then take into account the waiting for replies here, plus transportation to the exam and extra time to make sure you are the in time. All in all it would cut the actual sleep time down to under two hours.


TIP #2: Before you leave for the exam, take a cold shower. That will release endoephins in your body which will make you more alert (can't say how long the effect will last, but still...)

I second that. Please don't try to pull another all-nighter before an exam, get your sleep. To be well rested is more important than whatever you manage to read in the hours you could have been asleep.
agreed ... I can pull 96 hrs strait no problem but I do way better if I actually got the sleep

i'd say don't usually its not worth it... but if you must... one thing i sometimes do.... that i didnt see mentioned...
- put sticky notes over your clocks in your room... if your brain doesnt like to see numbers like 5:17am ... kinda tricks yourself into thinking its only 2:30... till the sun comes up.. then it doesnt matter so much.. have breakfest and do whatever

Ok guys, i'm in the middle of an all nighter here as i've been studying for my chemistry exam which happens to be in two and a half hours. As of about an hour ago however, i'm getting really damn tired and my stomach feels like hell too. Anyone who has any tips on surviving would be greatly appreciated and much fluffled! Thanks in advance!

Pffft. I pull all nighters for fun. Just don't go to sleep. Have the will to stay awake, that's what I always say ;)

On a side note i was quite amused when dawn came around and 'here comes the sun' started playing on my pc....

On a side note i was quite amused when dawn came around and 'here comes the sun' started playing on my pc....

I think it's mocking you. :)

Good luck on your exam. Chemistry is easy!

Classical music, opera and dance music are good. You get the energy from music while not being distracted by lyrics. Ohh, and not wasting time making threads in NS will help too! :p Good luck!

Sleep? What is... sleep?

Sleep? What is... sleep?

I'm not quite certain... But, it's something I'm heading off to do after I post this!

Here's a magic potion I used to stay awake for about 4 hours when I really need it.

1. A 12-hr Sudafed tablet: It's the BLUE box. The regular sudafed releases too quickly. The 12-hr variety is a slower release.

2. A caffeine and sugar shot of your choice: Coffee, Coke, Pepsi, whatever. Beware of Red Bull here. I found it to be a bit much.

Take 1hr before u need the boost. The crash comes in about 4 hours and it's horrible. ***DO NOT TAKE IF YOU HAVE HEART CONDITIONS*** You have been warned. Never failed to get me up, got me a bunch of A's during my junior and senior year finals. Oh, and it helps if u studied ;) . Good Luck!

Here's a magic potion I used to stay awake for about 4 hours when I really need it.
...

What the hell is Sudafed?

Ok guys, i'm in the middle of an all nighter here as i've been studying for my chemistry exam which happens to be in two and a half hours. As of about an hour ago however, i'm getting really damn tired and my stomach feels like hell too. Anyone who has any tips on surviving would be greatly appreciated and much fluffled! Thanks in advance!

You should have studied earlier. I've got my exam coming up in two weeks. I just learn it all at home, skrew around in class and don't really need to study. I just remember it as it gets taught to me.

My exams are in slightly less than two months, and I'm already planning to use this weekend for studying.

Then again, that is because I also plan to go on vacation for an entire week after the first exam, and return by train late at Sunday night or early on Monday morning just in time to sit the second one. Doesn't leave much room for last-minute studying.

What the hell is Sudafed?

Google, and you shall find (http://www.prodhelp.com/sudafed12hour.shtml) :D

Ok guys, i'm in the middle of an all nighter here as i've been studying for my chemistry exam which happens to be in two and a half hours. As of about an hour ago however, i'm getting really damn tired and my stomach feels like hell too. Anyone who has any tips on surviving would be greatly appreciated and much fluffled! Thanks in advance!
kanabia! your all nighter super stay awake recipe is required! ;)

Ice cold shower. That wakes up anyone who's not unconscious

Ice cold shower. That wakes up anyone who's not unconscious
Not me. Never underestimate my ability to sleep through anything.

I find my biggest problem staying awake isn't actually staying awake, it's staying focussed on my work, and just getting it done. Turn off the computer, don't use the nationstates boards. They're just distracting.

And if you can't stay awake without them, then you're probably better off with the sleep.

If you can, get some sun in the morning, walk outside at least, eat some fresh fruit. excercise wakes you, although it takes time. Run between classes if you need to, it's better to be out-of-breath tired than mentally tired.

As has been said before, though, best bet is to sleep. You can actually "learn while you sleep" as long as you don't expect to learn too much. Just before you go to sleep, revise something. Then, first thing in the morning, go over the same work. That chunk of time is great for your brain to process the information, organize it. Then, when you read over it in the morning, it basically helps "lock in" the information that you've processed. Study the same material again...I think two weeks later is optimal. I have a terrible memory, and even I could remember stuff using that method. It does mean you need to be organized, and start studying weeks before.

Tony

Not me. Never underestimate my ability to sleep through anything.
:eek:

Well I've slept through near freezing cold too, but that was when I was drunk so I count that under unconscious

As a master of sleep deprivation, I can add my own expertise to the mix. However I fear this thread has now lost its original purpose, so I guess this is for anyone else who cares to know.

1) The human body

The human body rests when it is not in motion, therefore try to jiggle you leg while sitting down, and when mulling over a problem, pace.

Its hard for someone to fall asleep when they are eating something, the mouth in motion makes the body focus on disgestion. Try low-level snacking, drinking and gum chewing as you work. Avoid large meals because the body will slow down while digesting large amounts of food; just keep constantly eating something small.

Pain; we all see people slaping themselves lightly on the face to wake them up. Trust me, if you're that far gone, a little slap ain't gonna do it. Pinch yourself long and hard on the arm, or give yourself a charlie horse, something that lingers. That might kick in your body's defense mechanism and boost your adreniline or make your tired mind focus on something. (don't HURT yourself, obviously!)

Human interaction; try taking a break, walking outside, and call someone (who's awake) on your phone. Or just have a chat with a waitress or something at a 24 hour resturaunt. Anything where you can have a talk. If you're lucky, your brain will refoucus as it tries to think about the discussion.

Surprise; We all know that a sudden shock kicks in the adreniline, sometimes we can similate that through shock or surprise. Deliberately put yourself in a position of slight danger to kick in the adreniline, run around briefly, something to get the jucies flowing. Find something that gets your blood pumping quickly, but that isn't very exhausting.

2) Atmosphere
Lively music is perferable to quiet songs, avoid slow love songs like the plague. New songs, songs that make your mind start moving as you try to listen to them, can also be useful.

Bright lights are better than darkened rooms, also avoid extremes of Cold or Heat, but don't wallow in the perfect termprature for sleep. Try to get a slightly too warm or cold room.

Avoid overly comfy areas, NEVER sit or lay on a bed when pulling an all-nighter. Try plastic/metal chairs, force yourself to sit upright as often as possible, avoid slouching or relaxing poses.

Shift scenery sometimes to get the body moving and to reorient the brain sometimes. Just moving from chair to chair in a computer lab every 2 hours can liven up your experience enough to complete the project.

3) Mindset.
If possible, avoid reading long passages in books, especially boring ones, try to keep your mind bullet-pointed. Do things in short, stacatto bursts to keep the thoughts fresh.

Avoid all thoughts of comfortable places, feelings or moods. Get angry, get sad, it doesn't matter; but a relaxed mind is one that will fall asleep. The more you think of a warm bed and a soft pillow, the closer you are to feeling one against your face; prevent such thoughts.

Above all else, keep the mind moving, keep the body active, and focus on the tasks at hand. The more time you lose to stray thoughts the more time your body has to think its done for the day and can rest. Breaks and tangents ARE needed at times, but try to keep them lively, purposeful, and short.

4) Caffine
Caffiene does not replace sleep, but going without stimulation on an all-nighter puts a lot of strain on a body. One way to think of it is that your immune system is literally fighting off the sickness of sleep; the more you fight it, the more work your immune system has to do. Too often, or too long, and you'll over work yourself and get sick. Caffine reduces that strain by chemically charging your body slightly.

Caffine comes in many forms, all of them tend to be hard on the stomach. With that in mind, avoid taking caffine straight, no matter what the form. Pad your stomach with bready foods or meals. That will slow the rate in which the caffine enters your system, and make it more of a gradual, long term aid.

If you NEED a quick boost in the short term, caffine works FASTER and burns out quicker if you take it without any food in your system, but its very dangerous to do so, you can ruin the lining of your stomach that way. Sugar has much the same effect.

Try to avoid caffine burn out. Take too much caffine too quickly, or rely entirely on caffine without something else in your stomach increases the "high/low" effect. You might burn out entirely, feeling sick, depressed, and tired as the stimulation flows out of your body. Caffine IS a drug, and you must respect its properties.

Well, that covers most of it. More specific, person-specific ways of staying up can be discovered if you work at it. These are more general guidelines. Remember, sometimes you cannot push yourself any more, and it IS unhealthy to lose sleep; do it only when needed.