I keep falling asleep in class!! How do you stay awake?
This is my first semester of college and my first class Tuesdays and Thursdays is at 7 AM and I keep falling asleep during it. I started out the semester okay but this last month I just can't stay awake for more than the first 10-20 minutes of class. I'm REALLY trying, I'm not sure the teacher has noticed yet (it is a big class) but my grades are starting to slip and I'm getting desperate. I think I get enough sleep at night but then the next day I can barely keep my eyes open. Help!
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One great way to get better quality sleep is to avoid blue light before bedtime. You don't have to avoid all screens before bed, because those are some of the best ways to clear your mind, but you can filter out blue light using digital filters or blue light filtering glasses. You just want to make sure you get one that filters out 98 or 99% of the blue light. And once you've done that, you've eliminated half of the problem. The other half of the problem is the content.
If you're playing video games, or if you're watching something that keeps you on the edge of your seat, or something scary and anxiety-provoking, that's going to screw up your sleep. You want the content to be something relatively chill, like a documentary or something. One of my favorite things to watch if I'm trying to get relaxed before bed is something like Planet Earth. Reading a book is fine. Meditating is fine if you're a skilled meditator, but if you're not, I think it's anxiety-provoking. It gets people thinking about all the things that are bothering them because they're trying to clear their mind and in the process, all the stuff that they need to deal with starts to surface, so they get really upset right before they go to bed.
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If you're playing video games, or if you're watching something that keeps you on the edge of your seat, or something scary and anxiety-provoking, that's going to screw up your sleep. You want the content to be something relatively chill, like a documentary or something. One of my favorite things to watch if I'm trying to get relaxed before bed is something like Planet Earth. Reading a book is fine. Meditating is fine if you're a skilled meditator, but if you're not, I think it's anxiety-provoking. It gets people thinking about all the things that are bothering them because they're trying to clear their mind and in the process, all the stuff that they need to deal with starts to surface, so they get really upset right before they go to bed.
If you're trying to stay awake and alert, caffeine and power naps are really the bonafide methods that have been employed by the army. It's a double whammy method, where people have a strong cup of coffee, and immediately after that, they take a nap for about 45 minutes. Right as you're waking up, the caffeine is kicking in, and you're looking at a double turbo boost of wakefulness. Boredom unmasks sleepiness, so if your class is boring, you're going to have a hard time staying awake.
But if you're having trouble waking up in the morning, the main reason is not getting enough sleep or not getting quality sleep. If you're sleeping in a loud environment, if you're sleeping in a hot environment, if you have pain from any musculoskeletal or medical reasons, it can disrupt sleep. Also, sleep apnea can really disrupt the quality of sleep. There are people who will sleep nine hours a night and, because of poor sleep quality, still wake up feeling exhausted and tired. It's a matter of optimizing both sleep quantity and sleep quality but also recognizing that there might be an underlying sleep debt that might take more than one or two nights to resolve.
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But if you're having trouble waking up in the morning, the main reason is not getting enough sleep or not getting quality sleep. If you're sleeping in a loud environment, if you're sleeping in a hot environment, if you have pain from any musculoskeletal or medical reasons, it can disrupt sleep. Also, sleep apnea can really disrupt the quality of sleep. There are people who will sleep nine hours a night and, because of poor sleep quality, still wake up feeling exhausted and tired. It's a matter of optimizing both sleep quantity and sleep quality but also recognizing that there might be an underlying sleep debt that might take more than one or two nights to resolve.
Lift your foot like an inch off the floor and concentrate really hard on keeping it from touching the floor. That keeps me awake somehow.
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If you're in a big lecture hall you can try standing in the back. It's a lot harder to fall asleep when you're standing
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After running across campus, your heart rate drops as you sit in the auditorium. Worse, many auditoriums have poor ventilation, so the partial pressure of oxygen starts to drop with so many people in them. Only a 1% drop is needed to cause drowsiness. Try moving your seat closer to a source of fresh air, or ask the professor if you may open a window.
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Agreed on getting good sleep being the best way to stay awake, but if you're in college you're probably pulling the occasional all-nighter, when I do that I keep myself awake the next day with lots of caffeine and SNACKS, bring food to your early class, maybe something healthy and energy-boosting like almonds or cereal, not just sugar. If you feel yourself start to drift excuse yourself from class and walk around for 5 minutes, maybe splash cold water on your face in the bathroom, you'll miss a few minutes of class but it's better than missing half the class.
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OK, it's good to hear someone say that about TV being a good way to unwind before bed, because all I hear is that screens are bad for you before bed but i can ONLY go to sleep these days watching Gilmore Girls or Sex and the City! I keep the volume down low enough to where I can't really tell what they're saying and I only put on shows I've seen a million times before so I don't get tempted to stay up and binge watch. But it's really soothing, it's like ASMR.
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There are a bunch of tricks you can use to stay awake:
1. Chew gum or eat a mint or snack.
2. Drink cold water (or another cold beverage of choice).
3. Take deep breaths.
4. Draw or take notes.
5. Move around a little bit (tap your foot, play with a fidget toy, etc.)
6. Exercise before class (even a brisk walk to class could do the trick).
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1. Chew gum or eat a mint or snack.
2. Drink cold water (or another cold beverage of choice).
3. Take deep breaths.
4. Draw or take notes.
5. Move around a little bit (tap your foot, play with a fidget toy, etc.)
6. Exercise before class (even a brisk walk to class could do the trick).
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Reader Tips from 18 Ways to Be Awake Even When You’re Exhausted
If you tend to fall back asleep after waking up, put your alarm on the other side of the room. When it goes off, you're forced to get up and turn it off, which helps you stay awake.
Play a very involved video game. The light from electronic devices helps make it harder for you to sleep while the game keeps you alert and focused.
If you're at school and you're tired, what I do is ask to go to the bathroom. Getting up and walking helps wake me up from sitting down in class.
Singing can help boost your energy and spirit to help you stay awake. Dancing along to the songs can help even more!
Reader Tips from How to Pull an All Nighter
Don't pull off an all-nighter unless absolutely necessary! When you stay up all night, your brain will be too tired to focus on whatever you are doing the next day, and your work will probably suffer.
Take a cold shower to stay awake! Your body wakes itself up with energy when you take a cold shower. Even if it’s uncomfortable, you will have stronger focus and energy to stay awake!
If it's winter or you can't open your windows, turn a fan or the AC on.
Reader Tips from How to Not Feel Sleepy
Get a sleeping partner to help you sleep better and be better rested the next day. Doesn't have to be human. It could be a nice stuffed animal. It might seem childish and crazy, but hugging it will make the body feel cozy and tired and will give you better sleep.
Drink ice-cold water and dab cold water under your eyes, on the backs of your hands, and on the soles of your feet. This will wake you up a little.
Try not to listen to slow, calm music. Listen to more upbeat music to make you feel more energized throughout the day.
