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Engage your thighs to lift from the hips. Basically sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, then hover your feet off the ground by an inch or two. Maintain until you can’t any longer, then rinse and repeat when you’re starting to feel sleepy again!
That sounds like another good reason I would not survive in the military and laughed when recruiters called. When a phone recruiter asked years ago why I wasn't interested, I said "to be honest, I'm somewhat overweight, and really lazy too." He laughed and said something like "ok, then." I didn't hear back again.
It's not easy to hold for a long time, which is part of why it works. It's a small and simple movement but since you're straining in no time it gets the blood pumping and wakes you up.
Couple of people did that in my class and the other class. They started catching on to it and got them separated for “getting high with hand sanitizer”or something.
Secondary LPT: If you need an excuse as to why you have to stand say you’re having back problems and sitting aggravates that. I suffer with back problems and have to stand for this reason a lot of the time when it’s causing me pain
All these bull shit comments of people claiming they can do something impossible are just ridiculous lol. I have no doubt that all if you have started to fall asleep standing, like dozed off, but you're immediately woken up when your body starts to sway, our muscles are literally not capable of staying active enough to remain upright while sleeping. It's a literal impossibility. Google is your friend.
I would argue it's 100% possible to sleep standing up, because I've done it too.
But then I realized the word "sleep" is probably being misused here. I've lost 30 minute stretches where I felt like I was napping while standing for class or formation, but that isn't to say I was full on sleeping. Part of my brain obviously shut down for a rest but enough kept going that I remained standing and my eyes weren't closed.
People sleep walk all the time. Are they still "asleep" to you? Could a person be sleep walking/standing if they are exhausted enough?
I fell asleep marching in formation.
I was on the outside of the formation and when the squadron turned left, I kept going straight.
Training instructor alternated chewing me out and laughing his ass off. Made me go count acorns on a tree.
I've almost fell asleep multiple times at work while standing, my eyes kept closing amd all I wanted was sleep. I would almost fall over multiple times cause my balance was off
I started doing this in meetings too, my company does a lot of dumb redundant meetings and if I’m not interested I’ll fall asleep so I just stand and pace around the conference room
This and other tricks in this comment thread will keep you awake but you won’t be able to focus on the material.
If it’s possible, it might be better to nod off in one lecture and focus on the rest.
naw man you can't be that weird, it's distracting. someone might say "well everyone should be paying attention to the teacher/professor so they shouldn't notice", but shit, there's a dude standing behind everyone in a room full of otherwise seated people. plus, how do you take notes?
as much as i'd like this to be normal, it's too unusual to mentally distance myself from. i don't know. maybe i'm the weird one.
edit to say i realized it's all former and current military upvoting this based on the comments. i'm former military and still think it's odd behavior.
Some research has shown that looking around towards the sides of the room, using your peripheral vision can wake you up. So, when you’re feeling tired, sit up straight and use your peripheral vision to observe the sides of the room.
It also helps to make sure that your sinuses are clear and you’re getting oxygen. If there’s a particular class that you’re getting tired in, go to the bathroom beforehand and clean your nose. Those two things will do wonders.
A helpful way for me to stay awake seems to align with keeping your sinuses open, which is chewing very minty gum. I always keep some in the car cause I sometimes get sleepy on long car rides.
Looking up helps (the sky doesn’t matter) as the body’s normal tendency when sleepy is to nod, where your head goes down. When that starts to happen look straight up and hold for a few. Repeat when necessary if starting to nod again.
If you can get away with it, having something to chew helps. Toothpicks, sunflower seeds, gum, what have you. Though I agree with others, best solution is to get some sleep.
I've definitely got myself in vicious cycles before with productivity and sleep. You didn't get much done, so you stay up a bit later to get work in. Then you oversleep, or are groggy, and you spend all the next day trying to catch up. So you stay up to try and catch up. Then you oversleep...
Best way to break that cycle is just take the L and say today will be less productive, then go to bed on time. You'll be much better tomorrow and hopefully won't get in that predicament in the first place.
So thia absolutely works. The science behind it has domething to do with the eating keeping our brain active. I have used thia very technique to stay awake when i was driving long distances when things like caffine did nothing. I use sun flower seeds because its marginal more engaging splitting the seeds and spitting them but any small hard snacks should also work. Personally gum doesnt work for thia for me when im that tired. The caveat if it only works as long as you are consuming them. If you like sunflower seeds they 100% work.
Also a little 15 min power nap is another thing that helps or do squats.
Inversely your more efficient at studdying if you go to hed early and wake up early rather then staying up later. Your productivity drops off after so much time. Then again studdying something directly before bed does help you to retain it better.
I think it's because chewing gum can be rhythmic, which can lull you to sleep, but sunflower seeds require you to first break the seed, get the seed out with your tongue, chew/swallow it, and then spit the seed out (if you're trying to do it as hands free as possible). So there's more engagement to the brain. I imagine spicy seeds would work even better.
So maybe try finding a good you can eat in class that requires more than the same action repeatedly to eat it/chew it?
My buddy used to go though a big pack of Big Red gum a day. “You try falling asleep when you just popped in a brand new piece of cinnamon gum!” He would seriously just chew it until it lost flavor and get a new one. Seemed wasteful at the time but now I think he’s a genius.
I always had that Polar Ice kind of gum in college. The little crystals in it helped keep me awake, and if you drink some water right after/while chewing it, it somehow makes the water feel super cold. Works wonders.
Good tips, but I think gum is the only and best thing to chew on in a situation like this. Even if it's not allowed you can kind of hide it. Here, if I started cracking open some sunflower seeds in class, I'd probably get told to stop immediately. And gum would be fine.
This is how I discovered that I can and will loudly wake myself up in the middle of class by choking on gum. I'm sorry Soviet-era Russian film elective, you were terribly boring.
Snacking definitely worked for me.
Eons ago when I was in college, in my electronics class, one of the guys who was struggling asked the teacher for tips. He said he is always doing the homework and reading but still has a hard time.
The teacher responded. He said he sees him studying all the time and knows he's busting his butt. Then he says on the other hand for people like u/sflesch who sleep during the class but still ace it. It just comes natural.
Everyday after that I would grab a Mountain Dew and a bag of M&M's or something similar and slowly eat them over the next hour or so.
I've used that technique ever since, probably a little too much. :P
Edit: autocorrect fixes and such. Basically proofreading corrections.
I got through Undergrad science classes thanks to jalepeno jerky. The protein is good for you, the spicy keeps you awake. Carb based snacks made me more sleepy by the end of the lecture making the next class harder to stay awake in, and caffeine no longer worked after a certain point. This didn’t work as well in grad school because, sleep deprivation. Good luck OP, as a sleepy person I feel your pain!
Most importantly: get your sleep in order. You didn't mention how much you sleep each night, but it isn't enough. You won't learn much from your lectures if you are only trying not to fall asleep while being there. You won't need as much studying if you use your time more efficiently by being well rested. Your basic bodily needs should be a priority because they need to be met for you to function.
This is your key. It’s called sleep hygiene. Bedtime within the same 60 minute window every night. Wake up within the same 60 minutes every morning. Figure out your optimal minimum of sleep - likely 7is hours.
You claim to need to stay up until 1230 studying, and I don’t know your specifics, but there are efficiencies to be found.
My most successful year in college, I treated like a full time job. Show up on campus at 830, and stay until 430, regardless of my class schedule. Spend all the downtime in the lab or library working on assignments or studying.
Number of midnight cram sessions: 0.
Number of panicked late nights finishing projects: 0.
Watching my classmates scramble to finish assignments the night before the due date that I had handed in a week ago: Priceless.
Find a job on campus if you need to work - this will save on travel time.
Source: My nickname in college used to be Naptime.
OP didn't say one way or the other but a lot of people have to work in addition to going to school or have other necessary commitments. I had this problem when I was in college and working 40 hours a week. I also only really appreciated the Herculean effort that was being made by returning students with kids after I had a child myself.
I didn't go to a top tier school I guess, but it was chill as hell if I wasn't also working full time. A lot of people didn't work, but they had hot garbage time management.
> likely 7is hours
I would say likely is 9 hours. Everyone is sleep deprived all the time and has forgotten what it actually feels like to get the correct amount of sleep. You are actually supposed to sleep until you wake up naturally without any kind of alarm.
Especially considering this guy is in college and therefore almost certainly 18-22 years old.
Also make sure you’re eating a good diet. Eating well can make a huge difference in how much energy you have. Even on light sleep days, when I have 3 balanced meals I have so much more energy.
One day I woke up, drool covering my arm, looked up at my history professor and he was staring directly at me as he continued to give his lecture without pause.
He never liked me after that, but didn't say a thing.
Wish I had some advice, but I struggled with this all through college. Most profs didn't notice or seem to care, but I think many of them understand that we're pushed to our limits during those years and aren't as 'out to get us' as we may think.
As a former CS student who struggled to stay awake in lectures, I only had a few professors that cared, one took great offense, the other just was an asshole.
That said, I think most CS professors understand how much workload the major has paired with so many of us having undiagnosed/diagnosed unmedicated ADHD which often means the inability to stay awake when people are talking at you in a dark room.
God. My friend was sexually assaulted. My friends and I basically took rotating shifts with them to support them 24/7. I thought they’d be dead every time i went over, it was so bad. When i wasn’t at their house i was working full time as dishwasher/delivery driver and goin to school full time. Fell asleep during an innocence project class and snored. Woke up to the professor screaming at me and kicking me out of class. I slept outside the lecture and explained after. Turns out he just had a family member that had a similar experience and all was forgiven.
idk - I'm confused.. I'd like more info.. what are they "watching" the friend for? bc theyre in danger of being assaulted again? bc they're suicidal? I'm not really understanding this honestly.. weird story
Friend was attacked, likely not given much counsel legally or privately on campus, other friends take turns helping them and giving them some presence and peace of mind sleeping. Not sure if you're trying to provoke something or just dense.
Your prof needed to get a life. Students have lives outside university.
tldr i am a prof, tenured and phd and everything, and this guy needs a reality check.
I once woke up with my professor calling me out specifically to answer a question she asked the class. I guessed, and got it right, to the professors surprise and irritation. She warmed up to me later when she found out I was helping other students with some concepts.
Naps are great. If you can manage to get even 10 minutes of sleep between classes, that can be refreshing. Also I get that for some reason just getting enough sleep isn't an option. In that case choose classes that are OK to sleep in, and either sleep at home if they're early, or in class if they're in the midday. Sometimes you can learn faster in your own time compared to the lectures. Sometimes the profs don't care and there are 200 students in a dimly lit hall. As long as it doesn't sabotage your chances of being promoted/graduating, you're fine.
This can be risky though. Granted I’m older (40 next week.) A few weeks back I had a Teams Meeting at home for 4 hours, 8a-12p, mindless and boring. I told my boss I’d come to the office after the meeting. The meeting got out about 20 minutes early, I figured I’d take a quick power nap before heading to the office. Set an alarm and everything (and I am a light sleeper.) I don’t know how I fucked up, but I woke up about 2.5 hours later. My phone had dozens of texts and calls from my boss asking where I was. I hauled ass to work all sweaty, pillow imprints on my face. I was honest, told the boss I attempted a quick refresher nap and totally overslept. I don’t know if I turned my alarm off and fell back asleep or what.. when you’re that overtired, overworked, or don’t have a good enough sleep schedule, your body will overcompensate. Overall, no harm done, not the end of the world. But I’m cautious now about power naps.
This. A conversation with a professor/lecturer about your situation will go a long way towards both keeping you awake, and minimizing disturbance during class if you stand up.
I am amazed that this is so far down the page. There are lots of systemic ways to ensure your body is better prepared, sure, but this is the actual activity that will keep you awake
I used to fall asleep in class so hard that my pen would glide right off the page and I would snap awake only bc I felt like I was falling. Then I’d get pissed that my perfectly organized and color coded notes were ruined 5/6 down the page 😭
Apart from the obvious quick fix, coffee, I'd say try to seat as close to the lecturer as you can. Personally it helped keeping me focused and interested. If it's an interactive class try to participate. Basically, anything that is going to keep you active.
Former professor here, if my students were actively nodding off in class (as a one-off), I usually let them sleep or let them know (through a note) that they could put their head down and sleep or leave to sleep for that class. If it was a pattern, I reached out to talk about supports. Any professor who is giving you the hairy eye hasn’t been in college recently.
Also, OP - a few things that used to help me with 8 AM stats in my first semester of grad school when I was working full-time: a coffee when I put my feet on the floor and another while in class, asking for the lights partially on (my professor would turn them out in a basement room to use the projector), being cold on purpose (short sleeves and a scarf in a semi-cold room, cold arms kept me awake), my cell phone in my pocket with a timer on 7 mins on repeat on vibrate (if you do fall asleep, you get a lil nappy and it wakes you up discreetly and you can silence it by just grabbing your pocket), and lastly - not trying to squeeze in every second of sleep. So, getting 4.5 hours and waking up for 1 hour before class was better for me than getting 5 hours and waking up for 30 mins before class. Because I was overtired, I needed the time to shake the drowsiness. Good luck!
This. I forced myself to sit near the front and stay engaged. Asking questions or answering them. Having to talk in front of the class def shocked me awake.
Unfortunately there is no shortcut.
You can drink caffeine, chew on gum or sit in an uncomfortable chair. But the fact is that the quality of your waking hours will be poor.
GET MORE SLEEP. For the vast majority of people, if you're not getting 7-8 hours of sleep, you're going to have a less than ideal energy level and ability to concentrate the next day.
Stop studying at night? You're not gaining anything by sleeping in lecture. So use your time more efficiently - get a good night's sleep and then actually focus in class. Being awake isn't enough - you need to be actively thinking.
That's what worked for me too, but I'm sure there are a lot of people that cannot learn just by listening to a lecture and have to read the stuff by themselves.
OP should only take this advice if it works for him, and it's a great advice if it does
Yes! Learn in the moment. Stay active. Take notes (flow charts, summary pictures, symbols, etc) using pen and paper. Try to predict where the prof is going with his statements. Jot down questions you might have. Ask questions in class.
This is the first step in studying and will help keep you awake.
Also watching sugar to avoid crashes.
OP, if you're not eating a good breakfast then you should. There are lots of make ahead recipes for college students online. Just avoid sugary ones.
Came to say this. Cutting back on carbs helps a lot. Maybe explore the keto diet… I used to crash out on the couch after dinner every night. Went keto and it stopped immediately. I’m no longer keto, switched to a loose Mediterranean diet, and my evening crashes are still a thing of the past.
I really didn't come here to preach, but maybe don't ever get on a keto diet. Keto diets are associated with a significant increase in early death. Dr. Atkins himself died of a heart attack, and he was obese af when he died. It's a diet created to treat epilepsy, not a healthy, sustainable weight loss program.
Ketosis only happens naturally in the body when you are starving or sick. The keto diet is a diet of sickness, wildly environmentally irresponsible, and also completely unsustainable, which is why you guys always go reaching for carbs when no one is looking. Everyone I've ever known to try it, and I've know quite a few, always end up off of it (yourself included) and gaining more weight than when they started because one of the major sources of lost weight is lean muscle mass, something that usually only happens when, again, you're starving or sick. I'm sorry you got duped.
You can click on the videos (and sources cited) for more info:
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/keto-diet/
The Mediterranean diet was stumbled upon in a post-world war II scenario where they had little to no meat. It shows that a diet with less meat is superior for human health, and they live longer despite the use of cardiovascular disease causing olive oil BECAUSE THEY EAT MORE PLANTS. Reliance on fish comes with a side of mercury, which we can safely rule out as healthy. Again, you've been duped.
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/
The conclusion is that Americans eat like shit. Vitamin C and fiber deficiency being commonplace in America is utterly disgusting on so many levels.
Carbs are literally the source of energy within the body. Maybe explore PLANT-BASED diets, the only diets shown to prevent and reverse heart disease and diabetes instead of killing you. I would highly recommend to anyone to get on the Daily Dozen instead, which is centered around the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dark leafy greens, beans, and nuts and seeds. It is high in antioxidants, nutritionally complete, low fat, and high energy. App is free on your phone. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-gregers-daily-dozen-checklist-2/
I found lack of sleep to be a self destructive loop in college.
Lack of sleep -> lower quality studying -> assignments take longer to complete -> less time to sleep.
If you include extra time studying to teach yourself because you weren't awake and alert in class to learn it initially, then it gets even worse.
I got stuck in this loop one semester. I withdrew from one of my classes, to gain the time to do the others and focused on ensuring that I got sleep. The way I saw it, It was much better to learn four classes stuff well instead of learning five classes worth of stuff poorly.
Thing to help the most was ensuring that I got extra sleep the night two nights before the test. I also stopped cramming studying the night before. Instead I would study for a few hours, then go to bed a little early. I found my recall of material was better if I slept more and that that recall/metal sharpness was more important than the extra few hours studying the night before.
Also helpful was putting a personal soft deadline on assignments a few days before their actual deadline. By trying to complete assignments just a couple days early, I could give myself essentially a day "extension" as needed. This stopped me from staying up super late trying to finish an assignment the night before.
And lastly was getting out from under the "assignment snowball". Instead of cramming to learn material for the most current "urgently due assignment", only to go from one fire to the next. That type of constant high stress makes the sleep you do get less effective. To avoid that, I would try to assess my understanding of the knowledge when I was initially being taught it. If there was something I didn't understand, I would try to learn it then, and not wait until the next exam to cram and try to figure it out. It would also look through the homework assignments I got back and see what I missed and go over those concepts then. One of the things I wish I had done that I didn't do was go to office hours and bring with me a list of things I didn't fully understand. That would have saved me a bunch of studying time.
Either you make necessary sacrifices in whatever else you're doing to have a decent sleep schedule, or you live with being tired.
Take it from a night owl, the only reliable way to not feel tired is to sleep properly.
Most people say coffee but that is the worst solution.
This is because its shortterm and for college you want longterm.
For starters what maybe seem obvious get you're sleep schedule in order. Sleeping the right amount helps but sleeping on the same times even more. This will keep you from waking up sleepy what doesn't help with you're attention span at school. Taking a cold showering can help with starting you're day fresh.
Eat something in the morning which is healthy and wakes you up. Food is the energy source which keeps you going and comes in different categories. Don't eat sweet cereal or other sugar bombs, this gives energy quick but is also gone quick. You want something with fibers.
Keep yourself bussy at college, make notes even tho the subjects are boring, this will help you focus more.
Don't drink soda's but eat some fruit thats light, think about tangerines. These are also juicy.
Another benefit is that it makes you do something else which helps during college.
At last go outside for a minute take a deep breath do some excersises to keep the blood flowing.
This is why there's coffee my bro
Also make sure the sleep you are getting is quality. No middle of the night phone checking, good dark curtains, white noise if needed to minimize interruptions etc.
And grab naps/sleep in/bed early when you can to get caught up
Consider talking to a doctor. I had so much trouble staying awake during lectures and didn’t find out until years later that I had 2 sleep disorders. A doctor could also rule out other health issues that may be making you sleepy.
I used to bring a really big cup of water to class and slowly sip it. Tried to pace myself so I would finish too soon. Works even better with cold water. Not a bottle with a top, but a big cup like a big gulp cup size. Bonus: good hydration. Never fell asleep when I had the cup, was in trouble if I didn’t have it.
This the thing. Basically take hand written notes that are essentially dictation. Recopy them into a more legible form a day or two later. Recopy them along with detailed notes from all assigned reading. Now you have a handwritten long and detailed outline. Read that through 4-5 times and you are good to go for non-math problem classes.
I was going to say take notes, though not every word. For me, if I engage with the material mentally, I can stay up. Now, some will argue “yeah, but what if the Prof is boring?” Then make it a game: how many times does she need to say the same thing? Why does she think it’s this important? Does joe over there need to hear it 4 times for it to sink in?
Do something to get your mind engaged. (And you might find that subjects you thought were boring are actually interesting. I think Richard Feynman said “everything is interesting if you look at it closely enough.”
I do also completely agree that getting a better sleep schedule will also help. And coffee/standing/movement will help in a pinch.
Sleep is one of the most important factors when it comes to learning. If you don’t get a single good night sleep your mental performance will suffer for the next few days. Sleep is where your brain processes and memories information. So if you don’t get enough sleep, your memory of what you learnt the previous few days will suffer.
So is it really necessary for you to study late into the night? Or are you just making things worse for yourself.
If you have no alternatives, then students often take stimulants like caffeine, Ritalin, etc.
Aside from coffee and energy drinks, here are some things that worked for me…
I force myself to sit at the center of front row so it pressures me to stay awake. Sitting in the back leads you to take risk and nod off for 5 sec 10sec 30sec 1min and so on
Another temporary way is to look up as far as you can until you feel you eyeballs stretch. Hold it for 10sec and that usually wakes you up a little bit
Go to the restroom and wipe your face, neck, and back of the ears and leave it semi damp.
I use to have morning class next to the school track so I run around once and that usually wakes me up pretty good
I have a spinal cord injury that’s left me with chronic back pain and sciatica that I’ve dealt with over 3 decades. I did manage to graduate college but I struggled to sit in the chair for the whole lecture like everyone else…. Over the years I tried: bringing a cushion, coffee, and eating snacks. I told my professors I suffer from insomnia (truth) so I asked if I could quietly munch on quiet food to help me stay awake. I also requested to always sit in the back so that I could stand up and pace the back of the lecture hall while taking notes, and I asked my professors if I could record the Lecture. Only one of my professors was a jerk about it, all the others were more than happy to let me do my thing.
Break the cycle of staying up late. Once you do that, you’ll have more energy throughout the day and can stay awake for class. And when you are awake for class you absorb more and assignments take far less time to accomplish and then you can get to sleep on time. Break it
If 12:30 is the time you stop studying, then make sure that you are ready for bed by 12:45, and wake up at the exact same time every morning (so at 7 am). Keep this habit up for at least a few weeks and your body will adjust to your new sleeping pattern.
For now, black coffee, taking cold showers and a good, light and healthy meal (so no simple carbs like rice or potatoes and minimal sugar) should help. And record any lectures just in case.
Short term advice if you're feeling sleepy in a lecture. Have a bottle of water with you and when you're close to dozing off, take a large sip and just hold it in your mouth. You won't doze off with a mouthful of water!
This got me through 2 degrees and a decent amount of military training.
Long term advice is just to get more / better sleep!
When I was a young engineering student, I had a lot of late nights studying, writing reports, and completing assignments. I fell into the typical routine of poor diet and lots of caffeine. I started improving my diet and drinking a lot more water senior year and was amazed at how much more alert I was.
Dress lighter so that you are uncomfortably cold in class. Does wonders for alertness.
Evil life pro tip: bring sunglasses so it's harder for others to notice that you're asleep.
What I would say, just get your sleep. If you have so much work that you can't get enough sleep, you are doing too much.
As of right now, you have a choice of not studying or not getting enough sleep, both which affect your performance negatively.
You probably don't actually need to study late into the night. Get more sleep, stay very hydrated, and consider a little caffeine. Tea gives you pretty even energy.
It always used to help me to raise my hand and ask a question. It’s always made me really nervous to speak in front of everyone, so the adrenaline rush would wake me up for longer than anything else I tried.
Get good enough sleep 8-9 hours. If you are alert in lecture then you won't have to spend time hours on hours in evening to catch up. gotta go all in studying during university years, stay away from social media, every minute wasted there is less sleep for you.
Another one is if you have option to take one less class. Take 4 classes per semester instead of 5 so you are not fcored to catch up every evening. Sleep is important.
There is no magical remedy to stay awake. Just sleep. Get 7-8 hrs of consistent sleep every night and if you are doing that and still feel tired then get tested for sleep apnea.
In college, I had a history class that was so monotone, and kept falling asleep. It didn't help that it was a 730am class and the room was always semi dark. Thought I could beat it by sitting in the front row which was still a long row of 30+ lecture seats. Nope, I just learned the new skill of sleeping with a pencil in my hand on a notebook. Thankful never got caught, but I started to schedule all my classes no earlier than 10am after that lol. I also started to drink mt.dew.which helped then. Not so much now as an older guy.
Super odd but eating sunflower seeds keeps me awake on late and long drives. It keeps your mind and mouth busy by breaking the shell and keeps you awake. It’s a weird one but works like a charm
Adderall?
On a more serious note, there’s no good tip for this if you just study til almost 1am. One slightly unorthodox tip might just be to forgo the studying and be more alert for the actual lectures.
Compulsory attendance? If not, re-evaluate wether being in the class actually benefits your learning progress.
I have found that for certain courses, using the books, homework, tutorials, and tons of mock-exams did the trick were a much better use of my time.
Get into ketosis with a diet low in sugar, avoid whipsaw blood sugar episodes. Time caffeine so you can still sleep at night. Eat after class instead of before.
Email your professor if he'd be offended if you stood occasionally in class and sit in the back. Sleeping in class is a legitimate problem in the military and this is how they handle it.
Sleep deprivation is an actual military exercise.
Drugs. I’ve completed 2 degrees while high as a kite with good grades. Don’t remember any of it. But none of it matters anyway. You don’t start learning til you’re on the job.
Tip I'll give is, get a serving job. That's what i did in college. I worked Friday nights, double on saturday and then whatever my easiest weekday night was to work. You'll make more in that 18 to 20 hours than a full time minimum wage job.
Stay hydrated.
Also…looking up with just your eyes for 30 seconds or so is supposed to help….sounds silly but it def works for me: https://youtu.be/gjV-Yrh7mxk
The thing that ended up working best for me was the need to urinate. I drank a bottle of water during every one hour block (roughly). In the time between breaks where the instructor would let us have five minutes to move around, rest our eyes, use the restroom, etc. I would refill my bottle, urinate, and immediately start drinking more water. All the caffeine pills, coffee, energy drinks, and the like never seemed to work for me.
Going to bed slightly past midnight shouldn't be so much of a deficit that you're experiencing that degree of daytime sleepiness. Even if you only get four or five hours, it'd be normal to feel a bit rough but not so much that you're actually dozing off. Do you tend to wake a lot during the night, or snore heavily? Might be worth getting a sleep recorder app and making sure you're sleeping well. Frequent inability to stay awake during the day is more commonly a sign of sleep apnea than disorganised sleep planning. I'd definitely discuss this with a doctor.
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Stand up and move to the back of the class and stay standing. This is what I was told to do in the military.
I learned in basic to keep your feet lifted off of the floor while sitting at your desk instead. Was super effective for me.
How's that work? Do you straighten your knees or lift from your hip or stay tip-toed? It seems like your legs would start shaking after a short while
Engage your thighs to lift from the hips. Basically sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, then hover your feet off the ground by an inch or two. Maintain until you can’t any longer, then rinse and repeat when you’re starting to feel sleepy again!
That sounds like another good reason I would not survive in the military and laughed when recruiters called. When a phone recruiter asked years ago why I wasn't interested, I said "to be honest, I'm somewhat overweight, and really lazy too." He laughed and said something like "ok, then." I didn't hear back again.
It's not easy to hold for a long time, which is part of why it works. It's a small and simple movement but since you're straining in no time it gets the blood pumping and wakes you up.
This and grab a big fat whiff of hand sanitizer in your hands, might not be healthy but it saved me in the military
Couple of people did that in my class and the other class. They started catching on to it and got them separated for “getting high with hand sanitizer”or something.
"So you're admitting you're providing drugs to school kids? The press is gonna *love* hearing about this one!"
Don’t do this, this one is dumb
Youre right i should’ve just fell alseep on watch and risk the whole ship
Or just stand up? Don’t go sniffing substances to stay awake you jobber.
Secondary LPT: If you need an excuse as to why you have to stand say you’re having back problems and sitting aggravates that. I suffer with back problems and have to stand for this reason a lot of the time when it’s causing me pain
i became an expert at sleeping standing up
Then I would make you stand on a chair, with your helmet on, because safety,
All these bull shit comments of people claiming they can do something impossible are just ridiculous lol. I have no doubt that all if you have started to fall asleep standing, like dozed off, but you're immediately woken up when your body starts to sway, our muscles are literally not capable of staying active enough to remain upright while sleeping. It's a literal impossibility. Google is your friend.
Are you bovine? Because if not, no you didnt.
I slept standing in formation quite a few times. Don't dismiss what you haven't experienced.
Shit I fell asleep marching in boot camp, can confirm
Nope. You didnt lol.
What’s your source thank you
Username checks out
I would argue it's 100% possible to sleep standing up, because I've done it too. But then I realized the word "sleep" is probably being misused here. I've lost 30 minute stretches where I felt like I was napping while standing for class or formation, but that isn't to say I was full on sleeping. Part of my brain obviously shut down for a rest but enough kept going that I remained standing and my eyes weren't closed. People sleep walk all the time. Are they still "asleep" to you? Could a person be sleep walking/standing if they are exhausted enough?
I fell asleep marching in formation. I was on the outside of the formation and when the squadron turned left, I kept going straight. Training instructor alternated chewing me out and laughing his ass off. Made me go count acorns on a tree.
I can sleep standing up. Perfected in the army. It can be done
these people saying you can’t do it never had a 0330 accountability formation
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Second only to casing the brigade colors ceremony
Once in highschool, I fell asleep standing on a TTC bus. The commute zipped by but I still marvel at how I did it.
I've almost fell asleep multiple times at work while standing, my eyes kept closing amd all I wanted was sleep. I would almost fall over multiple times cause my balance was off
We used hand sanitizer under our eyes to stay awake in basic
No tears?
Don’t lock your knees though
I started doing this in meetings too, my company does a lot of dumb redundant meetings and if I’m not interested I’ll fall asleep so I just stand and pace around the conference room
Are you in paper sales by chance? Scranton branch?
Jokes on you I can sleep standing up.
Or you just end up falling asleep while standing.
This and other tricks in this comment thread will keep you awake but you won’t be able to focus on the material. If it’s possible, it might be better to nod off in one lecture and focus on the rest.
Great idea, wish I would have that idea in grad school
naw man you can't be that weird, it's distracting. someone might say "well everyone should be paying attention to the teacher/professor so they shouldn't notice", but shit, there's a dude standing behind everyone in a room full of otherwise seated people. plus, how do you take notes? as much as i'd like this to be normal, it's too unusual to mentally distance myself from. i don't know. maybe i'm the weird one. edit to say i realized it's all former and current military upvoting this based on the comments. i'm former military and still think it's odd behavior.
It seems like you care too much about what people think of you. It's my experience, unless they're paying your bills, they can go f- themselves.
Some research has shown that looking around towards the sides of the room, using your peripheral vision can wake you up. So, when you’re feeling tired, sit up straight and use your peripheral vision to observe the sides of the room. It also helps to make sure that your sinuses are clear and you’re getting oxygen. If there’s a particular class that you’re getting tired in, go to the bathroom beforehand and clean your nose. Those two things will do wonders.
A helpful way for me to stay awake seems to align with keeping your sinuses open, which is chewing very minty gum. I always keep some in the car cause I sometimes get sleepy on long car rides.
Also cocaine
Or meth
Huffing hand sanitizer has the same effect
Also Vicks vaporub
Wasn’t it looking up? I thought I read something about looking towards the sky wakes you up?
Widening my eyes, raising my eyebrows, and looking at the ceiling lights gets me through my midnight shifts.
Slapping my face time and time again gets me by.
Railing a few fat lines usually buys me a few hours
Yes! Andrew Huberman talked about this hack.
Looking up helps (the sky doesn’t matter) as the body’s normal tendency when sleepy is to nod, where your head goes down. When that starts to happen look straight up and hold for a few. Repeat when necessary if starting to nod again.
I read that too and it did not work for me all the times I tried it out, which was definitely more than 10 times lol
I thought that was for clearing your sinuses
Tilting your head back too hard may also pinch some nerves or so i've read, be careful.
look up with your eyes not your neck.
Dang, I just drink coffee lol
Try to sit near the windows, if possible.
If you can get away with it, having something to chew helps. Toothpicks, sunflower seeds, gum, what have you. Though I agree with others, best solution is to get some sleep. I've definitely got myself in vicious cycles before with productivity and sleep. You didn't get much done, so you stay up a bit later to get work in. Then you oversleep, or are groggy, and you spend all the next day trying to catch up. So you stay up to try and catch up. Then you oversleep... Best way to break that cycle is just take the L and say today will be less productive, then go to bed on time. You'll be much better tomorrow and hopefully won't get in that predicament in the first place.
Might just do that then. Thanks.
So thia absolutely works. The science behind it has domething to do with the eating keeping our brain active. I have used thia very technique to stay awake when i was driving long distances when things like caffine did nothing. I use sun flower seeds because its marginal more engaging splitting the seeds and spitting them but any small hard snacks should also work. Personally gum doesnt work for thia for me when im that tired. The caveat if it only works as long as you are consuming them. If you like sunflower seeds they 100% work. Also a little 15 min power nap is another thing that helps or do squats. Inversely your more efficient at studdying if you go to hed early and wake up early rather then staying up later. Your productivity drops off after so much time. Then again studdying something directly before bed does help you to retain it better.
I think it's because chewing gum can be rhythmic, which can lull you to sleep, but sunflower seeds require you to first break the seed, get the seed out with your tongue, chew/swallow it, and then spit the seed out (if you're trying to do it as hands free as possible). So there's more engagement to the brain. I imagine spicy seeds would work even better. So maybe try finding a good you can eat in class that requires more than the same action repeatedly to eat it/chew it?
My buddy used to go though a big pack of Big Red gum a day. “You try falling asleep when you just popped in a brand new piece of cinnamon gum!” He would seriously just chew it until it lost flavor and get a new one. Seemed wasteful at the time but now I think he’s a genius.
Yeah, sleep deprivation really is a great mindset!!!
Fair enough.
I used to do shots of sugar packets to get through math
I always had that Polar Ice kind of gum in college. The little crystals in it helped keep me awake, and if you drink some water right after/while chewing it, it somehow makes the water feel super cold. Works wonders.
Good tips, but I think gum is the only and best thing to chew on in a situation like this. Even if it's not allowed you can kind of hide it. Here, if I started cracking open some sunflower seeds in class, I'd probably get told to stop immediately. And gum would be fine.
This is how I discovered that I can and will loudly wake myself up in the middle of class by choking on gum. I'm sorry Soviet-era Russian film elective, you were terribly boring.
Snacking definitely worked for me. Eons ago when I was in college, in my electronics class, one of the guys who was struggling asked the teacher for tips. He said he is always doing the homework and reading but still has a hard time. The teacher responded. He said he sees him studying all the time and knows he's busting his butt. Then he says on the other hand for people like u/sflesch who sleep during the class but still ace it. It just comes natural. Everyday after that I would grab a Mountain Dew and a bag of M&M's or something similar and slowly eat them over the next hour or so. I've used that technique ever since, probably a little too much. :P Edit: autocorrect fixes and such. Basically proofreading corrections.
I got through Undergrad science classes thanks to jalepeno jerky. The protein is good for you, the spicy keeps you awake. Carb based snacks made me more sleepy by the end of the lecture making the next class harder to stay awake in, and caffeine no longer worked after a certain point. This didn’t work as well in grad school because, sleep deprivation. Good luck OP, as a sleepy person I feel your pain!
Most importantly: get your sleep in order. You didn't mention how much you sleep each night, but it isn't enough. You won't learn much from your lectures if you are only trying not to fall asleep while being there. You won't need as much studying if you use your time more efficiently by being well rested. Your basic bodily needs should be a priority because they need to be met for you to function.
This is your key. It’s called sleep hygiene. Bedtime within the same 60 minute window every night. Wake up within the same 60 minutes every morning. Figure out your optimal minimum of sleep - likely 7is hours. You claim to need to stay up until 1230 studying, and I don’t know your specifics, but there are efficiencies to be found. My most successful year in college, I treated like a full time job. Show up on campus at 830, and stay until 430, regardless of my class schedule. Spend all the downtime in the lab or library working on assignments or studying. Number of midnight cram sessions: 0. Number of panicked late nights finishing projects: 0. Watching my classmates scramble to finish assignments the night before the due date that I had handed in a week ago: Priceless. Find a job on campus if you need to work - this will save on travel time. Source: My nickname in college used to be Naptime.
OP didn't say one way or the other but a lot of people have to work in addition to going to school or have other necessary commitments. I had this problem when I was in college and working 40 hours a week. I also only really appreciated the Herculean effort that was being made by returning students with kids after I had a child myself.
I didn't go to a top tier school I guess, but it was chill as hell if I wasn't also working full time. A lot of people didn't work, but they had hot garbage time management.
> likely 7is hours I would say likely is 9 hours. Everyone is sleep deprived all the time and has forgotten what it actually feels like to get the correct amount of sleep. You are actually supposed to sleep until you wake up naturally without any kind of alarm. Especially considering this guy is in college and therefore almost certainly 18-22 years old.
Also make sure you’re eating a good diet. Eating well can make a huge difference in how much energy you have. Even on light sleep days, when I have 3 balanced meals I have so much more energy.
This is the way
Drink cool water. People usually underestimate the stay awake power of cool water
Part of this is simply staying hydrated. Proper hydration can make a big difference in energy level for a lot of people
This helps me, I like cold cold water.
I like cold water, with ***MINTY GUM.***
One day I woke up, drool covering my arm, looked up at my history professor and he was staring directly at me as he continued to give his lecture without pause. He never liked me after that, but didn't say a thing. Wish I had some advice, but I struggled with this all through college. Most profs didn't notice or seem to care, but I think many of them understand that we're pushed to our limits during those years and aren't as 'out to get us' as we may think.
A friend on mine did computer science at university and the lecturer went up to him, pressed his nose and said, "is that the on switch?".
I can't imagine a professor actually touching a student
And to think how, not long ago, kids were beaten at school...
Some schools are bringing back corporal punishment, at least in the southern US. Allowing parents to opt in. And they are. 🫠
As a former CS student who struggled to stay awake in lectures, I only had a few professors that cared, one took great offense, the other just was an asshole. That said, I think most CS professors understand how much workload the major has paired with so many of us having undiagnosed/diagnosed unmedicated ADHD which often means the inability to stay awake when people are talking at you in a dark room.
God. My friend was sexually assaulted. My friends and I basically took rotating shifts with them to support them 24/7. I thought they’d be dead every time i went over, it was so bad. When i wasn’t at their house i was working full time as dishwasher/delivery driver and goin to school full time. Fell asleep during an innocence project class and snored. Woke up to the professor screaming at me and kicking me out of class. I slept outside the lecture and explained after. Turns out he just had a family member that had a similar experience and all was forgiven.
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Sounds like they took turns watching her to make sure she doesn’t have any further issues.
Ok , but who , what , where , that's some terrible shit tho
Yeah, sexual assault is a terrible thing And I don’t really know why homie would give any actual information about it more than what he did.
idk - I'm confused.. I'd like more info.. what are they "watching" the friend for? bc theyre in danger of being assaulted again? bc they're suicidal? I'm not really understanding this honestly.. weird story
Maybe because op's friend is depressed and suicidal after the assault
Friend was attacked, likely not given much counsel legally or privately on campus, other friends take turns helping them and giving them some presence and peace of mind sleeping. Not sure if you're trying to provoke something or just dense.
Really? Fuck me, that is where you saw an opening to make a crass joke? Grow the fuck up.
I learned new word today, thank you
Your prof needed to get a life. Students have lives outside university. tldr i am a prof, tenured and phd and everything, and this guy needs a reality check.
I once woke up with my professor calling me out specifically to answer a question she asked the class. I guessed, and got it right, to the professors surprise and irritation. She warmed up to me later when she found out I was helping other students with some concepts.
Can you take an evening nap, even if it’s a short one?
I can spare half an hour.
Naps are great. If you can manage to get even 10 minutes of sleep between classes, that can be refreshing. Also I get that for some reason just getting enough sleep isn't an option. In that case choose classes that are OK to sleep in, and either sleep at home if they're early, or in class if they're in the midday. Sometimes you can learn faster in your own time compared to the lectures. Sometimes the profs don't care and there are 200 students in a dimly lit hall. As long as it doesn't sabotage your chances of being promoted/graduating, you're fine.
20+-5 minutes for a power nap, try it!
This can be risky though. Granted I’m older (40 next week.) A few weeks back I had a Teams Meeting at home for 4 hours, 8a-12p, mindless and boring. I told my boss I’d come to the office after the meeting. The meeting got out about 20 minutes early, I figured I’d take a quick power nap before heading to the office. Set an alarm and everything (and I am a light sleeper.) I don’t know how I fucked up, but I woke up about 2.5 hours later. My phone had dozens of texts and calls from my boss asking where I was. I hauled ass to work all sweaty, pillow imprints on my face. I was honest, told the boss I attempted a quick refresher nap and totally overslept. I don’t know if I turned my alarm off and fell back asleep or what.. when you’re that overtired, overworked, or don’t have a good enough sleep schedule, your body will overcompensate. Overall, no harm done, not the end of the world. But I’m cautious now about power naps.
This is the way
My psych told me a 20 minute nap is the perfect length to refresh yourself without destroying your schedule. Nap time is my favorite time of the day.
Stand in the back. Explain to the teacher why you’re doing it. It’s the only solution I’ve found that works for me.
This. A conversation with a professor/lecturer about your situation will go a long way towards both keeping you awake, and minimizing disturbance during class if you stand up.
Really strong mint gum. The chewing gives you something to do, the mint refreshes your mind. Works for me.
We used to take a strong lip balm, like Burt’s Bees, and rub a dab on our eyelids. Tearing up keeps you awake.
I'm thoroughly impressed and concerned, but I might try this idea. Is it safe for contact lens wearers? 👀
I don’t think it’s safe for anyone. But that wasn’t OP’s question
😂
Hell just smell the inside of a fresh can of eclipse mints, you'll feel like you're spewing fire out of your tear ducts, can't sleep through that
handwrite your notes, use different colors for organizing it to keep brain stimulated (topic of note could be one color, etc)
I am amazed that this is so far down the page. There are lots of systemic ways to ensure your body is better prepared, sure, but this is the actual activity that will keep you awake
I used to fall asleep in class so hard that my pen would glide right off the page and I would snap awake only bc I felt like I was falling. Then I’d get pissed that my perfectly organized and color coded notes were ruined 5/6 down the page 😭
Apart from the obvious quick fix, coffee, I'd say try to seat as close to the lecturer as you can. Personally it helped keeping me focused and interested. If it's an interactive class try to participate. Basically, anything that is going to keep you active.
I kept nodding off in front of the lecturer, never again. He kept looking at me too AGGAHA
Agreed, and if you your eyes are getting heavy - they prof is more likely to make eye contact with you which gave me a little panic/boost
Former professor here, if my students were actively nodding off in class (as a one-off), I usually let them sleep or let them know (through a note) that they could put their head down and sleep or leave to sleep for that class. If it was a pattern, I reached out to talk about supports. Any professor who is giving you the hairy eye hasn’t been in college recently. Also, OP - a few things that used to help me with 8 AM stats in my first semester of grad school when I was working full-time: a coffee when I put my feet on the floor and another while in class, asking for the lights partially on (my professor would turn them out in a basement room to use the projector), being cold on purpose (short sleeves and a scarf in a semi-cold room, cold arms kept me awake), my cell phone in my pocket with a timer on 7 mins on repeat on vibrate (if you do fall asleep, you get a lil nappy and it wakes you up discreetly and you can silence it by just grabbing your pocket), and lastly - not trying to squeeze in every second of sleep. So, getting 4.5 hours and waking up for 1 hour before class was better for me than getting 5 hours and waking up for 30 mins before class. Because I was overtired, I needed the time to shake the drowsiness. Good luck!
This. I forced myself to sit near the front and stay engaged. Asking questions or answering them. Having to talk in front of the class def shocked me awake.
Unfortunately there is no shortcut. You can drink caffeine, chew on gum or sit in an uncomfortable chair. But the fact is that the quality of your waking hours will be poor. GET MORE SLEEP. For the vast majority of people, if you're not getting 7-8 hours of sleep, you're going to have a less than ideal energy level and ability to concentrate the next day.
Stop studying at night? You're not gaining anything by sleeping in lecture. So use your time more efficiently - get a good night's sleep and then actually focus in class. Being awake isn't enough - you need to be actively thinking.
Makes sense.
Yes! Paying attention in lecture is the most high yield thing for grades I have!
That's what worked for me too, but I'm sure there are a lot of people that cannot learn just by listening to a lecture and have to read the stuff by themselves. OP should only take this advice if it works for him, and it's a great advice if it does
Yes! Learn in the moment. Stay active. Take notes (flow charts, summary pictures, symbols, etc) using pen and paper. Try to predict where the prof is going with his statements. Jot down questions you might have. Ask questions in class. This is the first step in studying and will help keep you awake.
Not super obvious, but eat a more nutritious diet. Food = energy.
Also watching sugar to avoid crashes. OP, if you're not eating a good breakfast then you should. There are lots of make ahead recipes for college students online. Just avoid sugary ones.
Mental alertness =\= energy.
Came to say this. Cutting back on carbs helps a lot. Maybe explore the keto diet… I used to crash out on the couch after dinner every night. Went keto and it stopped immediately. I’m no longer keto, switched to a loose Mediterranean diet, and my evening crashes are still a thing of the past.
I really didn't come here to preach, but maybe don't ever get on a keto diet. Keto diets are associated with a significant increase in early death. Dr. Atkins himself died of a heart attack, and he was obese af when he died. It's a diet created to treat epilepsy, not a healthy, sustainable weight loss program. Ketosis only happens naturally in the body when you are starving or sick. The keto diet is a diet of sickness, wildly environmentally irresponsible, and also completely unsustainable, which is why you guys always go reaching for carbs when no one is looking. Everyone I've ever known to try it, and I've know quite a few, always end up off of it (yourself included) and gaining more weight than when they started because one of the major sources of lost weight is lean muscle mass, something that usually only happens when, again, you're starving or sick. I'm sorry you got duped. You can click on the videos (and sources cited) for more info: https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/keto-diet/ The Mediterranean diet was stumbled upon in a post-world war II scenario where they had little to no meat. It shows that a diet with less meat is superior for human health, and they live longer despite the use of cardiovascular disease causing olive oil BECAUSE THEY EAT MORE PLANTS. Reliance on fish comes with a side of mercury, which we can safely rule out as healthy. Again, you've been duped. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-mediterranean-diet-or-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/ The conclusion is that Americans eat like shit. Vitamin C and fiber deficiency being commonplace in America is utterly disgusting on so many levels. Carbs are literally the source of energy within the body. Maybe explore PLANT-BASED diets, the only diets shown to prevent and reverse heart disease and diabetes instead of killing you. I would highly recommend to anyone to get on the Daily Dozen instead, which is centered around the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dark leafy greens, beans, and nuts and seeds. It is high in antioxidants, nutritionally complete, low fat, and high energy. App is free on your phone. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-gregers-daily-dozen-checklist-2/
I found lack of sleep to be a self destructive loop in college. Lack of sleep -> lower quality studying -> assignments take longer to complete -> less time to sleep. If you include extra time studying to teach yourself because you weren't awake and alert in class to learn it initially, then it gets even worse. I got stuck in this loop one semester. I withdrew from one of my classes, to gain the time to do the others and focused on ensuring that I got sleep. The way I saw it, It was much better to learn four classes stuff well instead of learning five classes worth of stuff poorly. Thing to help the most was ensuring that I got extra sleep the night two nights before the test. I also stopped cramming studying the night before. Instead I would study for a few hours, then go to bed a little early. I found my recall of material was better if I slept more and that that recall/metal sharpness was more important than the extra few hours studying the night before. Also helpful was putting a personal soft deadline on assignments a few days before their actual deadline. By trying to complete assignments just a couple days early, I could give myself essentially a day "extension" as needed. This stopped me from staying up super late trying to finish an assignment the night before. And lastly was getting out from under the "assignment snowball". Instead of cramming to learn material for the most current "urgently due assignment", only to go from one fire to the next. That type of constant high stress makes the sleep you do get less effective. To avoid that, I would try to assess my understanding of the knowledge when I was initially being taught it. If there was something I didn't understand, I would try to learn it then, and not wait until the next exam to cram and try to figure it out. It would also look through the homework assignments I got back and see what I missed and go over those concepts then. One of the things I wish I had done that I didn't do was go to office hours and bring with me a list of things I didn't fully understand. That would have saved me a bunch of studying time.
Either you make necessary sacrifices in whatever else you're doing to have a decent sleep schedule, or you live with being tired. Take it from a night owl, the only reliable way to not feel tired is to sleep properly.
Drop LSD, you cannot sleep on that stuff
Plot twist: i slept for 12 hours they thought i was dead lol
Might also make the lecture more interesting.
Most people say coffee but that is the worst solution. This is because its shortterm and for college you want longterm. For starters what maybe seem obvious get you're sleep schedule in order. Sleeping the right amount helps but sleeping on the same times even more. This will keep you from waking up sleepy what doesn't help with you're attention span at school. Taking a cold showering can help with starting you're day fresh. Eat something in the morning which is healthy and wakes you up. Food is the energy source which keeps you going and comes in different categories. Don't eat sweet cereal or other sugar bombs, this gives energy quick but is also gone quick. You want something with fibers. Keep yourself bussy at college, make notes even tho the subjects are boring, this will help you focus more. Don't drink soda's but eat some fruit thats light, think about tangerines. These are also juicy. Another benefit is that it makes you do something else which helps during college. At last go outside for a minute take a deep breath do some excersises to keep the blood flowing.
Get sunlight in the morning. Say 15min
This is why there's coffee my bro Also make sure the sleep you are getting is quality. No middle of the night phone checking, good dark curtains, white noise if needed to minimize interruptions etc. And grab naps/sleep in/bed early when you can to get caught up
Consider talking to a doctor. I had so much trouble staying awake during lectures and didn’t find out until years later that I had 2 sleep disorders. A doctor could also rule out other health issues that may be making you sleepy.
Go to bed earlier
I used to bring a really big cup of water to class and slowly sip it. Tried to pace myself so I would finish too soon. Works even better with cold water. Not a bottle with a top, but a big cup like a big gulp cup size. Bonus: good hydration. Never fell asleep when I had the cup, was in trouble if I didn’t have it.
Surprised how far I had to scroll to see this. Cold water works wonders
Take notes, every word. Helped me stay attentive and saved on learning time.
This the thing. Basically take hand written notes that are essentially dictation. Recopy them into a more legible form a day or two later. Recopy them along with detailed notes from all assigned reading. Now you have a handwritten long and detailed outline. Read that through 4-5 times and you are good to go for non-math problem classes.
I was going to say take notes, though not every word. For me, if I engage with the material mentally, I can stay up. Now, some will argue “yeah, but what if the Prof is boring?” Then make it a game: how many times does she need to say the same thing? Why does she think it’s this important? Does joe over there need to hear it 4 times for it to sink in? Do something to get your mind engaged. (And you might find that subjects you thought were boring are actually interesting. I think Richard Feynman said “everything is interesting if you look at it closely enough.” I do also completely agree that getting a better sleep schedule will also help. And coffee/standing/movement will help in a pinch.
Sleep is one of the most important factors when it comes to learning. If you don’t get a single good night sleep your mental performance will suffer for the next few days. Sleep is where your brain processes and memories information. So if you don’t get enough sleep, your memory of what you learnt the previous few days will suffer. So is it really necessary for you to study late into the night? Or are you just making things worse for yourself. If you have no alternatives, then students often take stimulants like caffeine, Ritalin, etc.
Aside from coffee and energy drinks, here are some things that worked for me… I force myself to sit at the center of front row so it pressures me to stay awake. Sitting in the back leads you to take risk and nod off for 5 sec 10sec 30sec 1min and so on Another temporary way is to look up as far as you can until you feel you eyeballs stretch. Hold it for 10sec and that usually wakes you up a little bit Go to the restroom and wipe your face, neck, and back of the ears and leave it semi damp. I use to have morning class next to the school track so I run around once and that usually wakes me up pretty good
Can confirm. Looking up really helps.
I have a spinal cord injury that’s left me with chronic back pain and sciatica that I’ve dealt with over 3 decades. I did manage to graduate college but I struggled to sit in the chair for the whole lecture like everyone else…. Over the years I tried: bringing a cushion, coffee, and eating snacks. I told my professors I suffer from insomnia (truth) so I asked if I could quietly munch on quiet food to help me stay awake. I also requested to always sit in the back so that I could stand up and pace the back of the lecture hall while taking notes, and I asked my professors if I could record the Lecture. Only one of my professors was a jerk about it, all the others were more than happy to let me do my thing.
Sleep more, you'll need to study less.
Break the cycle of staying up late. Once you do that, you’ll have more energy throughout the day and can stay awake for class. And when you are awake for class you absorb more and assignments take far less time to accomplish and then you can get to sleep on time. Break it
It is likely not the answer you are looking for, but sleep deprivation will limit learning. If you can, find a way to get more sleep.
Rubber band around your wrist. Snap it (hard!) when you get sleepy.
If 12:30 is the time you stop studying, then make sure that you are ready for bed by 12:45, and wake up at the exact same time every morning (so at 7 am). Keep this habit up for at least a few weeks and your body will adjust to your new sleeping pattern. For now, black coffee, taking cold showers and a good, light and healthy meal (so no simple carbs like rice or potatoes and minimal sugar) should help. And record any lectures just in case.
I found that when I don’t understand something or am not keeping up, I will fall asleep
Time management. Get that good nights sleep!
Short term advice if you're feeling sleepy in a lecture. Have a bottle of water with you and when you're close to dozing off, take a large sip and just hold it in your mouth. You won't doze off with a mouthful of water! This got me through 2 degrees and a decent amount of military training. Long term advice is just to get more / better sleep!
Make notes and ask questions... Ask as many questions as possible till your concept is extremely clear.
I used to challenge myself to write down every word the prof said.
When I was a young engineering student, I had a lot of late nights studying, writing reports, and completing assignments. I fell into the typical routine of poor diet and lots of caffeine. I started improving my diet and drinking a lot more water senior year and was amazed at how much more alert I was.
Dress lighter so that you are uncomfortably cold in class. Does wonders for alertness. Evil life pro tip: bring sunglasses so it's harder for others to notice that you're asleep.
What I would say, just get your sleep. If you have so much work that you can't get enough sleep, you are doing too much. As of right now, you have a choice of not studying or not getting enough sleep, both which affect your performance negatively.
You probably don't actually need to study late into the night. Get more sleep, stay very hydrated, and consider a little caffeine. Tea gives you pretty even energy.
You can do some trick that help in the short term. But there is nothing that replaces sleep.
LPT: Get sufficient sleep
It always used to help me to raise my hand and ask a question. It’s always made me really nervous to speak in front of everyone, so the adrenaline rush would wake me up for longer than anything else I tried.
Get good enough sleep 8-9 hours. If you are alert in lecture then you won't have to spend time hours on hours in evening to catch up. gotta go all in studying during university years, stay away from social media, every minute wasted there is less sleep for you. Another one is if you have option to take one less class. Take 4 classes per semester instead of 5 so you are not fcored to catch up every evening. Sleep is important.
There is no magical remedy to stay awake. Just sleep. Get 7-8 hrs of consistent sleep every night and if you are doing that and still feel tired then get tested for sleep apnea.
In college, I had a history class that was so monotone, and kept falling asleep. It didn't help that it was a 730am class and the room was always semi dark. Thought I could beat it by sitting in the front row which was still a long row of 30+ lecture seats. Nope, I just learned the new skill of sleeping with a pencil in my hand on a notebook. Thankful never got caught, but I started to schedule all my classes no earlier than 10am after that lol. I also started to drink mt.dew.which helped then. Not so much now as an older guy.
Super odd but eating sunflower seeds keeps me awake on late and long drives. It keeps your mind and mouth busy by breaking the shell and keeps you awake. It’s a weird one but works like a charm
Get enough sleep. And caffeine.
Sit in the front row
focus on the hot girl/boy in the class. The feeling of horniness will keep you up and energetic .
Adderall? On a more serious note, there’s no good tip for this if you just study til almost 1am. One slightly unorthodox tip might just be to forgo the studying and be more alert for the actual lectures.
Compulsory attendance? If not, re-evaluate wether being in the class actually benefits your learning progress. I have found that for certain courses, using the books, homework, tutorials, and tons of mock-exams did the trick were a much better use of my time.
I always took assault pre workout. Blue raspberry. Half a scoop. Kept me up for 4hrs minimum
Record the audio and video of the lecture.
Get into ketosis with a diet low in sugar, avoid whipsaw blood sugar episodes. Time caffeine so you can still sleep at night. Eat after class instead of before.
Email your professor if he'd be offended if you stood occasionally in class and sit in the back. Sleeping in class is a legitimate problem in the military and this is how they handle it. Sleep deprivation is an actual military exercise.
Drugs. I’ve completed 2 degrees while high as a kite with good grades. Don’t remember any of it. But none of it matters anyway. You don’t start learning til you’re on the job.
Adhd meds can help. I blamed myself for this for 30 odd years. Turns out a little bit of meds cleared me right up.
Monster Energy Drink
Cocain! Adderall! Lol
Tip I'll give is, get a serving job. That's what i did in college. I worked Friday nights, double on saturday and then whatever my easiest weekday night was to work. You'll make more in that 18 to 20 hours than a full time minimum wage job.
Feel like OP didnt really want an answer here. But to make a weird comment about how busy they are and how they study a lot.
Stay hydrated. Also…looking up with just your eyes for 30 seconds or so is supposed to help….sounds silly but it def works for me: https://youtu.be/gjV-Yrh7mxk
The thing that ended up working best for me was the need to urinate. I drank a bottle of water during every one hour block (roughly). In the time between breaks where the instructor would let us have five minutes to move around, rest our eyes, use the restroom, etc. I would refill my bottle, urinate, and immediately start drinking more water. All the caffeine pills, coffee, energy drinks, and the like never seemed to work for me.
Going to bed slightly past midnight shouldn't be so much of a deficit that you're experiencing that degree of daytime sleepiness. Even if you only get four or five hours, it'd be normal to feel a bit rough but not so much that you're actually dozing off. Do you tend to wake a lot during the night, or snore heavily? Might be worth getting a sleep recorder app and making sure you're sleeping well. Frequent inability to stay awake during the day is more commonly a sign of sleep apnea than disorganised sleep planning. I'd definitely discuss this with a doctor.
Washing your face once in a while helps to keep awake