You finally crawled into bed at four in the morning after finally finishing your English paper. Procrastination seemed like a perfectly acceptable option last night, but with the morning sun comes debilitating regret. There’s no way around it: you need to remove yourself from the warm comfort of your bed, find your way to class, and keep your eyes wide open. You might think that this task is impossible, you might as well spare yourself the embarrassment of falling asleep in class and stay in your toasty blanket cocoon. However, students have been studying the science of how to stay awake in class for hundreds of years, and with their knowledge, you will soon be staying awake in class like a professional. Before you go to bed, gather everything that you will need the next morning. No matter how tired you are at night, you will be even more so in the morning. Lay out everything from your school supplies to your toothpaste, because it’ll be a nightmare you remember when you are an early morning zombie. Be sure to lay out a decent breakfast, because diet is truly the key to staying awake when you’re falling asleep. Eat as soon as you wake up, because this will maximize the time for your body to start to digest your breakfast.
It might seem like a good idea to skip breakfast and catch a few extra minutes of sleep, but fifteen minutes of sleep will never equal a decent breakfast. After you eat, hone in on your caffeine stores. Coffee is, easily, the most effective caffeinated beverage, but tea will serve a similar purpose. If all else fails, caffeinated sodas and energy drinks will work, as well. Be sure to pack a snack for class, if your professor allows it. This is will keep your blood sugar up, in addition to giving you something to do with your hands. The best snacks are high in protein and carbohydrates, such a granola bars and trail mix. If you are unable to eat, almost all classes with allow water, so bring a large bottle of cold water! The cold will keep you invigorated and awake. Lastly, chew gum; mint has been known to keep people awake for centuries, and mint gum will certainly keep you from dozing off. While food can certainly boost your ability to stay awake, your mind is your strongest tool. You need to convince yourself that everything that you are learning is incredibly interesting. Even if you just pretend to pay attention, you’ll still be paying attention. Take notes, ask questions, and never lose focus. If you can’t convince yourself to focus on the teacher, focus on yourself.
Fiddling with jewelry and doodling are great boredom busters. Looking at other people can also keep you concentrated and conscious, try and read their minds and see what they are thinking, maybe they’re falling asleep too! A unique, but useful, way to stay awake is to play games within your head. For example, ration out your snacks and only allow yourself a bite every fifteen minutes. You can’t fall asleep with you’re salivating over the chocolate chip in your next bite of granola bar! Your mind can only take you so far, however, so it’s a good thing that the human body has many tricks to keep itself fully alert. When you sit down, be sure to sit with impeccable posture. Try to think of your body as a lower case letter “ h”. Keep your feet firmly planted on the floor, your back straight, and your head held up without using your hands. This position might seem uncomfortable, but it’ll increase blood flow to your brain. Rubbing your ear lobe, an inconspicuously located pressure point, and encourage blood flow, as well.
The rubbing motion is a great fine motor movement to keep you awake, as are gum chewing, foot tapping, finger drumming, or even hair twirling. A last resort for keeping your body awake is to hold your breath. Holding your breath for a one hundred count will increase your adrenaline, waking you up. Be care with this, however, because doing it too much could decrease the oxygen to your brain, making you want to fall asleep even more! If you still find yourself falling asleep, you might try a visit to the bathroom. You might try to dance a little bit in the hallways to wake yourself up, as long as no one sees! When there, you could splash a little bit of water onto your face to perk yourself up. By employing these tips, you might be able to stay alert for a simple hour of class. Preparing for the next day, eating good food, staying mentally engaged, and keeping yourself physically alert are only half of the battle; you have to meet half way there with a decent night’s sleep and a healthy attitude!
