4 Ways To Stay Awake

By Judy Lee ‘17

I want to preface this by saying SUFFICIENT SLEEP SHOULD BE EVERYONE’S GOAL. Sufficient sleep results in better health, better eating habits, better cognitive power, less cranky tantrums, hating the world a little less, etc.

However, it’s finals week soon and something’s gotta give. If you’re like me, a nice coffee can easily turn into a weird spiral headache. Because of this, alternatives are desperately needed so I don’t conk out before a final that will determine my GPA and my career and my life and…everything. Here are some ways I’ve found helped me out:

1. Eat Apples

Did you know apples don’t actually have more caffeine in them than an average cup of coffee?

However, they’re packed of natural sugars and give you a rush similar to a cup of coffee. AND you get to eat something healthy and feed your body good things while studying. How about them apples?

2. Eat Chocolate

Recent studies reveal what we’ve all dreamed of for so long: in the right increments, dark chocolate actually wakes us up and improves short-term cognitive ability.

3. Drink Tea

This is a given. Not a coffee person? Probably a tea person. Stick to green and black teas for good doses of caffeine. With the cold weather, this is also a charming alternative to a cup of coffee.

4. Strategic Napping

Kind of counterintuitive, but those who have mastered it swear by it. I’m still working on my nap timing (one of many valuable lessons college has forced upon me). According to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, a 10 to 20 minute nap can boost alertness! Need a longer nap? Sleep cycles generally run for 90 minutes. Here’s a cool calculator to let you know what’s an optimal time. Just make sure you have a reliable way of being woken up!!

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