Make sure you don't fall asleep. What should you do to avoid falling asleep? Tea, coffee and energy drinks

Sooner or later, almost every person is faced with the question of how not to fall asleep if you want to sleep. There can be many reasons for this - deadlines at work, a study session, long night trips. It is especially difficult to stay alert while someone is sleeping next to you.

Some people drink liters of coffee, others listen to music - everyone has different ways of staying alert. At the same time, the brain can play a cruel joke: after finishing work, when you can finally go to bed, you can’t fall asleep! Let's find out how to properly overcome drowsiness.

10 ways to stay awake at work

It doesn’t matter how many hours you slept the night before – 7 or 3 – in some situations, sleepiness at work appears constantly. Especially if the person is a night owl, and he has to work in the morning. Then it is especially difficult to concentrate, because more than half of the working day is spent fighting sleep.

To avoid sleeping at work, you can use several effective methods. Their use will reduce drowsiness, increase blood supply to the brain, thereby provoking vigor, which is necessary for a long trip behind the wheel or when working in the office.

Perhaps car enthusiasts have already been able to learn something useful from the first block of our recommendations. But let's not dwell on this. Before you go on a long journey in your own car, check out proven methods to combat sleep while driving.

Rest before a long trip for at least 8-10 hours. A sound sleep in complete peace and quiet will provide you with vigor and strength, which cannot be replaced by more than one source of caffeine.
Turn on your air conditioner regularly to cheer up. Most importantly, do not forget to close the windows so as not to catch a cold.
The presence of a good interlocutor in the car- one of the best ways don't fall asleep. Pleasant communication conceals the duration and monotony of the ride, which often makes you feel sleepy.
After every hour or two of driving, stop the car and do eye exercises to relieve stress from them. First, blink actively, and then begin to move your gaze from a close to a distant object and back.
Chew sunflower or pumpkin seeds. This activity, as you know, is addictive, and therefore you are unlikely to be able to fall asleep. The only disadvantage of this method is the need to clean the interior upon arrival.

Anti-drowsiness medications

There are a number of medications that help prevent drowsiness.

Important: These medications should only be taken after consulting a doctor. Without prior consultation, you can cause significant harm to the body, especially if taken uncontrolled.

What to do if you always want to sleep

If drowsiness is a constant companion, regardless of the presence or absence of exercise, you should pay attention to the following recommendations. Following them will help to significantly increase your performance and maintain your vigor throughout the day.

Regular sleep. You should get at least 6-8 hours of sleep every day. A normal amount of sleep helps keep you alert for a long time.
Consumption of vegetables and fruits. Maintaining the required level of vitamins also significantly helps in maintaining required condition and helps not to fall asleep at the most unexpected moment.

exercise stress

Sex. An excellent source of endorphins and good mood. But here it is important to take into account that partners should both enjoy the process, in otherwise the desired effect will not occur.
Fresh air . Constant ventilation allows you to ensure a normal amount of oxygen in the room. This makes it possible to carry out its full transport through cells and tissues, keeping the brain alert.

Learning how to stay awake at work or in school will be useful for everyone. After all, a state of drowsiness can overtake any person at the most unexpected moment. What can you do if you feel sleepy, but there is no opportunity to rest and sleep? There are several effective ways to overcome lethargy and restore your former performance.

Let's look at a list of actions that will help you stay awake and fight drowsiness, wherever you are.

Take headphones. To ensure that the fight against sleep at work is not only effective, but also not tiring, turn on energetic music. If possible, sing along to the words or even dance. Choose not well-known and favorite tracks, but those that are unpleasant and annoying to you. By the way, in order to stay awake, you don’t have to turn on the music at full volume. On the contrary, if you listen to the words and melody over the quiet sound of the composition, your brain will perk up much faster.
Create conditions that are different from those that help you fall asleep at night. The question of how to stay awake in class is usually a little more difficult to solve. In the case of a work environment, you might want to turn on bright lights. If your body believes that it is time to wake up, then the internal clock will begin to fight drowsiness on its own. Turn on a bright lamp, and even if you are very tired, you will not be able to fall asleep.
Look out the window for a few minutes. If you don't know how to stay awake in class, and you can't turn on the lights brighter or listen to music, watch what's happening outside. More effective option– a short walk in the fresh air, or at least airing the room.
One of the most effective methods of overcoming sleepiness at work is to use ice. You won't be able to sleep while sucking on a cold piece. This is explained simply: exposure to low temperatures does not allow the brain to relax.
If you want to know how to stay awake in class, take a pencil or pen. The brain will think that you are about to eat and will begin to actively produce insulin.
How not to fall asleep during a lecture or how to fight sleep at work if you have neither ice nor a clean pencil at hand? Do everything to lower your body temperature a little: wash your face cold water, direct the air flow from the fan onto it. The easiest option is to take off your warm sweater;
Turn on your senses of smell. Both a pleasant and a bad smell can invigorate. If you don’t know how to overcome sleep at work and constantly suffer from hypersomnia, carry bottles of mint, blue eucalyptus, rosemary (plant oils) with you.
Not only the coffee itself helps you perk up, but also the smell of coffee beans.

Doing gymnastics

There are many exercises that you can do to forget about the desire to sleep. List of the most effective options.

Twists and stretches. If you stretch the muscles of your body, your blood circulation will improve. Stretch your neck, turn your head in different directions for at least 30-40 seconds.
Acupressure. Get to know acupressure exercises. According to it, to combat sleep it is necessary to influence the earlobes, points slightly below the knees, the backs of the hands, the neck and the top of the head. For massage, you can use a special massager or use the tip of your finger.
Get up and walk around the room. Your task is to stimulate blood circulation in any way. If possible, you should take a walk every half hour.
Jump in place, do push-ups, do squats. The simplest exercises can be the most effective. Don't strain yourself as if you were in the gym.
Sit on an uncomfortable chair. Do not lean your head against the wall or support it with your hand. Give up a soft and comfortable chair at least for a while. On a hard chair, you will need to keep your back straight. This will force the brain to send signals to the body not to relax.

Alternative solutions

If you want to stay alert for a short period, take advantage of the effects of caffeine. Drink a cup of coffee or strong tea. But keep in mind that you don’t often need to resort to such a remedy. Otherwise, the result will be the opposite. You won't sleep well at night. Accordingly, during the daytime you will experience a decrease in performance.

A good solution is restorative sleep. If possible, take a 20-minute nap. Your strength will be restored. A short rest will allow you to activate the cerebral hemisphere that is responsible for storing and receiving information.

Activate your mental abilities. If you wish, you can always remember some interesting film or book. Remember and reflect on them until you feel a surge of energy. It is also a good idea to think about what causes anger and irritation. After all, an angry person has difficulty falling asleep.

Laugh and chat lively with your colleagues or friends. Having a fun conversation will make you more active. Leave your office for a couple of minutes and call someone who brings joy and positive emotions into your life.

Do you constantly imagine how in a few hours your torment will come to an end and you will go to bed? Completely in vain. Thoughts have a huge impact on the state of the body. Don't forget about the placebo effect. If you convince yourself that you are cheerful and full of energy, then it will be so.

Drink a glass or several glasses of cold liquid. This can be ordinary clean water. Dehydration can cause drowsiness.

Pat yourself on the cheeks or feet. Painful sensations affect the brain, and it will respond to them in the way you need.

To avoid falling asleep at work or during a lecture, try to get a good night's sleep the night before.

List of used literature:

Neurology. Handbook of a practicing physician. D. R. Shtulman, O. S. Levin. M. "Medpress", 2008.
National Institutes of Health. NINDS Hypersomnia Information Page (June 2008). Archived April 6, 2012 (English)
Poluektov M.G. (ed.) Somnology and sleep medicine. National leadership in memory of A.N. Vein and Ya.I. Levina M.: “Medforum”, 2016. 248 pp.

Each person, depending on whether he is a “lark” or a “night owl” "and according to it biorhythms - your own activity mode. But an impressive part of humanity needs a traditional full night's rest. It is very important for replenishing the loss of vitality and energy, for maintaining the tone and working capacity of each person. But then force majeure happened: urgent night work, preparation for exams, or insomnia overcome against the backdrop of cloudy autumn weather. What to do later in the day, how to deal with drowsiness?

Cheering up at the afternoon service

To avoid wanting to go to the land of Morpheus while in service, you need to overload yourself with work. This rule has no exceptions. For a person actively involved in the work process, fatigue disappears as if by hand within 15-20 minutes. It is recommended to diversify the performance of job duties by talking with colleagues or talking on the phone with clients, suppliers, etc.

If you feel sleepy at work, try skipping a heavy lunch. Hearty food is a powerful soporific factor. It would be more appropriate in such a situation light snack– vegetable salad, fish or cream soup.

Don't sleep at night

How can those who are forced to work night shifts not fall asleep? The hardest time to stay active is between 3 and 6 am. During this period, you need to spend 5-10 minutes of every hour at an open window or go outside. The air, especially fresh in the morning, is very invigorating. You should not overdo it with tea or coffee. Dark chocolate is considered a much more effective way to ward off drowsiness. A couple of squares from the tile will provide the body with the necessary energy every hour.

If you have a long night of work ahead, then you need to start preparing for it in the evening. Point one – light dinner. The second is a contrast shower. This water procedure can be repeated overnight. And the greater the difference in water temperature, the more cheerful a person will feel. A cool shower will give you 2-3 hours of good performance.

As already mentioned, fresh air accelerates sleep. Therefore, you need to open a window in the room, and winter time you need to ventilate your work area as often as possible. The flow of fresh air goes well with warming up by an open window. In general, you need to take a break from work every 1-1.5 hours. Light exercise will be more effective if you massage your earlobes with your fingers after it. The Chinese claim that they are the main points of vigor on the human body.

Tonic drinks and food

The undisputed tonic No. 1 is natural coffee - a cup of this drink will drive away sleep for several hours. A glass of cold water with a few drops of squeezed lemon will serve the same purpose. A cup of green tea will also energize you. Mint added to tea will help shake up your body. You can chew a leaf or two.

A miracle cure for good brain function will be a bar of dark chocolate, thanks to which it is quite possible to last through the night. A handful of sunflower or pumpkin seeds, a few of any nuts - hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts - will play the same role, since eating them gives a stimulating effect. In addition, will they satisfy your hunger? without overloading the stomach.

The citrus family of fruits, from orange to lime, also have energizing properties. If you feel drowsy and lose energy, it would be good to eat some berries - blueberries, raspberries or blueberries. Well, if you don’t have any of the above at hand, perhaps you can find an apple - a wonderful tonic fruit!

Invigorating aromas and rhythms

Aromatherapy helps not only to relax, but to invigorate. The main thing is to choose the right incense for this procedure. The aroma of tea tree stimulates brain activity, and grapefruit oil will help get rid of unpleasant thoughts.

During night work, people often experience headache and discomfort in the eye area. Get rid of these discomfort A regular lemon will help. Its zest should be placed in gauze and this pad should be used to wipe the temples and forehead. The procedure can be repeated every 1.5 hours.

If possible, work should be periodically interrupted at night by listening to rhythmic music. This method will help disperse sleep during the most difficult period - in the pre-dawn hours.

There are situations when you have to stay awake all night. For example, you need to work or urgently need to prepare for exams. Some people prefer to drink coffee cup after cup, while others stock up on artillery consisting of energy drinks of all stripes.

You shouldn't do this all the time, because you risk making money serious problems with health. There are a lot of really useful and effective ways to help you stay awake. We'll tell you how to stay awake all night without harming your health.

Sleep is a natural physiological process that every person requires. It’s difficult to feel like you haven’t slept all night, but you can alleviate your condition as much as possible. Don't experiment with sleep all the time. A person cannot do without normal sleep for more than two days.

How to stay awake all night while lying in bed? First of all, do not take spontaneous actions. The best thing to do is make a plan to combat the sleepiness that comes over you. The following will help you stay awake:

If possible, try to sleep for at least an hour during the day. This will help you feel more comfortable at night;
If you have a long and sleepless night ahead of you, you can take a walk before going to bed. The brain is oxygenated and you will think much more clearly. An open window also helps, thanks to which you need to ventilate the room;
Don't overeat before bed, otherwise you'll feel sleepy. The feeling of hunger will stimulate brain function and, accordingly, you will want to sleep much less;
Feeling sleepy after midnight? Don't sit at low light. Turn on the lights in the house brighter and the brain will receive a signal that it is morning time;
A contrast shower is a good way to wake up. You will immediately receive a boost of vivacity and energy at night;
Warm up and light some incense sticks. It is important that the incense sticks have a strong smell. For example, the aroma of juniper, fir, and pine is invigorating;
Do your work while sitting. Do not lie down on the bed and take an uncomfortable position.

How to stay awake all night? Don't think about sleep. It is important to overcome drowsiness in any way. Usually stressful situations make the brain work more actively. You can give yourself a massage, sit in an uncomfortable position, turn on music in your headphones. Try to be distracted and not think about sleep.

Constant stress and lack of sleep can take a serious toll on your body. Days without sleep cause memory impairment and problems with coordination of movements. The person becomes irritable and nervous.

When awake, neural connections between brain cells are disrupted for about two to three days. The hormonal background of the body changes, coordination of movements is disrupted, speech becomes incoherent, hallucinations and delusional states may appear.

If a person does not sleep for more than 4-6 days, then serious irreversible changes begin in the body. A person loses memory, the speed of psychomotor reactions slows down, and severe hallucinations appear.

A seventeen-year-old teenager from the United States lasted the longest without sleep, staying awake for eleven days. But still, you shouldn’t experiment on yourself.

What not to do and how to recover after a sleepless night?

Don't drink alcohol. Many people believe that a glass of strong alcohol can invigorate you, but this is far from true. Alcohol is an antidepressant. Yes, you will feel euphoria for a while, but then you will suddenly want to sleep and cannot cope with yourself. In addition, you will experience the unpleasant sensations associated with a headache. Never mix alcohol and energy drinks.

Don't read or work while lying down. This is a natural physiological position in which slowly but surely you will plunge into the kingdom of Morpheus. Don't overeat, keep dinner as light as possible.

With special effort, it is not difficult to spend the whole day on your feet. But fatigue will still make itself felt. If possible, get at least half an hour of sleep. It will become much easier for you.

Be sure to take a contrast shower or wash your face with cold water. You can revive yourself with ice cubes. Have a drink hot coffee or strong green tea. Physical education helps a lot. During physical activity, blood begins to flow to the brain, and it works much faster. Don’t take any chances and be sure to get a good night’s sleep as soon as possible.

Medications to combat drowsiness

Falling asleep is a process that is natural for our body. A person must fall asleep so that the brain can rest and basic physiological functions can be restored. You should resort to drug therapy measures as a last resort, for example, when you have urgent work to do or you need to prepare for exams at the institute. It is better to use tablets that contain caffeine. The best drugs to combat sleep are:

Kaffetin. The therapeutic drug contains a high dose of caffeine. It has a stimulating effect on nervous system person. You can remain awake for up to eighteen hours. Do not abuse Caffetin as it overloads the heart and blood vessels;
Electric cock. Alcohol tincture of ginseng in the amount of 20-30 drops per 200 milliliters of water is drunk in the evening. Thanks to its action, you definitely won’t want to sleep for about 5-6 hours;
Bioxan+Driver. The biological supplement is sold in almost every pharmacy. It is created on the basis of Siberian larch extract. Natural energy drink invigorates, stabilizes the functioning of the brain and heart;
Magnesium B6. The effect is not immediate, but if you take the tablets for 3-4 days, you will definitely be able to feel much better at night.

By the way, there are special chewing gums or lozenges that contain about 100 mg of caffeine, enough to make you feel energetic and fresh. Ordinary chewing gum with menthol also helps a lot. When you chew, you are distracted and your brain becomes less tired over time.

Choose the safest drugs with the least side effects. Avoid medications with psychotropic effects, which can become addictive over time.

Which energy drink can you choose to combat sleep?

Energy drinks can be bought at any store. But you shouldn’t get carried away with them, as they negatively affect the functioning of the heart and blood vessels. They usually contain ginseng, taurine, and caffeine, which, when consumed, have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system.

You can drink coffee, but only if you do not have heart problems, as this drink increases your heart rate. If you don’t want to drink coffee, then buy energy drinks that contain the following components, such as:

Taurine. The substance increases endorphin production, helping to cope with mental arousal and stress;
Green tea extract. Thanks to green tea extract, energy increases and drowsiness disappears;
Guarana. Gaurana extract actively stimulates brain function;
Carnitine. With the help of carnitine, physical endurance significantly improves;
Schisandra chinensis. It is an adaptogenic and central nervous system stimulant.

Try to drink no more than two small cans of energy drink at a time. Never mix energy drinks with alcohol.

You will not be able to concentrate and will feel extremely bad.

Eat foods to stay energized

There are foods that give and take away energy. Our body obtains the necessary energy from sugar and fats. You can create a menu of foods that will guarantee energy before a sleepless night.

For breakfast, you should eat muesli or oatmeal, which give strength and energy for the whole day. Throughout the day, it is better to drink not black, but green tea, which perfectly stimulates the central nervous system.

Don't overeat in the evening. If you want to have a snack, don't eat meat or fish. It is better to eat fiber and fructose, which take longer to digest than the same meat steak.

Most of all, one feels sleepy after meat, fish, hot soups and broths, sweet, salty and peppery foods. If you really want something sweet, you can have a snack with coffee and a small piece of dark chocolate.

Get some sleep before a sleepless night

Believe me, it will be much easier for your body if you get a good night's sleep. But what if you don’t sleep and you’re worried? You can drink sedatives such as Afobazole or take a glass of warm milk before bed.

Try to get as much sleep as possible. You can take a mild sleeping pill. If you wake up closer to lunch, then a long sleepless night will be much easier to endure.

Use essential oils and aromatherapy

Essential oils are natural remedies that can give you a boost at night. They increase mental and physical performance. You can use them for aromatherapy or apply them to your wrist or temples. Application to biologically active points is good for health.

Not all oils have stimulating effects. Citrus oils based on grapefruit, lemon, tangerine or orange are good toning. You can buy several oils at the pharmacy and mix them. Inhaling citrus oils increases the production of adrenaline and norepinephrine in the blood and this makes the brain work much faster.

Peppermint and rosemary oils have an equally invigorating effect. You can add three or four drops of rosemary or mint oil to the aroma lamp, and you will immediately feel a surge of strength. You can look for black pepper oil at the pharmacy. It contains a large number of esters, such as limonene, myrcene, and linene, which stimulate brain activity, improving mood and overall well-being.

Healing plant extracts to combat sleep

They have a good stimulating effect on the human body. healing herbs. Unlike energy drinks and medications, they do not have a negative effect.

You can buy tinctures and herbal extracts inexpensively at the pharmacy, but remember that when consuming such products you must observe the safety of their use and do not increase the dosage without reason.

Alcohol tinctures should be consumed at the rate of 5-7 drops per glass of water. You can drink a maximum amount of 30-40 drops of the same ginseng tincture, but only if you do not have heart problems. What tinctures are the most effective?

Ginseng. This plant is one of the most popular and famous. It is used for a variety of medicinal and therapeutic purposes. Ginseng has an invigorating and tonic effect on the human body;
Echinacea. Many people know that echinacea tincture has an immunostimulating effect. Moreover, after taking the tincture, you will immediately be able to feel an increase in strength and good spirits;
St. John's wort. St. John's wort tincture stimulates the functioning of blood vessels in the brain, having a positive effect on the functioning of the heart and blood vessels.

Use alcohol tinctures with caution if you have heart problems, as they can affect the heart rate, which in turn can lead to arrhythmia.

Breathing exercises will help cope with drowsiness, thanks to which more oxygen will flow to the brain. If you feel drowsy, you can take a deep breath through your nose. Then hold your breath for a short time and make a couple of circular movements with your shoulder. After this, exhale smoothly and carefully.

The following exercise can be done standing or sitting. Take deep breaths in and out through your nose. As you inhale, turn your head to the right and hold the position while holding your breath and then exhale. It is enough to do three or four exercises, and you can forget about the impending sleep.

The following breathing exercise is simple and accessible. You take a deep breath and wrap your arms around your shoulders so that you touch your shoulder blades. You need to fix the sitting position and, as you exhale, sharply throw your arms down.

Healthy snack for the night

Of course, you don't need to overeat, but you can prepare healthy snacks for yourself that won't burden your digestion. You can prepare a vegetable mixture for yourself consisting of carrots, celery or cucumbers. There are minimal calories, but during such a snack your brain will begin to work actively.

You can prepare mixtures of apples and bananas, which will give you energy and help you effectively fight the onset of drowsiness. A variety of nuts and grains stimulate brain function well. For example, you can prepare a plate for yourself with almonds, walnuts, cashews, and hazelnuts.

Stimulate your body and mind

There are a lot useful tricks that help you stay awake at night. Stimulation helps to avoid excessive sleepiness and get into a working mood.

For example, you work at a computer and feel that you don’t have the strength to sit at the monitor. Just get up and walk around the room. You can do some household chores. Wash the dishes, wipe the dust, go through the things in the closet. Your brain will switch to another activity and then, when you sit down to work again, you will feel the long-awaited relief.

You can do some light physical activity. Do some stretching. Stretch your arms, feet, or forearms as far as you can. Make circular movements of your feet and shoulders, massage your neck and knead it with your hands. You can pinch yourself, but do not overdo it, otherwise you will cause yourself pain. Sometimes a foot massage or stretching your fingers helps.

Stimulating the mind is equally important. Try counting in your head or solving certain logical problems so that your brain is rebuilt and does not get tired over time. If possible, talk to someone. This way you can switch away from work. It’s worth listening to music or watching videos on the Internet.

We have selected the most effective and interesting methods that will help you last the whole night and not fall asleep. Remember that experiments with sleep are extremely dangerous to health and radical methods should be resorted to as a last resort. Radical methods of combating sleep include the consumption of energy drinks and medications.

Your body works in accordance with biorhythms, regardless of whether you are sleeping or not. Late in the evening, in the middle of the night, at dawn and in the middle of the day, inhuman fatigue will roll over you. You'll feel like if you don't lie down right now, you'll just fall asleep sitting up. This state will last about 20 minutes, and then a surge of vigor will come. But few people like to sit for 20 minutes in a state of suspended animation, so the body will have to be deceived. Coffee won't help here, but physical activity will. Get up, stretch, jump and do some exercises. The more active the movements, the better. Over millions of years, our bodies have not changed much, so physical activity outside of school hours means one thing - danger is somewhere nearby. You seem to be running from a saber-toothed tiger, otherwise why would you jump in the middle of the night? This means that the body mobilizes strength and drowsiness will disappear as if by hand. This also works during the day.

Don't drink too much coffee

Only the first cup invigorates, and all the subsequent ones only aggravate the situation and you become more and more sleepy. Here's the thing: caffeine is absorbed very quickly and increases blood pressure, so you'll feel much more alert within 15 minutes. But after an hour you will be even more drawn to sleep, and with each subsequent cup it will be more and more difficult to fight sleep. The fact is that coffee contains not only caffeine, but also theophylline, theobromine and vitamin R.R. These substances, on the contrary, lower blood pressure, which makes you want to sleep. Therefore, with each cup of aromatic drink, it’s like you’re rocking a swing more and more: you’re becoming more and more energetic every half hour, and then you’re being pulled more and more into a horizontal position. And the more coffee you drink, the more difficult it will be for you to fight sleepiness.

Drink green tea

A cup of green tea has as much caffeine as a cup of espresso. But its effect on your body will be much milder, and you will remain cheerful longer. The combination of caffeine and tannin found in tea works a little differently than caffeine alone.

Turn on the lights

If you need to spend a sleepless night at home, don't skimp and turn on bright lights everywhere, not just in the room where you are. The same goes for a cloudy day after a sleepless night. This is just a way to trick the brain: when it is light around, it is more difficult for it to go into sleep mode. If you haven't slept at night and need to spend the day at the computer, adjust your monitor settings: the brighter the colors, the easier it will be to fight drowsiness.

take a shower

Everyone knows that a contrast shower helps to cheer up. Of course this is the best remedy come to your senses after a sleepless night, but on one condition: if that night you didn’t drink anything stronger than coffee. If you come from a party in the morning, a contrast shower is contraindicated for you. Your blood vessels have already suffered, they don’t need the extra load now. You will be invigorated for 5 minutes, and then your head will hurt and you will fall asleep. It's better to take a warm bath and gradually change the water temperature to cool.

Make a coffee scrub

Don't skimp and don't use the grounds from your cup - you need freshly ground coffee. Apply shower gel to your body, then take a handful of coffee and rub yourself all over. The skin will become fabulously smooth, and the charge of vigor will definitely last for three hours.