Tips for pulling an all nighter

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. ~Leo J. Burke

Today I was reading a recent article on Jonlee.ca about his set of tips for prolonged Computer Usage.

Most of them where the standard; not to use a bright monitor, Posture, Take Breaks, and Avoid High Caffeine Drinks but I didn’t agree with all of them.

• Room lighting - He suggested that you keep the room dark after the sun has set. This is not a good idea for a few reasons. When we where young as a species before there was artificial light we went to sleep when it got dark. This programing is still in us to this day , When its dark go to bed. A dark room just enforces the idea of sleep in our bodies. One of the other points he made was about not using a bright monitor, if you are in a dark room with any monitor it will be pretty bright compared to the rest of the room and bad for your eyes. If you are going to work long hours work in a well lit room.

My own tips for pulling an all nighters

A all nighters in my books is when you see the sun come up before you head to bed. I’m lucky in my programing job nothing is super time critical so I almost never have to pull an all nighters at work. My private life on the other hand I regularly work strait thou the night on Friday, sleep most of Saturday, go out on the town Saturday night, crash out of shear exhaustion on Sunday. Its not a good thing to do to your body but sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

• Take a shower - One of the best ways that I have found to keep going when I am past my 20th strait hour is to take a shower. The water wakes me up right away and I tend to do my best thinking when i am way from the computer anyways. Take a break and take a shower.
• Dark background with white text - Most good editors allow you to change the color schema of your workspace and having dark backgrounds with light text puts a lot less stress on your eyes. With less stress on your eyes it should be easier to keep them open.
• Eat high natural sugar food - An apple or a mango or some kind of natural fruit juice helps alot to keep you up. An apple keeps you up with out the sudden crash of energy that you sometimes can get with chocolate bars and pixi sticks.
• Eat a 4th meal - If you are up for a longer time eat anther full meal. Stop around 3-4 am and have a 2nd dinner to give you the energy to continue the night. Don't eat fatty foods like hamburger and french fries they will put you strait to sleep.
• Loud music - Listen to some loud music, metal, punk, or something very active. My all night play list includes Mudvyan, Lamb of god, Chimaira, MSI, Freestylers, and Slipnot.
• Walk around - After a few hours of stitting at your desk, get up and take a walk, get the blood pumping again, get some oxygen to your brain.

What are your tricks for staying awake for all nighters?