We all know the feeling: You had a late night and you feel like living death. The only thing that can pry you from your warm, comfy bed is the vague guilt of missing your responsibilities. Here are a few tips to get you ready to take on your day.
- The very first thing you need to do is not hit snooze. Seriously, don’t do it. As soon as your alarm goes off, get out from under the covers and turn on all the lights. You can also a quick check of your cell phone and let the light wake you up.
- Drag yourself out of bed and get to the shower, even if you have to zombie walk there. A shower will help wake you up and make you feel refreshed. It will also kick-start your morning routine.
- Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea. Some caffeine will help you get going and give you a small task to focus on while you’re preparing to take on the bigger responsibilities of your day.
- Have a light breakfast–not so heavy that you fall asleep but enough to pep you up. Some fruit or toast would be ideal.
- Throughout the day, keep drinking (water, coffee, gatorade, whatever you like)–the act of drinking will help keep you awake, especially if you have a job where you’re sitting at a desk all day.
- If you’re not at a desk, avoid sitting because sitting tends to lead to leaning, which leads to lying down, which leads to closing your eyes “just for a second,” which leads to full-on sleep. If you’re at a desk…well, that’s not fun. Try to alternate your tasks from rote to thinking to keep yourself from zoning out and making big mistakes.
- Keep moving if you can–take short walks and get some fresh air, which will invigorate you and provide a break from whatever you were doing.
- Keep a high-energy snack on hand for when you start to feel droopy. Almonds are a great choice. Granola bars are also good, but make sure they don’t have too much sugar. Sugary snacks and drinks (like energy drinks) will pick you up for a few minutes but give you a miserable crash soon after and that will be even harder to recover from while you’re still exhausted.
- Dress in layers. When you’re exhausted, your body temperature can feel a little wonky. Simple layers will stop you from getting alternating chills and sweats.
What do you do to deal with a night of no sleep? Tell us in the comments and on our Facebook page!
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