Are you trying to stay awake for a movie marathon with your best friend? Maybe you want to stay up all night just to see if you can or do you have to "work" late to prepare for the exam? Since severe sleep deprivation is a health hazard, only keep someone awake if they ask you to.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Keep the Body and Mind Active
Step 1. Stay awake too
It is absolutely essential, so you can observe when your friend begins to doze off and you can intervene before he falls completely asleep. By staying alert, you can talk and support the other person.
Step 2. Keep it moving
Candidates who successfully go through the "hell week" of the US Special Forces Navy Basic Underwater Demolition and SEAL (BUD / S) training path, during which recruits are virtually awake for five consecutive days, say it is difficult to fall asleep when the body continues to move. The soldiers never stand still, they exercise and are "scolded" by their instructors. You can use one of these techniques to help your friend stay asleep:
- Create a circuit exercise to keep it moving; have him do 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, and 10 squats for as many sets as he can complete;
- Play by throwing the football at yourself or with soccer passes. Towards the end of "hell week" Navy SEALs instructors engage candidates in fun sports to keep them awake.
Step 3. Talk to him
Tell him stories out loud.
- Tell him your funniest story;
- Tell him one of the horror.
Step 4. Stay on your feet as much as possible
If you have to study late, take notes without sitting down.
Step 5. Give him a light nudge or shake him gently when you feel he is about to doze off
Ask him to move or get up immediately.
Step 6. Yell him out loud if he starts to fall asleep
This is a very common practice during BUD / S training, as recruits constantly receive shouted orders from the instructors.
Method 2 of 4: Change Environment
Step 1. Find or create a cold or cool environment
Soldiers following the Special Forces training path claim that it is virtually impossible to fall asleep when it is very cold. They must remain immersed for 15 minutes in water which barely reaches 16 ° C. However, you need to be very careful, as exposure to extreme cold can cause life-threatening conditions such as hypothermia.
- Make him drink a cold drink;
- Prepare an ice bath and ask him to soak for 10 minutes;
- Adjust the thermostat of the air conditioning system to make the room cold or cool;
- Tell him to take a cold shower for 10 minutes.
Step 2. Make him physically uncomfortable without causing him harm
According to a military man who successfully completed "hell week", people have a harder time falling asleep when they are not in a comfortable position.
- Wet it and cover it with sand; ask him to jump into a body of water and roll on the ground just like the BUD / S military do;
- Have him sit in the most uncomfortable chair you have;
- Take away the blankets and pillow.
Step 3. Turn the music on loud
Loud sounds prevent falling asleep.
Listen to rock music, death metal or a very lively pop song; avoid slow pieces and "rocking" properties
Method 3 of 4: Helping Friend Use Mind Tactics to Stay Awake
Step 1. Help him write a goal
Maybe he wants to stay awake for 24 hours or 48 hours. Studies show that writing down your goals on paper helps you reach them.
Step 2. Break your goals into small, manageable resolutions
Research reveals that people are able to complete their tasks faster and more accurately when they organize them into smaller blocks.
Help him analyze his challenge with hourly goals or even consider splitting the waking period into minutes. For example, he can force himself to stay awake for another hour, until 2:00 am; once he reaches the finish line, he can attempt to arrive at 3:00. Trying not to sleep for another hour (or even another 15-30 minutes) seems easier and more achievable than staying awake for 24 or 12 hours
Step 3. Repeat a mantra or chant
Often, this practice helps to focus the mind on something other than the difficulty of the moment. Effective mantras are short, encouraging and rhythmic.
- Invent one;
- Choose another person's and repeat it with your friend. Try saying, "I feel strong, I feel fine" or "I'm fine, I feel fine, I can do it."
Method 4 of 4: Consume Stimulants or Other Drugs
Step 1. Offer him some caffeine
It is a legal substance found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks and is also sold in pill form. It is a stimulant and it is not easy to fall asleep when under its effects.
- According to experts, a maximum dose of 400 mg per day is considered safe for most people. A cup of American coffee contains about 95 mg, an energy drink about 75-110 mg.
- Children and adolescents should not consume more than 100 mg per day.
- Avoid taking too much. Large doses of caffeine can be dangerous because they raise blood pressure, heart rate, cause dizziness, headache and dehydration.
Step 2. Help your friend avoid alcohol
Excessive consumption of this substance acts as a depressant on the nervous system (exactly the opposite effect of caffeine).
Step 3. Make sure he doesn't take illegal drugs
Although some are stimulants (cocaine and methamphetamine), they should not be used to stay alert; they are dangerous, illegal and potentially deadly substances.
Step 4. Make sure your friend avoids using prescription medications other than as directed by the doctor
Warn him that he must not take them according to a different dosage, otherwise he could incur serious health consequences and even die.
Advice
- Never, under any circumstances, let your friend drive or operate heavy and dangerous machinery when he or she has not slept.
- Think about safety. If you and your friend are trying to stay awake but are likely to fall asleep, make sure you are both in a safe place and / or surrounded by trusted people.
- If the other person always has difficulty staying awake during "normal" waking hours, the cause may be an inadequate sleep schedule or a condition, such as narcolepsy; suggest that she speak to a doctor.
