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Ask HN: How do you pull all-nighter+dayers

5 points by jmtame 18y ago

Would be interested to hear techniques people use to stay awake for extended periods of time..

gaius 18y ago
BCAAs. Tho' I second st3fan's advice.
- trapper 18y ago
  Got any research links for this? I haven't seen any that would point to BCAA's as a solution for tiredness - I am interested.
parenthesis 18y ago
Take some naps.
st3fan 18y ago
I don't. I think it is extremely unhealthy and unproductive to stay awake and work for such long periods of time.
- mechanical_fish 18y ago
  That's right. The correct technique for pulling an all-nighter is to realize that you're making a terrible mistake and not to do it anymore. Your brain really doesn't work very well without sleep. You may learn to pretend that it does, but that's not helpful. Having said that, back when I didn't understand this I did figure out that it was a waste of time to stay up literally all night. At 3am or 4am you should go to sleep for two or three hours.
  - pasbesoin 18y ago
    Actually, tiredness can attenuate some AD(H)D symptoms. I sometimes used to procrastinate until the last minute, then put in an incredibly productive night/morning to wrap up a project. And I cranked out some pretty good stuff. But, I was young, then, and those projects were relatively limited in scope. I didn't know at the time that ADD existed; this was just the way I'd found to get such things done. (And I hated all the fear and dread it put me through.) So, it may not be an optimal approach, but in some circumstances, the all-nighter can perhaps be enabling.
    - Shamiq 18y ago
      I'm not sure if it's the tiredness. The impending deadlines push me into overdrive, which I use to finish work. But if an all-nighter is truly the only option, then 20 minute naps every 2-3 hours works well combined with a cup of coffee. Method: Drink a cup of coffee, immediately nap for 20 minutes, wake up and work for 2-3 hours. Rinse and repeat.
      - helveticaman 18y ago
        I agree. It's probably not the tiredness, it's the "Oh shit" feeling that gets you going.
      - pasbesoin 18y ago
        I don't have a reference at hand, but I recall reading somewhere that the tiredness attenuates some of the distractibility. Perhaps the mind is a bit less "agile"; it therefore foregos so readily jumping from topic to topic. There is the counterpoint of hyperfocus. Something that is intensely interesting -- whether due to the topic itself or consuming pressure to get it done (NOW!) -- also lessens distractibility.
        pasbesoin 18y ago
        This would seem to argue the contrary, and I'm not finding an online reference to what I seemed to recall in my previous comment. http://www.physorg.com/news93623459.html http://www.physorg.com/news93623459.html So, take my comment with a good grain of salt. If I find a relevant reference, I'll follow up.
gtani 18y ago
goog polyphasic sleep instead: 2-4 hours/day
- Shamiq 18y ago
  I think the evidence surrounding this technique is mixed in terms of brain functionality.
cmos 18y ago
fear tends to work well.
viggity 18y ago
booze, lots of it
brk 18y ago
Concentration and motivation from the task at hand. Most of my all-nighters have been unplanned and were reactive to a software upgrade gone bad. A memorable one was a software upgrade to Cascade switches at AADS. Turns out the new firmware consumed more RAM than anticipated and we ended up with 10's of thousands of circuits down throughout their network of ~250 backbone switches. I spent 3.5 days straight with nothing more than a couple of two hours naps and LOTS of pizza, coffee, soda, etc. The magnitude of the situation pretty much prevented me from sleeping. Had a couple of other 36 and 48 hour shifts during that same job. Every time I've done any marathon sessions, it was always unplanned and urgent.
agentcoops 18y ago
I find coffee to be terrible for all-nighters. I find the best method to be a combination of 15-20 minute naps and either lots of strong black tea or small sips of sugar-free energy drinks. Of course, as most posters point out, actually sleeping is always best, but sometimes it just has to be done.
rms 18y ago
Can't speak from personal experience, but from I'm read this is near ideal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil Don't get the Indian generic, it is reportedly not equivalent. And don't pull all-nighters, you're much better off getting some sleep if not a full 6-7 hours.
- pasbesoin 18y ago
  Also, there was a Canadian medical advisory recently that a rash can indicate a potentially severe reaction to modafinil. It sounded quite unusual, but something to remain cognizant of. http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/219836.htm http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/219836.htm http://www.napra.ca/pdfs/advisories/Health-prof-Alertec.pdf http://www.napra.ca/pdfs/advisories/Health-prof-Alertec.pdf
Raphael 18y ago
Have a snack every couple hours and drink lots of water.

5 points by jmtame 18y ago

Would be interested to hear techniques people use to stay awake for extended periods of time..

gaius 18y ago

BCAAs. Tho' I second st3fan's advice.

trapper 18y ago
Got any research links for this? I haven't seen any that would point to BCAA's as a solution for tiredness - I am interested.

parenthesis 18y ago

Take some naps.

st3fan 18y ago

I don't. I think it is extremely unhealthy and unproductive to stay awake and work for such long periods of time.

mechanical_fish 18y ago
That's right. The correct technique for pulling an all-nighter is to realize that you're making a terrible mistake and not to do it anymore. Your brain really doesn't work very well without sleep. You may learn to pretend that it does, but that's not helpful. Having said that, back when I didn't understand this I did figure out that it was a waste of time to stay up literally all night. At 3am or 4am you should go to sleep for two or three hours.
- pasbesoin 18y ago
  Actually, tiredness can attenuate some AD(H)D symptoms. I sometimes used to procrastinate until the last minute, then put in an incredibly productive night/morning to wrap up a project. And I cranked out some pretty good stuff. But, I was young, then, and those projects were relatively limited in scope. I didn't know at the time that ADD existed; this was just the way I'd found to get such things done. (And I hated all the fear and dread it put me through.) So, it may not be an optimal approach, but in some circumstances, the all-nighter can perhaps be enabling.
  - Shamiq 18y ago
    I'm not sure if it's the tiredness. The impending deadlines push me into overdrive, which I use to finish work. But if an all-nighter is truly the only option, then 20 minute naps every 2-3 hours works well combined with a cup of coffee. Method: Drink a cup of coffee, immediately nap for 20 minutes, wake up and work for 2-3 hours. Rinse and repeat.
    - helveticaman 18y ago
      I agree. It's probably not the tiredness, it's the "Oh shit" feeling that gets you going.
    - pasbesoin 18y ago
      I don't have a reference at hand, but I recall reading somewhere that the tiredness attenuates some of the distractibility. Perhaps the mind is a bit less "agile"; it therefore foregos so readily jumping from topic to topic. There is the counterpoint of hyperfocus. Something that is intensely interesting -- whether due to the topic itself or consuming pressure to get it done (NOW!) -- also lessens distractibility.
      - pasbesoin 18y ago
        This would seem to argue the contrary, and I'm not finding an online reference to what I seemed to recall in my previous comment. http://www.physorg.com/news93623459.html http://www.physorg.com/news93623459.html So, take my comment with a good grain of salt. If I find a relevant reference, I'll follow up.

gtani 18y ago

goog polyphasic sleep instead: 2-4 hours/day

Shamiq 18y ago
I think the evidence surrounding this technique is mixed in terms of brain functionality.

cmos 18y ago

fear tends to work well.

viggity 18y ago

booze, lots of it

brk 18y ago

Concentration and motivation from the task at hand. Most of my all-nighters have been unplanned and were reactive to a software upgrade gone bad. A memorable one was a software upgrade to Cascade switches at AADS. Turns out the new firmware consumed more RAM than anticipated and we ended up with 10's of thousands of circuits down throughout their network of ~250 backbone switches. I spent 3.5 days straight with nothing more than a couple of two hours naps and LOTS of pizza, coffee, soda, etc. The magnitude of the situation pretty much prevented me from sleeping. Had a couple of other 36 and 48 hour shifts during that same job. Every time I've done any marathon sessions, it was always unplanned and urgent.

agentcoops 18y ago

I find coffee to be terrible for all-nighters. I find the best method to be a combination of 15-20 minute naps and either lots of strong black tea or small sips of sugar-free energy drinks. Of course, as most posters point out, actually sleeping is always best, but sometimes it just has to be done.

rms 18y ago

Can't speak from personal experience, but from I'm read this is near ideal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil Don't get the Indian generic, it is reportedly not equivalent. And don't pull all-nighters, you're much better off getting some sleep if not a full 6-7 hours.

pasbesoin 18y ago
Also, there was a Canadian medical advisory recently that a rash can indicate a potentially severe reaction to modafinil. It sounded quite unusual, but something to remain cognizant of. http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/219836.htm http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/219836.htm http://www.napra.ca/pdfs/advisories/Health-prof-Alertec.pdf http://www.napra.ca/pdfs/advisories/Health-prof-Alertec.pdf

Raphael 18y ago

Have a snack every couple hours and drink lots of water.