College can get pretty demanding, especially when it is the middle of the semester and all of your classes are loading you up with assignments, papers and exams. Of course there are only 24 hours in a day and sometimes homework does not get started until the night. When this happens it comes to that age-old question: “should I just stay up all night?”

When the answer is yes, the next step to ensure a successful all-nighter is to determine if you have all of the essential items. These required items consist of a beverage, something like coffee or caffeinated pop, snacks that provide energy, like oranges or candy bars and, of course, a supply of cigarettes if you smoke. If you plan on drinking a lot of coffee or pop though, make sure that you balance it out with water. Drinking enough water along with those drinks will keep you healthy and will keep you from feeling strung out, which is important if you want to do your assignments well.

Having the right food is essential because without a supply of energy, the Sandman will conquer in your mission to avoid sleep. There is certain food you don’t want to eat though, because some things will make you tired when you get full. Food like pancakes and waffles make your stomach heavy, and this is not what you want. Getting full will make you want to relax, and relaxing too much might lead to bedtime.

Another thing to avoid is lying down while doing your work, especially if you are reading. It is almost like clockwork, if you are tired, which you probably will be since you are staying up all night, lying down while reading will not be productive. It will work to your disadvantage and you will not remember what you have read.

It is also good when staying up all night to take breaks and remember to space apart assignments. Make a list of all of the things that you need to complete and then prioritize them. Once this is done you can figure which assignments you want to do first, while you are more awake, and which ones you want to save until last.

Rewarding yourself is also a good way to get through the night. When you finish one assignment you should take a break and walk around for a minute, get some fresh air and then get a drink and eat something or have a cigarette.

For the last bit of advice on how to pull a successful all-nighter, do not do them all the time. If you try and pull three off in a row you will wear out your body, you will not be healthy and you can end up being counterproductive. All-nighters can be a great way to catch-up and get a lot of work done, but use them sparingly.