staying up all night doing homework reddit

Whats the latest you have stayed up studying/ doing homework?

<p>So, how late?</p>

<p>And why???</p>

<p>It’s 12:36 am, and instead of sleeping I’m wide awake writing an essay due first thing tomorrow, doing math homework… and NOW… posting on this board! aaah! </p>

<p>My reason for being up this late?</p>

<p>All day choir competition that left me unable to finish my homework on time coupled with Deadly procrastination and laziness caused by AP testing being over! </p>

<p>So… i feel pretty crappy staying up this late with homework, knowing that 5 hours I have to get up and go to school. </p>

<p>What’s the latest you’ve been up doing something like this? Do you think being up late writing papers/studying is common at most college campuses? </p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>well my personal record being 78h (!proud) didnt sleep (i fainted afterwards bt did won the 2nd place in the competition) - but dat was 4 a project wen i was at HS. Generally its 2:00am n wake up at 6~7am.</p>

<p>Well i do beleive dat in college if there’ll be a lot of work, i should stay dat late…</p>

<p>wow! You’re insane!!! 78hours?? How long did you sleep after fainting?</p>

<p>I dont believe dat i wasnt able to write believe !!! Silly me! lol</p>

<p>yeah me too. i’ve done all nighter for an art project…85% credit to our final report. It wasnt that bad. i just sang by myself while listening to songs on the radio.</p>

<p>Wow… i HATE staying up late to do homework/study. I’m usually NEVER this bad. Just circumstances today were wierd.</p>

<p>1.5 hours on nights before an exam. best way is around 9-11pm, so you feel like you slept a lot. 1.5hrs is apprx 1 sleep cycle so you wake up at the REM state, rather than wake up in 2hours in the Delta state and feel drowsy.</p>

<p>i’ve got this down to a science, dont worry about it.</p>

<p>oh yeah! i know what you’re saying! we went over this in AP bio some… though not very well.</p>

<p>when’s the delta state?</p>

<p>this is exciting! it’s like, a way to sleep for a short period of time but not get sleepy… if that makes sense</p>

<p>I don’t know about Delta state or anything, but I know that I have ahad to stay up all night because of several tests and homework assignments that are the next day.</p>

<p>all nighter…6 hours of work turned into 16 hours of work</p>

<p>I’m proud to say I’ve never stayed later than 2 AM on any school project. I don’t believe in pulling all nighters…they exhaust your energy way too quickly; in most cases, if you don’t procrastinate, you will not have to pull any all-nighters at the High School age.</p>

<p>Uggh, my record is probably like 2 A.M., which is like 4 hours of sleep–that’s like a year’s sleep compared to some of your records…</p>

<p>Once, I was so engaged in a debate on CC that I didn’t start on my homework until about 4:00am…</p>

<p>I’ve only pulled an all-nighter once…the tuesday night before the APush exam…Teacher assigned about 3 months worth of work to do in a week…so yeah…</p>

<p>other than that…I’ve stayed up till about 5 am a few times bsing research papers and such…</p>

<p>normal late night is 2am.</p>

<p>I’ve never pulled a TRUE all nighter… </p>

<p>I think the latest I’ve stayed up without naps and actually done homework is about 3am… and that’s because I was too busy catching my TV shows and didn’t start my homework until realllllly late! But I get up each morning at 4:45am so the 12-3am bed times don’t leave me much sleep.</p>

<p>That is wierd. You guys get so much HW… I some how figure out how to get only 10 min of HW a day.</p>

<p>I rarely get real “homework” - like the everyday kind - worksheet due tomorrow or these problems due tomorrow. Mostly I have essays, research papers and readings to do.</p>

<p>I stayed up until 6 once doing a chem project and woke up at 7… I thought it was 5, but i hadn’t changed my clock for daylight savings…</p>

<p>Record was studying until 3am and getting up at 5am, the night before I had 2 huge exams in one day in my repeats last August.</p>

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When You Have to Stay Up Late: 6 Ways to Do It Safely

Try these tips for staying up late at night when it's necessary for work or other obligations (and getting deeper sleep during the day).

Staying up late can be tough on the body, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. In 2017–2018, about 16 percent of Americans worked a nondaytime schedule, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While the graveyard shift comes with the territory for some occupations, such as doctors and nurses, first responders, security guards, and factory workers, it doesn’t make staying up late any easier.

“The difficulty of working the night shift is that it forces you to sleep against your body clock. It’s a mismatch between your internal body clock and your external environment,” says Michelle Drerup, PsyD , a psychologist and director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the Cleveland Clinic.

Your sleep schedule is dictated by your circadian rhythm — a 24-hour cycle that influences when you’re alert, sleepy, and even hungry. When your sleep-wake cycle is going against this rhythm, you’re exhausted, fighting the urge to go to bed, Drerup says.

Shift workers and those working overnight tend to be continually sleep-deprived, as they struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep while their bodies send alerting signals to wake up during daytime hours. Because of this, they also lose out on deep, restorative sleep, Dr. Drerup warns.

While your body and brain are hardwired to relax and reset at night, there are ways to safely get through the graveyard shift without too much fatigue. Here’s a look at the top tips from experts.

1. Establish a Fake Daytime Schedule Overnight

Flip the average daytime schedule around to accommodate your waking hours, says John Cline, PhD , a licensed clinical psychologist based in Cheshire, Connecticut, who specializes in sleep medicine.

When you wake up, consider how you’d start the day. Maybe you’d freshen up with a cold shower, cook a hearty breakfast, and have a cup of coffee before heading into work.

Develop a post-work routine, too, Drerup says. Instead of immediately going to bed after getting home from work, some people sleep better if they stay up for another hour or two.

You may want to take a breath, meditate, read or catch up on your favorite show, just like you would if you’d finished a daytime shift. “This way you’ll wake up closer to the time when you start the next night shift,” Drerup says.

2. Keep Your Sleep Schedule Consistent

To successfully maneuver through the night shift, you unfortunately have to stick to your nocturnal schedule on your days off, Dr. Cline says.

“It’s hard advice, but it’s immensely helpful to keep your sleep schedule consistent,” he says. That means that if you’re going to sleep at 8 a.m. and waking up at 4 p.m. during the work week, that routine should hold on the weekends, too. You don’t want to disrupt the sleep-wake cues you’ve built up and restart again.

This can be disruptive for social events, taking care of kids or other responsibilities, but you should have your family on board to support you, Drerup says.

3. Aim for 8 Hours of Deep Sleep

When it’s time for slumber, give your body its best shot for accumulating deep, restorative sleep, says Colleen Carney, PhD , an associate professor and director of the Sleep and Depression Laboratory at Ryerson University in Toronto.

“You’re fighting against biology. You’re trying to sleep when your alerting signal for wakefulness is rapidly ascending. It’s stronger during the day so you can’t have proper sleep architecture,” Dr. Carney says.

Furnish your bedroom with blackout curtains to block out sunlight seeping in and invest in a noise machine or earplugs you’re comfortable wearing so you can tune out the day’s events happening around the house.

And aim for as close to eight hours of rest as you can to mirror the slumber you’d get if you were on a daytime schedule.

Some people find it easier to follow a split sleep schedule, Drerup says. This involves sleeping several hours after getting home in the morning and then sleeping for several hours before your next shift’s start time.

4. Take a Power Nap

If you can eke out a 30-minute power nap during your lunch break, this will do wonders for the rest of your shift, Cline says. If your schedule allows it, getting some bedrest before your shift starts helps, too.

A nap of just 10 to 20 minutes is ideal because you won’t enter deep sleep and feel excessively groggy when it’s time to wake up, according to research .

You could even strategize with a pre-shift “coffee nap,” according to the Sleep Foundation . Drink a cup of coffee before your shift and take a short nap. By the time your alarm clock rings, the caffeine should be taking effect, so you’re ready to get started with work.

5. Stay in Bright Light

Light has a powerful effect on your internal clock, and bright light can temporarily fake the body into thinking it’s not yet time for bed. A study published in 2018 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that even a short burst of bright light helped night shift nurses heighten their alertness while reducing their symptoms of insomnia , anxiety, and depression.

Your circadian rhythm has connections to your eyes, so bright light can help reset your internal clock, Carney says.

In other words, keep your workspace well lit to help your brain and body register that you’re in daytime mode.

6. Stock Up on Healthy Snacks

Staying awake all night has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and other health issues tied to the body’s metabolism, according to the National Institutes of Health . It may be because sleep deprivation affects food choices: night-shift workers are more likely to crave calorie-dense carbs, sugary food, and salty snacks, according to an article published in 2019 in BMJ .

Healthy eating isn’t exactly the top priority during a busy overnight shift, too, says Carney.

To avoid heading to the vending machine for your overnight lunch, it’s crucial to prepare healthy meals and snacks.

Try to eat a healthy meal before your shift, with whole grains, complex carbohydrates , lean protein, and plenty of fresh vegetables to energize you before work. If it’s your first meal of the day, this could be eggs, with whole grain toast, sweet potatoes, and a side salad, Carney says.

After that, bring snacks like fruits — fresh or dried — nuts, hummus, and veggie sticks or yogurt and granola with you to keep you fueled throughout the night. Coming prepared for the night will make sure you steer away from sugary and salty snacks.

An improved diet will be better for your health — and, in turn, your sleep as you navigate the overnight shift, Carney says.

And make sure you stay hydrated, aiming for eight glasses of water daily. Dehydration can make you feel fatigued because it affects the flow of oxygen to the brain, making your body work overtime to pump oxygen to your brain, according to the UK National Health Service (NHS) . Make sure you’re drinking water to keep yourself alert and energized.

Remember: Staying up late on purpose, whether it’s to catch up on work, party, or binge-watch TV, isn’t a healthy habit.

But if it’s mandatory because of your work schedule, tending to your newborn baby, or other obligations in your household, there is a healthy way to go about it so your overnight shifts won’t wreak havoc on your mind and body.

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Why Sleeping May Be More Important Than Studying

Please try again

Getting enough sleep is an under-valued but crucial part of learning. Contrary to students' belief that staying up all night to cram for an exam will lead to higher scores, truth is, the need for a good night's rest is even more important than finishing homework or studying for a test.

A recent study in the journal Child Development showed that sacrificing sleep in order to study will actually backfire. The study followed 535 Los Angeles high school students for 14 days, tracking how long they slept, as well as how well they understood material being taught in class and how they performed on a test, quiz, or homework.

"Although the researchers expected that extra hours of studying that ate into sleep time might create problems in terms of students' understanding of what they were taught in class, they were surprised to find that diminishing sleep in order to study was actually associated with doing more poorly on a test, quiz, or homework," Science Daily wrote .

"Reduced sleep ... accounts for the increase in academic problems that occurs after days of increased studying," said UCLA scientist Andrew Fuligni. "Although these nights of extra studying may seem necessary, they can come at a cost."

In another study by a research team at the University of York, researchers found that sleep even helps boost language acquisition skills in young children. "Children's ability to recall and recognize new words improved approximately 12 hours after training, but only if sleep occurs," said Dr. Lisa Henderson, a lead researcher on the study. "The key effects were maintained one week later, suggesting that these new words are retained in long-term memory." The study, published in Developmental Science , shows that when they sleep enough, children show the same learning patterns as adults.

Yet even with the well-documented evidence that sleep is necessary to learning, students continue to face increasing demands on their time. Kids often participate in extracurricular activities as well as hours of homework each night .

What’s really happening during sleep?

Sleep happens in several stages, with each phase serving a particular purpose. The human body takes care of its physical needs first. Quickly passing through stages one and two, which are brief, the body settles into several hours of stage three and four sleep. During these stages, neurons in the brain have synchronized into a regular rhythm and the body begins to repair itself. The immune system is restored, muscles and cardiovascular systems are rejuvenated and the positive effects on metabolism and muscle growth from exercise take effect.

“The reason to get a good night’s sleep is really so you can enjoy the next day and so you can consolidate what you did the day before,” said Dr. Matt Carter, senior fellow at the University of Washington in a recent webinar .

Towards the end of a typical six- to eight-hour night of sleep, the brain gets its chance at rejuvenation, during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. This is the stage that's crucial for learners because the brain solidifies all that was taken in the day before and clears out old, unnecessary memories to make room for new information.

“In REM sleep your brain is basically replaying everything that happened during the day and consolidating what you’ve learned,” Carter said. During the learning process, the brain’s synapses fire in particular patterns. At night, those patterns are firing over and over again, strengthening the path. Equally important, there are many small details the brain remembers from the previous day that it won’t need. During REM sleep the brain purges the unnecessary details to make room for new learning the following day.

“If you didn’t get a good night’s sleep it’s really hard to learn new things because you didn’t clear out all the synaptic connections,” said Carter. The brain-rejuvenating functions happen in REM sleep, a later sleep stage, so if a student doesn’t sleep enough he won’t spend much time in REM.

Just as with adults, sleep-deprived kids won't be able to focus as well, and over time, the effects of sleep deprivation will wear on the body.

What’s the solution?

Educator Madeline Levine and author of Teach Your Children Well  says high schools should adjust their schedules to meet the needs of adolescents. School should start at 10 a.m. to help ensure high school students get the nine hours they need. That would go a long way in helping them to focus in class and could even prevent depression, a condition increasingly linked to lack of sleep.

And it’s not just about the number of hours in bed – it’s about the quality of sleep. “Sleep is something you can prepare for and be deliberate about,” Carter said, adding that people assume sleep comes naturally to kids. But for young ones, it’s especially important to establish a routine, not to eat carbohydrates before sleep, and to avoid bright screens before bed -- the glow biologically resets circadian rhythms that respond to how much light enters the eye. For kids who have trouble falling asleep, parents should teach them relaxation techniques like taking deep breaths and listening to slow tempo music – that helps the neurons fall into their synchronized pattern quicker.

Sacrificing Sleep For Study Time Doesn’t Make the Grade

Help your teen academically by promoting sleep..

Posted September 6, 2012

It’s back to school season, with students (and parents) saying goodbye to the freewheeling days of summer and returning to the structure of the academic year. The school routine typically includes early mornings and, often, late nights of homework and studying.

For students, there is increasing pressure to perform well academically, especially as they enter high school and college is on the horizon. Academic workloads increase, and so do time commitments to other extracurricular activities, including sports. It can be a real challenge to find enough time for all of this activity, and it’s not hard to see how bedtime gets pushed back later and later, to make room for studying.

It might seem like a reasonable sacrifice to give up a little sleep to hit the books late into the night, but new research says this strategy doesn’t work. This study found that students who stay up late doing homework are more likely to have academic problems the next day. This is true regardless of how much overall studying the student does, according to the study results.

Researchers at UCLA examined the daily sleep and study habits of 535 students in grades 9, 10, and 12. All the students were enrolled in Los Angeles schools, and represented a range of socioeconomic and ethnic groups. For two weeks, students kept diaries recording their daily study amounts and sleep amounts. They also kept track of two different types of academic problems:

Having trouble understanding material being taught in class

Doing poorly on tests, quizzes, or homework assignments

Researchers found that opting to delay bedtime in favor of studying was linked to an increased risk of both types of academic difficulty. And this was true regardless of the total amount of students’ study time.

The remedy to this problem is not to study less, but rather to create a schedule that allows for sufficient study time and sufficient sleep time. Is that easier said than done? Probably. But as these results indicate, extra study time at the expense of sleep is like to create academic problems, not solve them. And students who regularly stay up late are exposed to other risks of low sleep. Here’s some of what we know about how insufficient sleep can negatively affect teens:

Teens who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to engage in risky and unhealthful behaviors. This study found low sleep linked to increased likelihood of smoking , drinking, drug use, and fighting, among other risky behaviors.

Teens who sleep less are more likely to gain weight. We know that low sleep is associated with weight gain, in children as well as adults. This study found that teens who sleep less are more likely to consume more total calories in a day, as well as to eat higher fat foods and more snack foods than teens who get enough sleep.

Teens who are short on sleep are more likely to feel depressed and anxious. There’s substantial evidence that teens with sleep problems are at higher risk for mental health and behavioral problems. This National Sleep Foundation survey found that teens short on sleep were significantly more likely to experience depression , stress , excessive worrying, and anxiety .

Teenagers , as any parent knows, are predisposed to staying up late and sleeping late, which complicates things even further. This is a biological reality, not just a teenage preference! It’s not always easy to manage a teenager’s sleep schedule. Here are some strategies that can help:

Keep technology out of the bedroom. Electronic and digital devices have no place in the bedroom. Exposure to the light emitted by these devices is disruptive to sleep, and their presence at bedtime can keep teens awake—or even keep them engaged in activity while they are asleep!

Work backward to find the right bedtime. Teens need more sleep than adults, about 9 hours per night. To find the appropriate bedtime, start by identifying what time your teen needs to be rising from bed. From there, work backward to set the bedtime that will ensure your teenager gets enough rest.

Let them sleep in a little on the weekends—just not a lot. With biological and hormonal changes making teens inclined to sleep later, after a week of school your teenager may want to spend most of Saturday in bed. This much sleep isn’t healthy, and will actually make your teen feel more tired, not less. Such a variation from the weekday routine will throw your teen’s schedule off course. This doesn’t mean a little sleeping in isn’t okay. Letting your teenager sleep for an extra hour or two on weekend mornings is fine.

We all want our kids to study hard and achieve academic success. It’s important to remember that sleep is a critical part of the equation.

Sweet Dreams ,

Michael J. Breus, PhD

The Sleep Doctor™

www.thesleepdoctor.com

Michael J. Breus, Ph.D. , is a clinical psychologist and a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine. He is the author of Beauty Sleep.

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Should I Sleep or Do my Homework?

Have you ever experienced pushing through exhaustion just to finish your homework? Were you satisfied with the grades you received?

If you’re like the average student, then there’s a good chance that you answered no to this question. And even if you did well and got high marks on the assignment, you probably had very little energy to stay attentive in class the next morning.

Such is the life of students, especially those who are studying in a college or university. Unlike in the earlier years of education, your professors won’t bother hearing your excuses. They will simply give you a big, fat zero for a grade, and there’s nothing you can do to turn back time and correct the situation.

Surely, you don’t want this to ever happen again. But as the adage goes, life happens. You may be juggling your studies with a part-time job, forcing you to expend your time and energy at work even after you already feel tired after college.

This doesn’t give you license to skimp out and neglect your homework. Instead, this experience teaches you how to face the challenge head-on, prompting you to find ways on how to do well in your studies and at work while giving your body ample amounts of rest.

The Importance of Homework

You have probably thought at least once that homework doesn’t help with your learning. This applies in particular to assignments that take an unrealistic amount of time to complete. Not to mention, some professors seem to give out homework just for the sake of it. You couldn’t help but wonder what the connection is between your homework and the course you’re studying.

Still, the importance of homework cannot be understated. It reinforces the skills and lessons learned inside the classroom. It also allows you to prepare for upcoming topics in class, ensuring that the transition goes smoothly. You probably know how difficult it is to miss class and then come back with a totally different subject.

It’s also essential to understand the benefits of homework in terms of enhancing different life skills. For one, it encourages you to muster up self-discipline. It’s always tempting to do the things you love most once classes are over, but having a responsibility to finish compels you to form an alternate perspective of what matters most.

By working independently, you can also allow your own thoughts and creativity does the work instead of thinking too much about what the teacher thinks or wants. Homework also hones your research skills, as you will have to tap on a variety of resources including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and online learning platforms to deliver the best work.

There are also cases in which homework connects college learning to the outside world. Many teachers see to it that the homework they assign is more involved, requiring you to work in a group, interview community members, or talk with your family about topics you haven’t discussed before.

Sleep Matters, Too

Have you ever wondered how the topnotchers in your class seem to be full of energy throughout the day? You might argue that they simply have more discipline than you. There are also students who genuinely find joy in learning and getting high grades. But there’s a missing piece to the puzzle you should factor in as well.

The answer to the question above is simpler than you think: You can bet that the students who exhibit the highest level of energy and attention in class get a sufficient amount of rest. This holds true for CEOs of some of the most successful companies in the world. They know that getting enough shuteye every night enables them to tackle the challenges of tomorrow with full strength and vigor.

Of course, this doesn’t mean sleeping when and where you want to. After all, you don’t want to be the student who gets caught by the teacher sleeping in class. Once again, the key is finding the right balance. It proves unwise (and unhealthy) to push through sleepiness just to complete your homework. Getting enough sleep each day gives your mind and body sufficient time to rest. It also has a major impact on increasing your attention span.

You’ve probably heard that time is your most precious resource. But you should understand that attention plays an equally important role. In fact, the reason why many students lack sleep isn’t that of the barrage of assignments they need to work on. It’s because of procrastination. You may have a lot of free time in your hands, but you choose to spend it on things that give you pleasure.

Aside from managing your schedule, it’s also vital that you stay attentive to the task at hand. Making sure that you get several hours of sleep each night helps you stay alert and enhances focus. You might surprise yourself at how fast and easy you can complete your homework the next morning compared to wasting hours upon hours trying to get it done the night before.

Do You Need Professional Assistance?

Balancing your studies with all the other things you do is always a challenge. There are cases in which your body longs for your bed to get some rest, but you still have an essay to submit the following day. This is where Assignment Expert homework help service comes in handy.

By letting professionals lend you a helping hand, you can finish your homework in no time. This offers the benefit of learning straight from the experts. You can get new ideas on how to craft your essays and research about complex topics. Online homework help can aid in your college learning while allowing you to go to sleep without worrying about meeting deadlines.

If you need help with your homework, do not hesitate to write us or submit the task on our website . We have experts in different subjects, so you will be matched to the right person for the job. Allow us to step in while you take care of other urgent matters in your life.

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Ashley Lauretta

Why You Stay Up So Late, Even When You Know You Shouldn’t

As a self-proclaimed night owl, I’m rarely surprised when I lift my eyes from Instagram and see that it's well past when I intended to go to sleep. Here’s how I explain it to myself: I’ve always stayed up late, and now the only time I get to myself is when my husband and daughter are asleep. Here’s what’s actually going on: I’m procrastinating.

Some researchers call this bedtime procrastination or while-in-bed procrastination , while the Chinese word for it translates to “ revenge bedtime procrastination .” No matter what you call it, in my case, it involves a combination of technology and anxiety; I worry that I won’t be able to fall asleep quickly, so I tell myself that I’ll just scroll through social media until I’m exhausted. It is this—along with a lack of what researchers refer to as self-regulation —that makes me a textbook sleep procrastinator.

The idea of sleep procrastination was first introduced in a 2014 study from the Netherlands , defining the act simply as “failing to go to bed at the intended time, while no external circumstances prevent a person from doing so.” Revenge was added to the title in 2020 with the onset of the pandemic, but as a concept, it has actually been around for much longer.

According to Alessandra Edwards , a performance expert, revenge bedtime procrastination is quite common in people who feel they don’t have control over their time (such as those in high-stress occupations) and are looking for a way to regain some personal time, even if it means staying up too late.

“When it comes to the evening, they categorically refuse to go to bed early, at a time they know will suit them best and enable them to get adequate restorative sleep and feel better,” explains Edwards. “Nevertheless there is a sense of retaliation against life, so there is an idea of revenge to stay awake and do whatever fills their bucket.”

Behavioral scientist Floor Kroese , an assistant professor in Health Psychology at Utrecht University and lead author on the study that first introduced bedtime procrastination , notes that there is also a link between procrastinating in daily life and sleep procrastination.

“An interesting difference may be that people typically procrastinate on tasks they find aversive—housework, homework, boring tasks—while sleeping for most people is not aversive at all,” says Kroese. “It might be the bedtime routines that precede going to bed that people dislike or just that they do not like quitting whatever they were doing.”

In an additional study from 2014 , performed with a wider number of participants, Kroese and team argued that lack of self-regulation—associated with personality traits such as being impulsive or easily distracted—is a possible cause of sleep procrastination. While self-regulation and procrastination may sound like opposite sides of the same coin, they are actually different; one study from 2019 differentiates the two by defining procrastination as delaying an action, while self-regulation refers to “thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that guide individuals to set personal goals.”

Eric Ravenscraft

Julian Chokkattu

For those unable to self-regulate, Edwards adds that the time before bed may be the only time to process the emotional backlog from the day, including “frustration and anger, or fear and anxiety they may have felt during the day but shut out.”

Kroese’s research indicates that “self-regulation interventions” could be helpful at improving sleeping behavior, and therefore reducing sleep procrastination. Getting adequate sleep requires more than just setting a bedtime (especially considering that self-regulation comes with thoughts and feelings, and not just behaviors).

This is where sleep specialists such as Michael Breus —known professionally as “the Sleep Doctor”—diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, come in.

Breus studies the science of helping people sleep, and he helps patients with a technique he calls the “Power-Down Hour.” Featured in his first book, Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health , it is a strategy to slow your mind down while getting you to step away from technology and address daily procrastination (that could lead to sleep procrastination).

The Power-Down Hour is composed of three 20-minute segments:

• The first 20 minutes are dedicated to things that need to be done.
• The second 20 minutes are set aside for hygiene (such as a hot bath).
• The final 20 minutes are for relaxation (such as meditation, prayer, or journaling).

The order of each segment is what Breus claims is “the secret ingredient.” With this technique, you are not only addressing specific behaviors of self-regulation; you are also considering the thoughts and feelings element. While this may seem like a simple solution for those of us who find ourselves scrolling late into the night, Breus acknowledges that there is an added element of FOMO, due in part to the pandemic, making the Power-Down Hour seem a bit more daunting.

“I understand that people are not having any real alone time right now, and that scrolling on your phone is fun, but you lose track of time,” says Breus. “My big question is: If you want some ‘me’ time, why not schedule it? If you just can’t figure that out, set a timer and give yourself a pattern interrupt. When the timer goes off, go brush your teeth, come back, and—if you just have to scroll—set it for 15 minutes and try again.”

Breus’s Power-Down Hour is in line with others’ findings, Kroese says a specific if-then plan (“If it is 11 pm, then I will go upstairs to brush my teeth”) and sleep hygiene habits, “such as making sure to end your day with relaxing activities, dimming the light, and keeping your bedroom distraction-free,” is a promising strategy for those who are experiencing bedtime procrastination due to self-regulation issues.

By breaking up the last hour before you want to be asleep, you are not only enacting a clear plan but also addressing any tasks you may have missed or pushed. You’re taking charge of your health with a routine and managing any potentially suppressed emotions from the day. And all of this is to get ample rest and tackle the next day head-on (no revenge needed).

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• Staying Awake All Night

How to Stay Up Late Secretly

Last Updated: February 22, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 30 testimonials and 85% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 505,466 times. Learn more...

Sometimes you need to stay up late to finish homework, and sometimes you want to do it just for fun. Either way, your parents probably won’t approve. To stay up late secretly, you’ll need to stockpile some supplies and be careful not to make any noises throughout the night.

Planning and Gathering Supplies

• Choose energy drinks or caffeinated beverages if you’re worried about getting tired.
• Select quiet snacks like bread or fresh fruit instead of chips or cereal, which will be in loud, crinkly bags.

• Make sure any electronic devices are fully charged so that they last through the night.

Pretending to Sleep

• If you share a room with a sibling, you’ll need to do this under the covers or even wait until they've drifted off to sleep.

• Also, dim the screen down as far as it can go. If you need to quickly shove your device under the covers, it will be less noticeable. Even if you don't usually do this, keep the blanket under your legs. If your screen brightness is down really low and your device is near your legs, it is harder to see the light. Try this if there is no quick hiding spot for your preferred electronic device.

Sneaking around the House

• Try saying you had a bad dream and needed to distract yourself for a few minutes.
• You could also say you thought you heard a noise downstairs (or somewhere else that would make sense for your house) and wanted to make sure everything was okay.

• Keep your voices down to a whisper as you move around the house, and try not to make each other laugh.
• Let the dog or cat join you too if you know they'll be quiet. If the dog will bark, you may need to stay inside your room all night.

• If you have a TV in your room, be sure to place a blanket or towel at the base of your door. This will block any light from the TV from leaking out into the hallway.

Community Q&A

• If you have a baby sister or brother with a baby monitor, be as silent as possible. It can pick up sounds and alert your parents. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Try to catch up on sleep the next day by taking a nap or going to bed early. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Try getting some sleep before attempting to pull off an all nighter, this will make it less likely for you to fall asleep. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0

• Don't do this too often. You could get sick or develop health problems if you’re not sleeping enough. You could also just do it for about an hour then go to sleep and just act like you didn't do anything Thanks Helpful 82 Not Helpful 9

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.thoughtco.com/tips-for-pulling-a-chemistry-all-nighter-609208
• ↑ http://lifehacker.com/how-to-pull-an-effective-all-nighter-1569813126
• ↑ http://www.thedailybeast.com/five-healthyand-legalways-to-stay-awake-longer
• ↑ http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/6-things-you-can-get-away-with-all-nighter.html
• ↑ http://www.eatthis.com/drink-water-before-bed

About This Article

While your parents might not approve of you staying up late, if you’re careful you can get away with it! Prepare during the day by sneaking all the necessities into your room, like snacks, beverages, books, and electronics. That way you don’t have to walk around the house at night and risk waking your parents up. When its time for bed, turn off the light and pretend to be asleep. Once everyone is asleep, turn your light back on or use a flashlight or booklight. Make sure to mute your electronic devices so they don't wake your parents up. To learn how to have fun staying up late, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How does the solar eclipse affect animals? Veterinarians share insights and pet safety tips

By Aliza Chasan

Updated on: April 8, 2024 / 4:54 PM EDT / CBS News

With around 180 million people living in or near the 2024 solar eclipse path of totality, many pet owners have been wondering how the eclipse may impact animal behaviors and how their pets might react. 

Veterinarians said they've been fielding questions from some concerned pet owners about the eclipse's impact on animals. Ultimately, there isn't a clear answer for pet owners because eclipses happen so infrequently. Researchers did plan to watch animal reactions during the April 8 eclipse to learn more about how it affects animals.

"There's not a lot of scientific research done on this topic of animals and eclipses mostly because they don't come often," said American Kennel Club Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Jerry Klein. "And a lot of it's just been anecdotal reports and just volunteering information."

How does a solar eclipse affect animals?

Though there isn't a lot of information out there, veterinarians and animal researchers do have some idea how the eclipse may impact dogs, cats and more. 

"Most animals will be overall unaffected by the eclipse, but pet owners may notice brief periods of confusion, and dogs and cats may exhibit fear and confusion," said Dr. Katie Krebs, a veterinarian and professor at University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine. 

Pets may hide, howl, pace or pant during the eclipse, Krebs said. As the sky darkens, some pets may start their nighttime routine early. 

The average indoor dog or cat is likely not going to be affected by the eclipse, said Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, veterinary expert with pet care company Rover. 

"So owners should take heart and take comfort in knowing that," Greenstein said.

Why do solar eclipses affect animals?

It's not so much the eclipse that affects pets, but the behavior of people, Klein said. 

"They'll take their cues from us," Klein said. "So if they're kept indoors and we don't try to force them into a situation that's peculiar, there should be minimal to none as far as reactions."

Many people will gather at eclipse parties and those large gatherings can impact pets if they're brought along, Klein said. The travel, noise and crowds can be stressful for animals. 

Some animals that depend more on the light-dark cycle, like birds, may be more affected because the sky will darken during the eclipse, Krebs said. 

"Things like fireworks and thunderstorms are probably a much more significant phenomenon than an eclipse that's lasting only a few minutes," Greenstein said.

Can animals look at the eclipse without going blind?

Animals generally know not to stare at the sun themselves — they've learned that doing so can temporarily blind them, leaving them vulnerable. 

"Dogs know that if something hurts them, they probably shouldn't do it," said Klein. "So left to their own devices, dogs are probably not going to stare at the sun."

Pets may look up if they see the people around them are preoccupied with looking up at the sky, vets said. 

"Dogs follow your cues, so if you're preoccupied with looking up, your dog is looking to your cues to figure out how to behave," Greenstein said. "So this may be a time to either not bring them along, or if you are, to reassure them with their favorite toy or treat and just keep them preoccupied with what's going on at ground level."

Pet owners do not need special eclipse glasses for their dog or cat, Krebs said. 

If you have a pair of eclipse glasses around, be careful not to leave them unattended with your pet, who may chew on or eat them, Klein said. Eclipse glasses that have scratches or punctures should not be used. 

Should you keep your pets inside or outside during the solar eclipse?

Veterinarians agree that it's likely best to keep pets inside during the eclipse, especially if they're stressed by crowds or events like storms or fireworks. 

"If possible, keep them indoors in a comfortable environment where they will feel more secure because the feeling of this is probably the most important thing," Klein said.

Owners planning to go to eclipse events should be respectful of their pet's boundaries. 

"Not all animals do well with large crowds or with you being distracted with other things, so leaving them at home or calling a trusted pet sitter are probably the best bet," Greenstein said.

At home, owners can try distracting a pet with a favorite toy, vets said. Pets who are often anxious may benefit from anti-anxiety medication during the eclipse, but owners should check with their veterinarian for specifics before giving their dog or cat any medication, Krebs said. 

"If you plan to stay home during the eclipse, your pet may seek out extra attention or comfort, so providing them with extra comfort and reassurance may help," Krebs said.

More pet safety tips to keep in mind

If you've decided to take your dog to an eclipse event, it's important to make sure they're microchipped with current info in case they get stressed and run away, Klein said. While there, make sure they're well controlled on a leash.

"By and large, we're not thinking this represents any major danger, but definitely pet owners should use their judgment," Greenstein said.

Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.

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Solar eclipse 2024: Follow the path of totality

Solar eclipse myths and rumors bubble up, from radiation to food poisoning.

Bill Chappell

People visit a NASA information booth to grab solar eclipse glasses in Russellville, Arkansas. The space agency has debunked a number of myths about the total solar eclipse — including ideas about food going bad, or unborn babies being harmed. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

People visit a NASA information booth to grab solar eclipse glasses in Russellville, Arkansas. The space agency has debunked a number of myths about the total solar eclipse — including ideas about food going bad, or unborn babies being harmed.

Will a solar eclipse harm a pregnant woman's baby if she looks at it? Does an eclipse emit special radiation that can instantly blind you?

Those are some of the ideas people have been asking about — and that experts have been pooh-poohing — as people in North America anticipated seeing a total eclipse, from Mazatlán to Montreal.

Here's what time the eclipse will be visible in your region

Monday's total solar eclipse begins over Mexico's Pacific Coast at around 11:07 a.m. PT, moving east through Texas and up to Maine, finally leaving the continent on Newfoundland's Atlantic coast.

Solar eclipses have long triggered fanciful explanations and warnings, from religious mythology to modern-day superstition. In recent days, for instance, a message circulated online warning people to turn off their cellphones and other devices before midnight ahead of the eclipse, warning of powerful radiation and cosmic rays.

In reality, a solar eclipse brings a temporary sharp drop in solar radiation — an event that ham radio operators have been eagerly anticipating for months, with competitions and experiments looking to fill the Earth's suddenly radiation-free ionosphere with radio signals.

Persistent but unfounded beliefs even prompted NASA to devote a special page to debunking misconceptions about a solar eclipse.

Total eclipses don't produce rays that cause blindness, NASA says

During totality, electromagnetic radiation from the sun's corona will not harm you. In fact, the only time it's safe to look at the sun without eye protection, as the sun's brightness is fully obscured by the moon and its corona is visible.

But outside of totality, your eyes can be harmed during an eclipse. If the sun is only partially obscured, looking at it will damage your retina. You can look if you have special solar glasses, but don't count on those to protect you if you want to use a telescope or camera lens that doesn't have a solar filter.

As NASA says , "the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury."

Another thing to remember: Take breaks if you're using a special filter to look at the sun before or after totality. As the space agency says , the sun's infrared radiation can make you uncomfortable, "as it literally warms the eye."

You should look away from the sun periodically, or use an indirect viewer like a pinhole projector to track the eclipse.​

More things NASA says are NOT true about a total solar eclipse

Myth: if you are pregnant you should not watch an eclipse because it can harm your baby..

Another notion that seems to be rooted in concern about radiation. To put people's mind at ease, NASA employs a sort of "you're already soaking in it" example, citing the neutrino particles produced by the sun's nuclear fusion:

"Every second, your body is pelted by trillions of these neutrinos no matter if the sun is above or below the horizon. The only consequence is that every few minutes a few atoms in your body are transmuted into a different isotope by absorbing a neutrino. This is an entirely harmless effect and would not harm you, or if you are pregnant, the developing fetus."

MYTH: Eclipses will poison any food that is prepared during the event.

NASA gives a hypothetical: What if some bad potato salad makes people sick during an eclipse? Food poisoning is very common — and it shouldn't be blamed on a rare celestial event, the agency notes.

"The basic idea is that total solar eclipses are terrifying and their ghostly green coronae look frightening, so it is natural to want to make up fearful stories about them and look for coincidences among events around you."

Other myths have to do with omens and major events

Here are four that NASA singles out for debunking:

MYTH: Eclipses are harbingers of something very bad about to happen.

Myth: solar eclipses foretell major life changes and events about to happen., myth: solar eclipses are a sign of an exceptional celestial event taking place in time and space., myth: solar eclipses six months after your birthday, or on your birthday, are a sign of impending bad health..

NASA ascribes many of these ideas to astrological forecasts being propped up by confirmation bias.

As the agency says, "We tend to remember all the occasions when two things happened together, but forget all of the other times when they did not."

Other myths — such as the idea that the moon turns black during an eclipse, or that the Earth's two poles don't see eclipses — are simply false, the agency says.

Eclipses have deep spiritual meanings

Ideas about an eclipse's potentially powerful effects aren't new. In fact, solar eclipses do also cause some unusual things to happen .

Want to see how a solar eclipse alters colors? Wear red and green on Monday

People in totality can expect to feel a sudden drop in temperature, for instance. Stars and planets become visible in the middle of the day, and humans can experience a range of odd visual effects — from the sharpness of shadows to the movement of "shadow bands" and a change in how we perceive color.

Then there's the eerie effect of the eclipse moving from west to east, adding to the perception that time isn't moving in its normal path.

Many cultures and religions link eclipses to energy, seeing them as events of renewal and promise — or in some cases, of vital energy being drained away.

For the Ojibwe and other Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region, a story about a solar eclipse centers on a boy and his sister who trap the sun after it burns him.

In many folktales, magical animals try to eat the sun or the moon. In Hindu mythology, a serpent god, Rahu Ketu, wanted to eat the sun — but then his head was cut off. That created two new entities, Rahu and Ketu, according to the Folklife Today blog from the Library of Congress.

"These are the deities of eclipses and comets. Rahu is fixated on eating the sun and the moon, and will try to catch them and gobble them up," the blog notes. "Fortunately he only succeeds once in a while. Since his head was cut off, the sun or moon just falls out the hole where his neck used to be. This is an eclipse."

As Folklife Today notes, in many cultures, humans take up the duty of ending an eclipse, often by making noise and beating on drums or gongs to dispel the spirit that's attempting to take the sun.