Sure, we've all heard that we should get more sleep. The realities of life often make it become "we should get more sleep later." 36 The result is that you wake up the next day feeling like a role of The Walking Dead. Here are four ways you can adjust your biology in order to pay less for staying up.
● Move around.
Exercising before bed is a sure way to keep awake. That's why you shouldn't do it when you want to go to sleep, and it is also why hitting the gym, or even some fast push-ups can tell your body that it's not time for bed. Being physically exhausted isn't fun when you are trying to stay up late. 37
● Eat more protein.
Few people think about the fact that the brain and body use a lot more energy when we're awake. If you are pulling an all-nighter, you're going to need a lot more food than you are used to eating. 38 To stay awake, plan to eat larger meals than normal and to eat them more frequently.
● Drink the right stuff.
It's tempting (诱人) to switch to sugary caffeine drinks like Red Bull, but the sugar will lead to a crash. Instead, if you want to use caffeine, drink early in the evening so it'll wear off by the time you want to sleep.
39 Don't make it worse by drinking sugar.
● 40
Turn the lights down at night because bright lights keep you awake. For three or four hours after you're exposed to bright white light, your body won't make melatonin, a must for deep sleep. You will sleep better if you turn the lights a little bit down.
A. Turn the lights off.
B. Avoid bright lights.
C. Just do enough to get energetic.
D. And your body can never bear something like that.
E. Your brain can use up to 25 percent of your total calories.
F. When you stay up late, your blood sugar becomes abnormal.
G. There is either more work to be done, or more fun to be had, or both.