It’s 8:15 a.m. and you are sitting through your 1st or 2nd period class. You look at the clock, you yawn, begin to rest your eyes. You almost fall asleep but then reenter reality as your teacher gives you a glaring stare. This repeats every five minutes. 

     The night before you were probably up late studying or finishing a project that you just did not have time to complete before (or simply procrastinated). It is understandable and happens to every student once or twice. While the Loudspeaker encourages students to complete homework early and get at least seven hours of sleep, here are some tips for when you did neither. 

At Home:

1. Do not sleep past your alarm! If you set your alarm for 6 a.m., do not hit snooze in order to gain another 15 minutes of sleep. Research* shows waking up only to fall back asleep for a short while leads to drowsiness during the day. 
2. Do not eat a sugary breakfast. If you are already tired and eat (for example) a donut, the sugar crash will be unstoppable. Skip the sugary cereal and try a nutritious breakfast such as oatmeal and fruit.
3. Drink coffee or caffeinated drinks.

In class: 

1. Sit near an open window if you can. A cold breeze from an open window helps wake you up. 
2. Sit straight rather than slouching. 
3. Drink water. Despite popular belief, water cannot cure all life’s problems and ailments. However, it will help you stay awake. 
4. Try to be engaged in the class! While it is tempting to stay quiet the whole period when you are tired, raising your hand and answering questions will help you stay interested in the course material– and talking keeps you from falling asleep. 

     If these tips do not help, we hope your teachers are not prone to public embarrassment for sleepers!

*Maria Konnikova. “Snoozers Are, in Fact, Losers”. The New Yorker. December, 2013. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/snoozers-are-in-fact-losers