How to Stay Awake 72 Hours Straight

Sometimes it is necessary to pull an all nighter; these are done with a relative amount of strain and typically great success. Sometimes it’s necessary to be awake and alert the majority of the following day as well, which is a bit more difficult. But sometimes it is necessary to be up, in motion, and ready to do things for three days straight. Whether you’re cramming for finals, working on a big project, hosting an event, or are just a crazy person, staying awake for 72 hours straight is something which is never really recommended, but sometimes necessary. If this is where you fall then there are some things you can do to lessen the effects on your health and maintain your vigilance and stamina until you can finally rest.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• energy
• stamina
• endurance
• purpose

How to Stay Awake For 72 Hours Straight

1. Plan It: If this 72 hours is news to you, then you can’t really do a whole lot of planning. This can be particularly problematic if you’ve got tasks to do which will keep you alert the full 72. So if at all possible you want to try to plan it.
2. Keep It Real: Many people think that they can overcompensate for sleep they won’t be getting by loading up on sleep before they begin. This is not advised. Everyone knows themselves better than any poster on eHow, but in general when you are planning your 72, you don’t want to sleep all day the night before you begin. The logic behind that goes that if your body is used to five and a half hours sleep every night, that’s what it’s used to. So if you take a full day before and just sleep and eat, you will come out the next day lethargic and will tire quicker.
3. Steal Away: More often than not you may get a break somewhere along the line. If you can plot in breaks for yourself that is even better. But try to get a little sleep, 20 minutes, an hour; when you can. If this is a bad idea because you might not wake up or if it’s not possible, then don’t worry too much about it. But if you can sneak away and shut your eyes and get off your feet, that’s a great idea. Getting off your feet is very important because even if you don't sleep, your body may not have the same ideas about staying up so late that are kicking around your brain.
4. Juice Up: Just like every person knows their sleep habits, they also each individually know what works to give them a jolt. Is it prune juice? Snapple? Red Bull? Triple Tall, Vanilla, Soy, Caramel Latte with chocolate sauce? Whatever gets you going should be kept on site and consumed at a measured pace (just like eating too much; if you overload on lattes, you could get lethargic and sleepy).
5. Safety First: Always remember that if you’re going to be handling any cranes, large knives, blowtorches, or automobiles that you shouldn’t do so on 72 hours of no sleep. When your health and that of others is at stake, you’ve got to exercise great restraint and caution. If it comes down to it, just wait until you get some sleep and finish your task tomorrow!

Tips & Warnings

• restraint
• caution
• red bull
• don't over do it
• don't put your health in danger
• don't put others health in danger

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