I've been up for 30 hours straight.

Oerdin · December 17, 2003, 10:02

So what do you folks like to do in order to stay awake during all nighters? I drink lots of coffee and try to stay busy with the work I have to do. Is there a better way?

Agathon · December 17, 2003, 10:05

Refrain from reading your posts.

DAVOUT · December 17, 2003, 10:11

Playing Civ is quite efficient for staying awake.

Oerdin · December 17, 2003, 10:19

The problem I have is for the next week I'm going to be working the grave yard shift. My boss won't let me play civ.

BTW Agathon it's good to know we've been helping each other sleep for years.

Agathon · December 17, 2003, 10:20

Quote:

Originally posted by Oerdin
The problem I have is for the next week I'm going to be working the grave yard shift. My boss won't let me play civ.

BTW Agathon it's good to know we've been helping each other sleep for years.

No trouble.

SlowwHand · December 17, 2003, 10:23

Up 30 hours, eh?
Want a medal, or a chest to pin it on?

Oerdin · December 17, 2003, 10:25

Naw, I just want advice on how to stay a wake even longer with a minimium of side effects.

Agathon · December 17, 2003, 10:26

A new hot girl every hour.

That works for me. It's called the "Coolidge Effect".

SlowwHand · December 17, 2003, 10:27

Too late. Hallucinations will start momentarily.

Shogun Gunner · December 17, 2003, 10:28

Some side effects are going to be unavoidable. At some point, coffee won't work anymore, however, mild exercise will work to a degree.

I remember staying up four straight days in college. By the fourth day I was definitely hallucinating. I tried to go to class and pay attention, but my mind was completely blank. I kept freaking out because I thought ants were climbing all over me.

Well, anyway, good luck with that!

Agathon · December 17, 2003, 10:31

I stayed up for four days once. I had the flu and couldn't sleep. I don't know what was driving me mad, the pain, or the fact that I had to sit up for four nights staring at a wall.

Pekka · December 17, 2003, 10:41

The only way, if you don't want to use cofein and things like that is to make you uncomfortable as much as possible. BUt it's hard after that much of not sleeping. Dip your nutsacks in ice cold water. Take a supercold shower. Hit yourself hard. Eyegauge yourself until you feel a stinging pain in your head. Stomp your toes. Pull a good wad of hair out of your haid.

Skanky Burns · December 17, 2003, 10:41

Message Kassi.

SlowwHand · December 17, 2003, 10:45

Pekka, I never want you as my health care provider.

Guynemer · December 17, 2003, 11:01

30 hours?

Amateur.

Pekka · December 17, 2003, 11:02

Sloww,

But seriously, don't try that dipping thing.. it can be actually dangerous, and I don't want to be responsible if you don't ever get kids if you get some ideas reading that.

MrBaggins · December 17, 2003, 11:04

taking Speed might help.

Spiffor · December 17, 2003, 11:45

Not bad, but still not up to par with Kassiopeia's feat :unworhty:

BTW, I slept 9 hours these last two days, and I'm tired as hell. But now that my exam is finally over (1,7 baby!

), I'll go to bed now

Pekka · December 17, 2003, 11:51

Oh nice typo! pulling hear out of your haid.. that's what you get when you mix up hair and head. Maybe I'm the one who should get some sleep.

edit: pullig hear.. pulling hair! damn it!

GhengisFarb™ · December 17, 2003, 11:51

This is going to sound really stupid but when I was on CQ or Staff Duty the best way I found to stay awake was to put together a plastic model. They took away radio, tv, and video games so I had an old model I hadn't messed with in a few years and worked on it.

I guess having to pay attention to the detail and what not was good for keeping me awake.

Cruddy · December 17, 2003, 12:02

Quote:

Originally posted by Oerdin
Naw, I just want advice on how to stay a wake even longer with a minimium of side effects.

Sorry. All methods of staying awake will lead to exhaustion, with symptoms as serious as hallucinations, psychotic/suicidal episodes and an extremely low tolerance to humour.

I wouldn't recommend it - but one thing that always works for me is stress. If I'm under stress I can go for days without sleeping, with all the aforementioned side effects.

Chemicals can block the physical symptons, but eventually your brain will insist on a dream even if you are wide awake - see hallucinations above.

So my advice is - don't. Not unless you have a bloody good reason.

duke o' york · December 17, 2003, 12:19

Quote:

Originally posted by Oerdin
The problem I have is for the next week I'm going to be working the grave yard shift. My boss won't let me play civ.

Will your boss be there all night? Surely he'd be most interested in a new "training package", especially one that incorporates some of the great leadership ideas of history!

DanielXY · December 17, 2003, 12:21

So ppl. with no money to afford drugs can get cool psychotic hallucinations just by staying awake?!

rah · December 17, 2003, 12:42

My advise will help only for the last hour.

Beer.

For the first hour it will act as a stimulent.
It also helps because after the hour it will help you fall asleep instead of the wired feeling you get sometimes after a long haul like that.

Motivate with beer, not with fear.

Cruddy · December 17, 2003, 12:49

Quote:

Originally posted by DanielXY
So ppl. with no money to afford drugs can get cool psychotic hallucinations just by staying awake?!

Correct.

Bear in mind hallucinations can be bad as well as good.

EDIT: One natural stimulant that's OK (in the UK at least) and available is khat, also called chard.

It's a bit tough to chew (idea is you chew the wood and swallow the juice) but it's nice and mild, making you alert rather than anxious.

Traianvs · December 17, 2003, 12:56

30 is not bad, but I regularly do 55'ers without the need for coffee, and without hallucinations.

The best thing to do is move around once in a while.. go exercise for a moment (I mean do a few sprints around the block

) and when you get back you'll feel fresh again!

also if you get tired at critical moments: eat a banana for quick energy boosts!

Drogue · December 17, 2003, 16:44

Hallucinations? From staying awake? I always thought that was only in extreme cases, like weeks awake. I once did about 90-100 hours awake to do an essay. Started it about 10am Friday and finished it at midday Monday, then went into school to turn it in. Felt quite euphoric, and it involved about a cup or two per day of coffee, but I was so into the work I didn't really feel tired. Slept well when I got home though.

VJ · December 17, 2003, 17:14

48 hours is a piece of cake.
Kassi had a 70+ hours of uptime during the last MuroMarathon.

Zero · December 17, 2003, 17:21

Quote:

Originally posted by DanielXY
So ppl. with no money to afford drugs can get cool psychotic hallucinations just by staying awake?!

or people with money can speed up the same effect by taking ambien. Why go thru the torture of trying to stay up 50+ hours for hallucination?

st_swithin · December 17, 2003, 17:38

blow.

Or take a hammer and smash your fingers and toes one by one when you feel as if you are succumbing to sleepiness. Even more fun is to smash someone else's fingers and toes one by one - the screaming will definitely keep you awake.