Late study is a common thing for students, especially for senior students of high-school and colleges. Assignments, projects, exams are a major source of pressure on students which makes him stay awake too late at night. Night study is not always a compulsion for all. In many cases it is a chosen option also. Many students feel it comfortable to study at night. Some have daytime engagements, some like the serene silence of the night, even some can have insomnia to cope with. Though it is not at all a healthy habit to do late study everyday or frequently, still I am writing this article mainly for those who have no other option than to study late for any reason whatsoever.
It is best to go to bed early and rise early. Actually this is a more healthy option and you can even do more work everyday if you can maintain such a routine. The night time you are using can be easily substituted by the early morning hours. But many students are having different study habits and many feel it is comfortable to study late at night. I would suggest they change their habits if possible for not only better health but also better study and brain performance.
Some students or professionals may have a medical condition called insomnia. This is a sleep disorder that arises mainly due to hormonal disbalance in the body. In such cases study late at night can save you somewhat from the pain of sleepless nights. But one must always try to sleep early. That promotes better sleep depth and cycles. People with insomnia can read or study those books that help one to reduce stress and accelerate the sleep process. So they should not take the food and diet advice from this article.
This article is mainly for those who have no option but to study late at night. It can be a vital exam or a project or anything else of that sort. They may find it extremely hard to stay awake late at night and also continue their studies. In this article I would discuss a few foods and supplements that can help you stay awake at night and that also minimize side-effects. There are many medicines and addictions like coffee and cigarettes that can help keep awake and work but all are with too many side-effects. Out of that only tea and coffee I will mention here as they are with much less side-effects and also already among the most consumed drinks around the world.
Tea and Coffee can Work Wonders
If you have an extremely compelling reason for staying awake and working late night then you can consider the options of tea and coffee. Both contain considerable amounts of caffeine which can stimulate you when you are feeling really sleepy. But you should also remember that they can form habits and regular consumption of caffeine is not good at all in both terms of health and mind performance.
Chocolates are Even Better Choice
Chocolates are a better choice than tea and coffee. They have got less caffeine and hence less harmful. But they work quite as good as tea or coffee or sometimes even better by adding a kind of feel-good factor or anti-stress agent. The ability to stimulate nitric oxide endows chocolate with this special property.
Banana Helps to Stay Awake in a Healthy Way
This is one of the most healthy ways to try to stay awake when you are already exhausted. The punch of salts like potassium and sodium with high carbohydrates can give you a boost in physical energy to carry on for quite a long time. They are also very healthy as a balanced food and also contain many vitamins and antioxidants. If you consume some bananas at night during late study then you will be able to control your hunger also and provide the body with a good amount of calories.
Try Water
Though it seems strange but water is a good thing to drink in both cases, you want to sleep or you don’t want to sleep. Suppose you are struggling through a sleepless night, then a glass of water often can help you fall asleep. On the other hand if you want to stay awake for a while then also drinking a glass of water can help. But do not over drink it specially around your meals otherwise it can dilute your digestive juices to make the absorption of nutrition from food less efficient due to gastric dilution.
Indian climate is summer oriented. Hence there is more requirement of water in our body. A daily intake of 4 to 5 litres is the best choice. It can be a litre more but should not be even a little less than 4. In winter, a little less is not a very big issue.
When studying late hours at night, you can frequently drink a few sips of water in order to keep away the urges of sleep and fatigue. But do not overdo it otherwise it can interfere in the digestive processes. You can drink 1 litre or little more throughout your span of the late night study session in multiple breakups of a few sips at a time.
Nuts are Good Source of Energy
During those hours of late night studies, you can opt to take some nuts to keep up the energy levels. It also helps you to stay awake. Peanuts work well. You can combine a little quantity of almonds for an even better result.
Protein rich foods are a good choice for the night time diet. So if you need night time snacks for late study purposes, then good protein sources like various types of nuts are very suitable for both purposes.
Popcorn can Help to Stay Awake for Late Studies
One trick to keep the sleep at bay during the late night study hours is to keep your appetite busy. Keep eating some healthy but low calorie and low fat foods at frequent intervals. Popcorns are one of the best choices for such purposes. You can keep having popcorn at frequent intervals without much fear of digestive disorder, or high fat or calorie intake at night. It gives you the necessary calorie as well as extra protein for your studies.