We’ve all had difficulties staying awake in class. Whether it’s from pulling an all nighter or just a bad night where you couldn’t sleep very well. You don’t want a bad night of sleep to lead to academic problems. If you’re having trouble staying awake in class follow these simple tips:
1) Meditate
If you had a rough night of little sleep, but still want to remain alert and focused in school, meditation may be the answer for you. Studies have shown that meditation may decrease the amount of sleep you need. Try to sit and meditate for 20 minutes and you may feel refreshed and ready for class.
If you’ve never meditated before you can use an app on your phone, or just sit in silence and focus on your breath. Breathe deeply and whenever your mind starts to wander from your breathe, try to refocus yourself on you breathing. There are many other ways to meditate but this just one simple way that’s easy for beginners.
Try to meditate for 20 minutes and you may feel refreshed and better able to stay awake
2) Exercise
Getting a little exercise can be a great way to boost your energy levels and help you stay awake. When your exercise, blood flow to the brain increases. When you increase blood flow, your brain is getting more oxygen. This makes it perform better.
Exercise has also been shown to enhance our capacity for memory, concentration, and mental sharpness. So next time you’re starting to feel groggy, go for a quick jog or run to give your brain a little boost to help you get through the rest of the day.
Going for a short jog or walk can help you feel more alert
3) Drink Enough Water
Making sure you are properly hydrated is extremely essential for helping you to stay focused and energized. Especially if you’ve had a rough night of little sleep and need to stay awake throughout the day. Your brain is greatly affected by hydration. Studies have shown the lack of hydration can impair mood, concentration, memory, and cause increased feelings of anxiety and fatigue.
Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration related tiredness
4) Eat High Protein Foods
Sleep.org states that protein foods offer a slow energy release. A small amount of protein make give your body and little boost to help you get through the afternoon. If you need to boost alertness WebMD.com recommended healthy sources of protein like beans, pease, lean beef, fish, poultry or yogurt.
Eat a healthy protein snack to give your body energy for staying awake
5) Breathe Deeply
Breathing deeply raises oxygen levels the body which can help you stay awake. Deep breathing can slow your heart rate, lower blood pressure, and improve circulation which all help mental performance and energy.
Breathe deeply to increase oxygen levels and mental energy
6) Nap Between Classes
If you have enough time for a nap it can be a powerful way to increase alertness and help you stay awake. Sleepfoundation.org reports that naps increase alertness that may extend for hours into the day. A study done at NASA on pilots and astronauts found that napping improved alertness by 100% and improved performance by 34%. Just be cautious about taking too long of nap, because it may affect your sleep schedule.
Take a short nap to increase alertness and boost mental performance
7) Sit Up Straight
Posture can affect your mental performance. One study done by San Francisco State University found that it was easier for a group of students to perform math problems when they were sitting up straight, compared to students who were slouched over. Good posture has also been shown to increase oxygen intake. Like discussed earlier, more oxygen to the brain can improve mental performance and energy.
Sit up straight for better mental performance and increase energy levels
8) Chew Gum
Chewing gum can give you a quick mental boost to help you get through the day. Studies have shown that chewing gum increases alertness. Other research has also shown that chewing gum can even enhance work performance.
Chew gum to give yourself a boost in alertness
Conclusion
There are a number of simple things you can do to boost alertness and stay awake in class. Whether you’re in middle school, high school or college, there may be days where you struggle to stay awake. We strongly recommend to avoid things like caffeine and try these natural methods of increasing alertness. Try any of the 8 tips above to give yourself a mental performance boost and get through the day.