Let's get high and get those eyes glowing...

Michael Castillo MemberOP

25 messages
joined Jun 2013

#1 · Nov 13, 2013

That's just a song title up there—not an invitation to go party.
Just trying to grab the attention of the curious readers out there.

Anyway, here's the actual situation.
Deadlines are breathing down my neck, I'm juggling five different gigs at once, and basically, I have to spend my nights writing instead of sleeping.

So, how am I supposed to pull this off when my eyes are practically glued shut?
Last night I had some fancy red wine, which didn't just make me drowsy—it also absolutely wrecked my stomach since it was so late. Instead of writing, I ended up singing Rigoletto. 😛

Coffee is out of the question too, thanks to my stomach.

Right now, the only things keeping me awake are Jimi Hendrix and Tina Turner (I crank the headphones up to max, and the vibrations literally shake my brain enough to stop me from passing out), but damn, I’m going to go deaf at this rate—so I need to find a tenth option.

Does smoking help you sleep or wake you up?
And what's the deal with the stomach?

I'm assuming it's fine for inspiration.

Just a heads-up: until a week ago, I was a total straight edge.
But hey, necessity changes the rules. And the principles.

Someone please give me some actual advice on how to stay permanently awake for the next five or six days.

Anthony Rodriguez58 Active Member

93 messages
joined Sep 2006

#2 · Nov 13, 2013

Marijuana isn't going to help you stay awake for five days straight. Honestly, I don't think anything will, because five days is just... excessive. I see you're really doubling down on this fixed idea of yours, but it's an impossible mission. 🤷

Michael Castillo MemberOP

25 messages
joined Jun 2013

#3 · Nov 13, 2013

Anthony Rodriguez58 said:Marijuana isn't going to help you stay awake for five days straight. Honestly, I don't think anything will, because five days is just... excessive. I see you're really doubling down on this fixed idea of yours, but it's an impossible mission. 🤷

Two days?
I have to—no choice, really.

It’s a matter of life or death.
Or at least, financial life or death.

Michael Castillo MemberOP

25 messages
joined Jun 2013

#4 · Nov 13, 2013

I'm going to head out now and try walking at a frantic pace for about half an hour.
Let's see if there's actually any effect from that.

Nicholas Gonzalez8 Regular

293 messages
joined Feb 2015

#5 · Nov 13, 2013

So, there's this whole thing called the Superman sleep method where you basically try to hack your own biology—you know, tricking your body into skipping everything except the REM stage. The idea is to stack six tiny cycles throughout the day, taking a quick 20 to 30-minute nap every four hours. That adds up to maybe two or three hours of shut-eye total in a full 24-hour stretch. In theory, if you pull it off, your body gets the same amount of rest and recovery as someone getting a standard eight-hour block of sleep.

Even if you can't pull off that insane schedule, just hitting a quick 20 or 30-minute power nap here and there can boost your alertness and focus by something like 30%. Personally, I find it works best if I don't linger—as soon as my alarm goes off, I’m out of bed immediately and jump straight into some light exercise just to shock my system awake.

Taylor Roberts3 Newcomer

9 messages
joined Jan 2016

#6 · Nov 13, 2013

Weed? Definitely not. Alcohol? Same deal. Sure, it might give you a quick little boost, but then it’ll just knock you sideways and you'll be out like a light.
If coffee isn't doing the trick, maybe try some black tea. Honestly though, instead of messing around with substances, just try to structure your life so you can snag at least a few hours of sleep every day. Stimulants are fine if you just need to squeeze out an extra hour or two of wakefulness, but staying up for days on end—especially when you're fueling that madness with all sorts of random junk—can seriously wreck your head and your body.

redorca13 Member

10 messages
joined Aug 2013

#7 · Nov 13, 2013

Michael Castillo said:Two days?
I have to—no choice, really.

It’s a matter of life or death.
Or at least, financial life or death.

If you've got to figure something out in two days—something where your whole survival depends on it—don't touch anything except water and walking; just use that time to think.
Coffee, tea, and alcohol will wreck your stomach, so stay away from them.
Weed will just amplify whatever state you're already in; if you're feeling lazy, it'll keep you slumped, if you're active, it might help you focus, but if you crash, you aren't waking up refreshed.

Honestly, two days is nothing, even if you were working a double shift at a coal mine.

Eat fruit and light snacks.
Garlic is good for keeping you alert.

dustylynx242 Newcomer

1 message
joined Nov 2013

#8 · Nov 13, 2013

Nicholas Gonzalez8 said:So, there's this whole thing called the Superman sleep method where you basically try to hack your own biology—you know, tricking your body into skipping everything except the REM stage. The idea is to stack six tiny cycles throughout the day, taking a quick 20 to 30-minute nap every four hours. That adds up to maybe two or three hours of shut-eye total in a full 24-hour stretch. In theory, if you pull it off, your body gets the same amount of rest and recovery as someone getting a standard eight-hour block of sleep.

Even if you can't pull off that insane schedule, just hitting a quick 20 or 30-minute power nap here and there can boost your alertness and focus by something like 30%. Personally, I find it works best if I don't linger—as soon as my alarm goes off, I’m out of bed immediately and jump straight into some light exercise just to shock my system awake.

Exactly this! That was my go-to move back when finals week was breathing down my neck during college. But honestly, you can't let yourself drift off for more than half an hour, or you're doomed. I’d stick to 15 or 20 minutes, then immediately spring out of bed—and since it's freezing outside lately, I’ll crack a window open to let that crisp, cold air hit me. Once you do that, you usually get another five or six hours of being actually functional.

driftingdrifter88 Member

31 messages
joined Jan 2016

#9 · Nov 13, 2013

Dropping an entire bottle of 1% Ephedrine nasal spray into a cup of coffee...

Roger Barrett25 Newcomer

6 messages
joined Apr 2013

#10 · Nov 13, 2013

Alcohol might give you a temporary boost, but in the end, it always drags you down.
If we're talking legal stuff, Red Bull is the only way to go. If you're looking at the illegal side, speed and cocaine are the kings of staying up.
Honestly, a cold shower and two Red Bulls should be enough to get you through the night.

David Vaughn75 Regular

626 messages
joined Sep 2015

#11 · Nov 13, 2013

Honestly, the absolute best move you can make is to just stop touching any kind of stimulants altogether. It’s a total trap—every single one of those things hits you with this massive wave of exhaustion once they wear off, leaving you feeling way more wiped out than if you hadn't taken them in the first place. Just cut it all out and try to squeeze in at least two hours of sleep a day

analogwalker8 Active Member

53 messages
joined Oct 2013

#12 · Nov 14, 2013

Honestly, nothing gets the gears turning quite like sex. It’s the ultimate stimulant.

Jeffrey Diaz4 Newcomer

1 message
joined Nov 2013

#13 · Nov 14, 2013

Ephedrine

hollowhawk95 Newcomer

2 messages
joined Nov 2013

#14 · Nov 14, 2013

Michael Castillo said:I'm going to head out now and try walking at a frantic pace for about half an hour.
Let's see if there's actually any effect from that.

To be honest, I don't think that's really going to help you much. You should probably avoid drinking too much coffee; having too much can cause nausea and a massive headache (I once downed 25 ounces of coffee just to power through some required reading, and it didn't even keep me awake—it just made me feel like I was suffering from caffeine poisoning)
Water can wake you up too, though personally, citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits, or tangerines work better for me. And you should probably listen to the advice about taking a 15-30 minute nap that they gave you.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. If you pull this off, you might end up wanting to break the Guinness World Record for sleep deprivation, which I think is around 40 days. Though, I guess some scientists claim sleep isn't strictly necessary anyway.😉

wiredstag30 Member

16 messages
joined Oct 2013

#15 · Nov 14, 2013

Michael Castillo said:That's just a song title up there—not an invitation to go party.
Just trying to grab the attention of the curious readers out there.

Anyway, here's the actual situation.
Deadlines are breathing down my neck, I'm juggling five different gigs at once, and basically, I have to spend my nights writing instead of sleeping.

So, how am I supposed to pull this off when my eyes are practically glued shut?
Last night I had some fancy red wine, which didn't just make me drowsy—it also absolutely wrecked my stomach since it was so late. Instead of writing, I ended up singing Rigoletto. 😛

Coffee is out of the question too, thanks to my stomach.

Right now, the only things keeping me awake are Jimi Hendrix and Tina Turner (I crank the headphones up to max, and the vibrations literally shake my brain enough to stop me from passing out), but damn, I’m going to go deaf at this rate—so I need to find a tenth option.

Does smoking help you sleep or wake you up?
And what's the deal with the stomach?

I'm assuming it's fine for inspiration.

Just a heads-up: until a week ago, I was a total straight edge.
But hey, necessity changes the rules. And the principles.

Someone please give me some actual advice on how to stay permanently awake for the next five or six days.

Didn't Balsac drink massive amounts of coffee? He was kind of a natural talent, you know. 😲

So, how am I supposed to pull this off when my eyes are practically closing on their own?
Last night I poured myself a nice glass of heavy red wine, and instead of helping me write, it just made me sleepy and gave me terrible heartburn since it was so late. I ended up singing Rigoletto instead of getting any work done. 😛

🙂

Does smoking help you sleep or wake you up?
And how is it on the stomach?

Good for the stomach and good for sleep.

I'm counting on it for inspiration.

But that isn't really the point.

Someone please give me some actual advice on how to stay awake for five or six days straight.

There isn't really a fix for that. You can't take anything. Well, except amphetamines, but that isn't a real solution.

Ephedrine hits you harder than caffeine, but the crash is just as bad.

mellownomad30 Member

20 messages
joined Oct 2013

#16 · Nov 14, 2013

hollowhawk95 said:To be honest, I don't think that's really going to help you much. You should probably avoid drinking too much coffee; having too much can cause nausea and a massive headache (I once downed 25 ounces of coffee just to power through some required reading, and it didn't even keep me awake—it just made me feel like I was suffering from caffeine poisoning)
Water can wake you up too, though personally, citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits, or tangerines work better for me. And you should probably listen to the advice about taking a 15-30 minute nap that they gave you.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. If you pull this off, you might end up wanting to break the Guinness World Record for sleep deprivation, which I think is around 40 days. Though, I guess some scientists claim sleep isn't strictly necessary anyway.😉

Look, I’m basically living on a liter of strong black coffee a day, plus another 7 or 8 cups from the vending machines at work.

But if I try to knock back three 10-ounce mugs one after another at the end of the shift? Yeah, I’m gonna feel sick.

What actually helps me is putting an ice pack on the back of my neck and just constantly sipping on some iced juice.

silentgardener19 Newcomer

3 messages
joined Aug 2012

#17 · Nov 14, 2013

Seriously, just knock out a few quick exercises when you start feeling that mid-day slump hitting you; once you get moving, your whole body finally wakes up and snaps back to life

Eric Gray2 Regular

254 messages
joined Jul 2014

#18 · Nov 15, 2013

Michael Castillo said:That's just a song title up there—not an invitation to go party.
Just trying to grab the attention of the curious readers out there.

Anyway, here's the actual situation.
Deadlines are breathing down my neck, I'm juggling five different gigs at once, and basically, I have to spend my nights writing instead of sleeping.

So, how am I supposed to pull this off when my eyes are practically glued shut?
Last night I had some fancy red wine, which didn't just make me drowsy—it also absolutely wrecked my stomach since it was so late. Instead of writing, I ended up singing Rigoletto. 😛

Coffee is out of the question too, thanks to my stomach.

Right now, the only things keeping me awake are Jimi Hendrix and Tina Turner (I crank the headphones up to max, and the vibrations literally shake my brain enough to stop me from passing out), but damn, I’m going to go deaf at this rate—so I need to find a tenth option.

Does smoking help you sleep or wake you up?
And what's the deal with the stomach?

I'm assuming it's fine for inspiration.

Just a heads-up: until a week ago, I was a total straight edge.
But hey, necessity changes the rules. And the principles.

Someone please give me some actual advice on how to stay permanently awake for the next five or six days.

Haha.
Nah.

Let's get high and get those eyes glowing...

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