Suddenly can't pull all-nighters

[Jae B.]

Throughout my academic career, I've taken as many classes at once as I could stand. I figured it was the best way to make the most of my time and money. I enjoyed the challenge.

With multiple deadlines on the same days -- and, okay, maybe my aversion to doing schoolwork on the weekend had something to do with it -- I frequently found myself pulling all-nighters to finish projects. It wasn't a big deal to me, and I got adjusted to writing at night and enjoying the quiet atmosphere.

But all of a sudden, I can't pull all-nighters anymore. I just fall asleep!

It's gotten so if I even try to stay up late to do homework, I fall asleep without finishing it and I am extra groggy the next day. Oh, and coffee doesn't seem to perk me up anymore for more than an hour.

I abruptly began to find this out the hard way last semester, waking up to my alarm with unfinished work in front of me, when I needed to run out the door for my commute. (Don't worry, I take the bus!) I still managed to get through a couple of nights awake -- as long as I went to sleep early the night before. This, my last semester of undergrad, however, I have not managed to pull a single all-nighter.

At this point, it is a big pain to adjust to. Writing at night is so much more comfortable for me. But I obviously can't do that anymore and expect to finish.

During a grad school new admit tour, some of the current students joked about spending whole nights in the newsroom, plowing through assignments. I thought, heh...that won't be me....

I'm 21. I don't party. I eat healthy. I walk everywhere. Etc. All that good stuff. Why can't I keep myself awake anymore?

I understand that I get sleepy around 9:30 p.m. because I get up at 5:45 in the morning during the week. But I think it's kind of scary that I can't control if I fall asleep or not.

Has this happened to anyone else? If so, when did it start?

Edited March 27, 2010 by Jae B.

[mudlark]

I'm 25 now, and I've never been able to pull all-nighters. It's just not something I'm built for. These days, I go to bed ridiculously early, too, since my husband starts work at 7:00AM and if I stay up too late, he's asleep before I get any *ahem* cuddling. Setting up my work around his regular schedule has been AWESOME for my productivity and my health. I start early on assignments, plan out reasonable work days, and then chip away at them. My stress levels are way, way down from when I did the last minute scrambling thing.

All of which is to say that it might end up being a very good thing that you can't pull all-nighters any more. It'll force you to think ahead and learn better time management, and will cut down on your stress. Overall, it'll probably make you a better grad student.

[fuzzylogician]

It just started happening to me. I've always been a night person - that's when I do my best work and it's the only time I can really concentrate on my writing. I am the sharpest between 10pm and 4am but I can go on until ~8-9am if I really have to and still do good work. I have a paper to submit by the end of the month (my first real publication, ahh!) and I'm doing the final draft rewrite back-and-forth routine with several professors for the past two weeks or so. I meet with one of them, I spend the day making changes, I send it off to the next person and make a meeting with them for as soon as possible. I find it's better than getting the same comments from several of them. This week was spring break so I pulled two all-nighters after meetings to speed the process along, but for the first time I got so tired that day that I spent the whole next day being completely unproductive. It used to be that I would bounce right back and could still do some brainless work the next day--not anymore. I'm completely blown away by how differently my body reacted to the sleep deprivation this week compared to even last semester. I'll be 27 on Thursday...I guess I'm getting old.

Edited March 27, 2010 by fuzzylogician

[HelloKaty37]

My situation is eerily similar to yours. It began for me last semester, when I tried my usual one all-nighter per week routine the last month of class and around midterms. Each time I found my vision getting blurry to the point that I couldn't read or write anymore and I would have to take short naps to regain my ability to function. I'm also 21... maybe nature's way of telling us we need to develop better study habits before starting graduate school, lol.

[Jae B.]

I'm 25 now, and I've never been able to pull all-nighters. It's just not something I'm built for. These days, I go to bed ridiculously early, too, since my husband starts work at 7:00AM and if I stay up too late, he's asleep before I get any *ahem* cuddling. Setting up my work around his regular schedule has been AWESOME for my productivity and my health. I start early on assignments, plan out reasonable work days, and then chip away at them. My stress levels are way, way down from when I did the last minute scrambling thing.

All of which is to say that it might end up being a very good thing that you can't pull all-nighters any more. It'll force you to think ahead and learn better time management, and will cut down on your stress. Overall, it'll probably make you a better grad student.

That's nice, that your partner's schedule positively reinforces yours.

Being able to pull all-nighters helped me in the past, but now I wish I'd never been able to! My advantage has become my weakness.

In the end, this probably will make me a better grad student. My time management skills have pretty much equaled: however much time I have left to finish this is the amount of time it's going to take me, whether that's five hours or one and a half. So my time allocation has been disproportionate -- and included late night hours. I love to edit endlessly and if I get too frustrated with what I'm working on, I tend to delete the whole thing and start over. My work usually gets better because of this, but it's not exactly practical time-wise.

Not being able to pull all-nighters won't be such an issue when I pick a new schedule knowing I can't rely on all-nighters to finish work. Right now, it just feels so difficult to cope with because I'm over-scheduled -- last semester's notice wasn't enough because this semester's schedule was already set in stone.

[Jae B.]

It just started happening to me. I've always been a night person - that's when I do my best work and it's the only time I can really concentrate on my writing. I am the sharpest between 10pm and 4am but I can go on until ~8-9am if I really have to and still do good work. I have a paper to submit by the end of the month (my first real publication, ahh!) and I'm doing the final draft rewrite back-and-forth routine with several professors for the past two weeks or so. I meet with one of them, I spend the day making changes, I send it off to the next person and make a meeting with them for as soon as possible. I find it's better than getting the same comments from several of them. This week was spring break so I pulled two all-nighters after meetings to speed the process along, but for the first time I got so tired that day that I spent the whole next day being completely unproductive. It used to be that I would bounce right back and could still do some brainless work the next day--not anymore. I'm completely blown away by how differently my body reacted to the sleep deprivation this week compared to even last semester. I'll be 27 on Thursday...I guess I'm getting old.

I used to kick into high-gear about 3 a.m. Now, if I try that, I usually fall asleep by 2:30 and will probably have droopy eyelids all day as punishment for staying up past 1:30.

I used to bounce back well, too. I don't think I slept my first college finals week -- I was so wired with adrenaline and worry. Didn't even drink as much coffee back then. I was a slap-happy zombie by the time that was over...emphasis on happy. My eyes were still open, though!

Goodness knows I've improved since back then!

Congratulations on your publication! I'm writing my senior thesis (working on a draft now), and miss the extra time I had at night to just hunker down and concentrate on writing. It was nice because all I had to do then was write and stay awake, and not worry about being rude to people by ignoring them, or moving my laundry into the dryer, etc.

This was my spring break, too, but I still couldn't stay awake all night.

Edited March 27, 2010 by Jae B.

[Jae B.]

My situation is eerily similar to yours. It began for me last semester, when I tried my usual one all-nighter per week routine the last month of class and around midterms. Each time I found my vision getting blurry to the point that I couldn't read or write anymore and I would have to take short naps to regain my ability to function. I'm also 21... maybe nature's way of telling us we need to develop better study habits before starting graduate school, lol.

It does seem like nature's way. I get the same blurry vision.

Now I have to figure out a better way of doing both my reading and my writing, and not just the reading before I fall asleep.

I've also started taking short naps, but I prefer not to because they seem to give me headaches and make my limbs hurt. There's no compensating for missing a full night's sleep....

[prolixity]

I've always enjoyed a good ten hours of sleep before a test. For me, if I needed to pull an all-nighter to feel comfortable about the work, I've obviously not been studying properly. It's hard to know when to cut yourself off from studying and go to bed, but sometimes being the only fresh-faced person in the classroom gives you an immeasurable advantage.

[Jae B.]

I've always enjoyed a good ten hours of sleep before a test. For me, if I needed to pull an all-nighter to feel comfortable about the work, I've obviously not been studying properly. It's hard to know when to cut yourself off from studying and go to bed, but sometimes being the only fresh-faced person in the classroom gives you an immeasurable advantage.

True. Tests don't keep me up, either. Especially since one of my third-semester professors (biology) giddily told our class that drinking coffee to perk up before a test hurts your performance by lessening your ability to remember what you studied -- as we were about to start the test. He was like that.

For me, the issue is more-so about time to write and my ability to get in the zone, sort-of-speak.

[johndiligent]

It happened to me, too.

The first two years of undergrad, I pulled all-nighters A LOT. Like, three or four times a week. It was pretty normal for me to only sleep, very soundly, two or three nights a week and the rest of the time I'd be awake apart from the occassional power nap.

Then, around when I turned 22-23, I just could not pull all nighters anymore. I'd try and invariably I'd wind up exhausted by 4:00 or 5:00 AM. I have concluded, unfortunately, that I've just become too old to stay up all night anymore. If I'm going to be a reasonable human being who can actually find my way to classes the next day, I require 6-8 hours of sleep per night no matter what.

I've had to change my work and study habits. I had to do a lot more work between classes and during the afternoon and early evening, in order to make sure that I can go to sleep at a reasonable hour. But your body changes over time and sometimes you just have to roll with the changes, unfortunately.

[Tall Chai Latte]

Wow that sounds like me. During my undergrad days of freshman and sophomore years, I used to pull all-nighters, even with 8am lectures. There was a time when I only slept 24 hours a week to study for exams and finishing reports/assignments, crazy eh? Coffee used to keep me up through the quiet hours, but once I hit junior year (I was 21) and beyond, I can't stay awake pass 2am. My focus would start to drift and eventually I had to turn in. I'm an old lady...

Speaking of all nighters, that was also when I had a ton of fun staying up with other friends. Good memories...

[The Pseudo grad student]

That is the exact age I could no longer pull all nighters, 21! I swear it is something with your "time clock" or whatever you like to call it when you physically turn old. It's so sad...

Although I find myself pulling off days with 5 hours of sleep so I'm in between now, lets see if I can shrink the time down to regain my youth...

[pea-jay]

It's definitely age related. I made it through Undergrad school OK but my last stint in Grad school in the 90s I was less than successful at those. My last true all nighter came when in March of 98 when I was 23 and had this paper due. I resorted to White Castle coffee and stomping around outside in the frigid Chicago night air to stay awake. And that was it. After that I have never managed less than 4 hrs of sleep. Fortunately I am at my most productive 9pm - 2am when my family is in bed. I'm also lucky that 4-6 hours of weekday sleep is OK so I can make this work.

But as to the all-nighters...well that time in my life is in the past.

[JohnBom]

I am struggling with that right now. I have a paper due in the morning, ten more pages to go, no good ideas and I am falling asleep! Ugh.

[joro]

I don't think I have issues pulling all nighters. It's currently 12:48am PST and I feel a bit sleepy, but I'll probably lay in my bed for at least another hour or two before I even fall asleep. Then I'll wake up around 9 - 10am. I have more issues just trying to fall asleep.

[Jae B.]

Good to know this happened to other people!

If I'm going to be a reasonable human being who can actually find my way to classes the next day, I require 6-8 hours of sleep per night no matter what.

Lol, ditto! Well said.

I've had to change my work and study habits. I had to do a lot more work between classes and during the afternoon and early evening, in order to make sure that I can go to sleep at a reasonable hour. But your body changes over time and sometimes you just have to roll with the changes, unfortunately.

Me too. I've always enjoyed working between classes (especially reading), but now I've got to speed it up so I get more done.

Wow that sounds like me. During my undergrad days of freshman and sophomore years, I used to pull all-nighters, even with 8am lectures. There was a time when I only slept 24 hours a week to study for exams and finishing reports/assignments, crazy eh? Coffee used to keep me up through the quiet hours, but once I hit junior year (I was 21) and beyond, I can't stay awake pass 2am. My focus would start to drift and eventually I had to turn in. I'm an old lady...

Speaking of all nighters, that was also when I had a ton of fun staying up with other friends. Good memories...

Yeah, I had 8 a.m. lectures the past two semesters, but not this one, thankfully!

It's 2 a.m. now and I'm fading fast. There goes the five more pages I wanted to write.

I have good memories, too! I found this whole culture surrounding college all-nighters, a group of friends I could always chat with. We'd trade papers at some obscene time of night / morning to proofread for each other and share our thoughts. It'd always be good to have a second set of eyes when you're working that late!

[Jae B.]

That is the exact age I could no longer pull all nighters, 21! I swear it is something with your "time clock" or whatever you like to call it when you physically turn old. It's so sad...

Although I find myself pulling off days with 5 hours of sleep so I'm in between now, lets see if I can shrink the time down to regain my youth...

So it is my age....

It's definitely age related. I made it through Undergrad school OK but my last stint in Grad school in the 90s I was less than successful at those. My last true all nighter came when in March of 98 when I was 23 and had this paper due. I resorted to White Castle coffee and stomping around outside in the frigid Chicago night air to stay awake. And that was it. After that I have never managed less than 4 hrs of sleep. Fortunately I am at my most productive 9pm - 2am when my family is in bed. I'm also lucky that 4-6 hours of weekday sleep is OK so I can make this work.

But as to the all-nighters...well that time in my life is in the past.

Two and a half hours of sleep is my minimum now, and requires a lengthy "nap" later. :/

It is so much easier to work when the family is asleep! I live with my folks and little sister. Unfortunately, my sister's picked up my late-night homework habits. It's not just bad for her, it's bad for me, too! She's one of those people who insists on working with music on...and I'm one of those people who needs silence.

[Jae B.]

I am struggling with that right now. I have a paper due in the morning, ten more pages to go, no good ideas and I am falling asleep! Ugh.

Thesis here. Need to finish 25 page draft. So sleepy, though.

I don't think I have issues pulling all nighters. It's currently 12:48am PST and I feel a bit sleepy, but I'll probably lay in my bed for at least another hour or two before I even fall asleep. Then I'll wake up around 9 - 10am. I have more issues just trying to fall asleep.

Lucky! If I really try, I can make 3 - 3:30, but that's it. And it's no good because it near ruins the next day for me.

Somewhere I heard that an assortment of successful people swear they only need about five hours of sleep a night. Like Donald Trump and Martha Stewart or something.

I wouldn't trade you for issues trying to fall asleep, though. Days like that make me sad, because I'm trying to do the right thing by going to sleep at a decent hour.

[anxiousapplicant]

I never pulled an all-nighter. I used to need at least eleven hours of sleep, but I've cut it down to a measly ten. I never wanted to put myself in the position of needing to finish a paper the night before, though. I need at least an extra day to proofread or I have really idiotic errors in my paper.

[Squawker]

I'm still physically capable of staying up through the night to work, but the adrenaline doesn't keep me going the same way it used to in that I work very slowly through the night and I think the stress of the impending deadline reduces the quality of my work. Like other people here, I also work much better in the evenings, especially when it's really late and there's no one about doing anything. So I still do "all-nighters," except they're not really as extreme in that I stay up to do the work a few days before the assignment is due just in case I'm not able to pull it off in one night. I also tend to go to sleep around 6 or 7 am instead of just staying up through the next day as I used to do.

I would never pull an all-nighter before an exam - I generally require 10 hours of sleep before scary things like that! For me, all-nighters are not about cramming all the work I've put off into the last minute before the deadline. They're more about finding a suitable time when I can power through my work and get everything accomplished in one sitting, after weeks of disciplined research. But it seems that I'm getting too old. I tell myself that one day, when I have a nice office of my own, I will be able to get more work done during the daytime. Hope that works out!

[tarski]

I'm 21 and I've never been able to pull an all nighter . Tried a few times, and I can stay up but I don't work well, so it's not worth it. I'm weird, I guess. I sleep 5-6 hours a night and do my best work before noon.

Edited March 28, 2010 by tarski

[Sarah S.]

You all-nighter folks are crazy!

I've never pulled an all-nighter in my life...at some point I decided that sleep is one of my top priorities. I never sacrifice sleep for fun or school. I get very stressed if I get less than eight hours of sleep and I have insomnia so it takes me a couple hours to get to sleep every night. When I go a few nights in a row with less than six hours (of lying down time, since sleep time is so much shorter) I just crash.

[Jae B.]

I tell myself that one day, when I have a nice office of my own, I will be able to get more work done during the daytime. Hope that works out!

I've heard that sentiment before! I hope it works out, too.

You all-nighter folks are crazy!

I've never pulled an all-nighter in my life...at some point I decided that sleep is one of my top priorities. I never sacrifice sleep for fun or school. I get very stressed if I get less than eight hours of sleep and I have insomnia so it takes me a couple hours to get to sleep every night. When I go a few nights in a row with less than six hours (of lying down time, since sleep time is so much shorter) I just crash.

You people who never pull all-nighters...how do you manage it? Congratulations on your discipline.

Sleep is becoming one of my top priorities now, too. Better to get more regular sleep all the time, and less irregularity -- I'm trying to stop sleeping in on weekends and holidays. That happens because the lack of sleep adds up, and sleep is hard to catch up on. :/

[Squawker]

Hm yes, let me just admit that after pulling an all-nighter, I've always then slept for an outrageous number of hours the following night. I also don't understand how people can get by on minimal hours of sleep every night. I'm fine with my studies requiring me to have no social life (well, kinda), but not sleeping isn't an option. When I used to sleep that little in high school, I'd get to a point where I would come home from school, set my stuff down, and wake up the next morning not knowing what had happened or where I was... and not having done any of my homework. Guess I'm just physically incapable of that!

[saharel]

I used to take a full load of course during my BSc and I was working 40-45hours on top. So I had to pull all-nighters quite often. It was easy for me, never a problem, didn't even had to sleep long hours afterwards. I could do this until I started my master. Then I was not able anymore. I blamed it on age, but also on the fact that I probably burned myself. You can stress your body like this but not forever and I believe that is why at some point you can't do it anymore. I would suggest that you listen to your body.

Now I would rather sleep and study less...anyways apparently when you sleep it gives time to your brain to process and store (memorize) what you studied.