How to pull an all-nighter

For Mohsin Mukhtar, a senior biology and international health policy major, sleep-deprivation is typical. Pulling a proverbial all-nighter is not so much an act as it is a lifestyle, Mukhtar says. Unlike the typical college student, he has trained himself to cultivate a capacity for maintaining consciousness that only a life of discipline and drive may foster.  

Mukhtar says he established his nighttime work routine in high school.

“You have got to have some mental toughness at the end of the day,” he says.

Discipline is demanded in both the physical and the mental. He describes the process as a game in both respects. Without the two being fully intact, without the willingness or the proper diet and other life choices, developing a skill set conducive to efficiently operating on minimal sleep is unlikely, Mukhtar says.

Muktar’s record for time without sleep was over 50 consecutive hours. He says his parents are concerned about their 21 year-old son, but Mukhtar is unyielding.

“When there is stuff that needs to get done, then there is stuff that needs to get done,” he says.

For all those nodding procrastinators on campus, Mukhtar has some tips for the sleepless academic life.

•    Study in an environment where there are other productive people. If you are working on something that requires quiet, critical thinking, then steal away to a quiet corner in the Herman B. Wells library.

•    The Jordan Hall Life Sciences Library, Lindley Hall computer labs, and the Starbucks at IMU are places that Muktar uses when he needs to be studious and productive.

•    Where you are sitting has huge implications. An unforgiving chair and a hard table are combat devices to defend you from an unwanted Mr. Sandman assault.  

•    Eat healthy. Avoid unnecessary sugars and fats. Mukhtar prefers to eat raw vegetables and fruits. Apples, bananas, grapes, celery, carrots, and broccoli never killed anyone. Eliminate caffeine and alcohol from your diet.

•    If you must drink caffeine to ensure that you see daylight after a long night of studying, go straight for the energy drinks. A low tolerance to caffeine, achieved when you abstain from regular use, will peel open any eyelids made of lead.

•    If you must eat something sweet, have dark chocolate. It has been proven that the antioxidants provide immune system protection along with some stress reduction.

•    Set up mental breaks. Reward yourself and take cognitive breathers, whether by vegetating in front of a favorite TV show or doing some leisure reading. The returns on your studying investment will diminish without rejuvenation time set aside.

•    Physical exercise, along with a proper diet, is crucial. Running during the day is advisable, but if time does not permit, push-ups and sit-ups before studying are always guaranteed to get the vascular system ready to rock. A nightly habit of this, whether before going to sleep or not, is a healthy choice, too.

•    When time is finally on your side and the tyranny of deadlines is temporarily suspended, take a healthy dose of the very best cure for drowsiness: sleep!