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The Best Way to Recover After an All-Nighter


So you’ve just pulled an effective all-nighter to complete that project, but you still need to get things done today. In this video you’ll learn that it’s very possible to have a productive day after an all-nighter and how to go about it successfully.

The video, from the New York Magazine YouTube channel, gives you some tips to help you survive the day, and lays out a schedule for your day that’s supported by science. For starters, if you did manage to get some sleep in, don’t hit the snooze button when your alarm goes off; you’re not going to get any more rested. Instead, hop out of bed and use that time to eat a breakfast consisting of whole grains and protein within one hour of waking up. Follow that up with a single cup of coffee and some exposure to direct sunlight (no sunglasses). You might also want to throw a few simple exercises in there to get your heart rate up.

As soon as you get to work, grab a second cup of coffee and take on the hardest tasks first. Your first few hours of being awake will be your most productive, so don’t waste them. After a few hours, go for a light lunch of grains, veggies, and lean protein, and have your last cup of coffee for the day so you’re not up all night again. Save any busy work you have for the afternoon when you’re starting to drag, and try to call it quits early so you can get home and reset your sleep cycle. Follow these tips and it’ll be like that all-nighter never even happened.

How to Recover from an All-Nighter: “The Science of Us” Episode 3 | YouTube