If I pulled an all-nighter, which is the healthier way of recovering...?

Question

1) not going to sleep until the next night- and only sleeping the regular amount of time (like 8 hours)
OR
2) taking a nap when you can (during the day after the all-nighter) and then sleeping at your regular bed time
OR
3) sleeping two nights worth of sleep in one setting

basically i want to know if i need to recover from missing a night of sleep and if just one 8 hour sleep session at the regular time is enough or do I need extra sleep to compensate for the missed hours?

Answer 1

you are thinking about this wayyyyy to much. just go to bed the next day whenever you are tired and go to sleep!

Answer 2

Keep sleeping each day until you get rid of the cumulative "sleep debt" you accumulated during an all-nighter. This means you will need to get a lot more than 8 hours of sleep the next time you go to bed. According to chapter 3 of the book "How To Pull An AllNighter" published by Lulu.com, it is best to sleep in one long block of time if you are sleep deprived, and that block of time will need to be longer than when you are not sleep deprived. Short naps only provide temporary relief.

Answer 3

If you absolutely have to take a nap, take a nap. In my personal experience, it works better to wait and go to bed a bit early on the second night, and then sleep 10-12 hours to "catch up". Sleeping only 8 hours the 2nd night will leave you a bit behind and you will likely be irritable and unable to concentrate the third day, even if you don't actually feel sleepy.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I had a very big night last night and I am paying for It today. I'm thinking about going to bed for a sleep now ( Its only 2pm In the afternoon). But I have decided I'm going to have a nice hot shower, throw some refreshing clothes on and chug down an energy drink. I'll make do and go to bed early tonight. I know I will go out like a light and feel so much better In the morning.

Answer 5

This actually depends on you......Myself personally it took at least 2 days of full nights of sleep to catch up. However, if you time during the day for only naps before you can get a full night of rest that would be the safest way to go. Don't be surprised if they are not short naps and your still able to sleep all night.

Answer 6

Hmmm.... well one all nighter is not that bad. If you take naps you will not fall asleep during the regular time. Trust me I'm a college student and there are many sleepless nights. So basically if it is one night it's NOT that big of deal. Just sleep the next day. If it goes on for three or four days I find little cat naps work well.

Answer 7

a couple of nights with a LITTLE extra sleep will compensate well but doubleing your sleep will probably just make you feel groggy , you probably wont sleep that long anyway. try just sleeping till you wake up if you have the time , your body knows how much sleep you need or dont need. naps dont help at ALL because you dont generally get into a deep enough sleep to have it be truly productive .

Answer 8

I don't know that you can really make up the sleep lost, but I would recommend taking a short nap during the day and then trying to get back onto your regular sleeping schedule as soon as you can.

Answer 9

You can never "catch up" on sleep. You can't skip sleep one night and then sleep 16 hours the next day to make up for it.

If you have to pull an all-nighter, you would be better off sleeping when your body tells you to sleep throughout the next day.

Answer 10

For me, a nap (1-2 hours) in the morning, and then going to bed at my regular time works best. I don't need to recover the missing hours, but some of my friends do. It all depends on your body chemistry and metabolism and all that rot.

Answer 11

b) c) either and or, depends on how ur body will take it..
last time i pulled an all nighter
i came from school took a long nap got up did hmwrk went back to sleep, at first i didnt want a nap because i rebnounded and had more energy then usual...but go to sleep anyways