Sleep is the enemy when it comes to studying for long hours late at night to cram for an important exam or test. Sleep gets in the way of you reaching your goals. If you study early on in the morning and you’ve got a fresh mind then things come easily enough, but if you try to study in the afternoon or late at night, the urge to sleep rises as you try to study for longer. There comes a point where you just get restless and you’re left with two choices; you can put the books down and try to get some rest, or you can fight the urge to sleep and continue studying. The problem is that it’s all too easy to fall asleep when studying. What you want to do is stay awake and fight off the need for sleep.

Here we have ten effective tips to help you fight away sleep while studying late into the night. Take note of how making small changes to your study schedule could make it easy to cast off the drowsiness and continue studying long into the night.

• Keep the Study Room Well Lit

The first – and biggest – mistake many students make is that they study with just the light of a table lamp to keep them company. This leaves much of their room left unlit, which creates a cosy and comfortable environment that is going to tempt you into going to bed and falling asleep. Keep the room well lit to avoid this and make it easier to stay awake.

• Sit On your Chair, not your Bed

Where you sit can go a long way when studying for a long time. Try to sit at a chair with good back support and a table in front of you. This helps you to stay alert and active when studying. If you were to lie down when studying it makes it all too easy to feel lazy and sleepy. Make sure that you regularly move your body parts while sat at the chair too to prevent them from going dormant.

• Avoid Eating Heavy Meals

We’ve all had a heavy meal that leaves us feeling drowsy. If you go into studying in that kind of mood then you won’t be able to help falling asleep. Eating a heavy meal leaves you relaxed and full and can make it difficult to keep your eyes open. The lethargy that comes with eating a heavy meal also makes it harder to retain information, on top of making you more likely to go to bed. Don’t think that you’ll have to starve yourself to study though. Just eat a little earlier and choose a lighter meal option.

• Get Plenty of Water

Water is recommended to students not only to keep them hydrated but also because it keeps you alert. This is one of the best studying hacks around. If you drink a lot then you need to get up regularly to pee. Having to pee like that keeps you alert and ensures you move around enough to stay awake. Getting a lot of water also hydrates your brain and makes it better able to read, process, and retain information.

• Stick to “Early to Bed, Early to Rise”

They say that being early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. There’s some truth to that saying as getting to bed early will mean that you sleep enough to wake up feeling refreshed and energized. You can take that fresh mind and better concentrate on your studies. Fresh and ready minds are better able to concentrate and retain information.

• Take an Afternoon Nap

If you’ve been stuck studying since morning, then you should be sure to take an afternoon nap. Getting a nice nap will stop your brain from getting too exhausted. It can also help you to avoid sleeping when studying late at night. Just a short nap is all you need to keep the drowsiness at bay.

• Keep Your Body Awake and Alert

If you study in the same position for too long then you’re more likely to be hit by drowsiness and sleepiness. When you start to feel sleepy you should get up out of your chair and stretch your arms and legs. Take a few steps around your room and consider studying while walking. Studying while walking has been shown to improve concentration and stave off sleep.

• Read Out Loud When Studying

This trick is a simple but effective way to stave off lethargy. Reading out loud minimizes the risk of sleeping while studying. This has something to do with listening to your own voice. You should teach yourself similar to how a teacher would explain topics in the classroom. Read out loud as if you were a teacher teaching yourself. This improves your learning power while making it easier to stay wake while studying.

• Learn by Writing

Doing nothing but reading text on a page is just monotonous and it makes it more likely to feel bored. Boredom is the first step towards sleepiness. Keep the lethargy at bay by being more active in your studying. Learn by writing by taking down notes and other such things. This keeps your brain active because it focuses on using the pen and paper and it makes it easier to recall what you learn.

• Avoid Hitting Heavy Subjects at Night

You’ll feel more sluggish at night if you try to solve complex problems or learn more difficult subjects. It’s recommended that you stick to easy and light sections of the syllabus at night. Leave those tough subjects for the day time when you are more fresh and alert. Late night studying should be for easy and interesting topics that you enjoy.

If you’re a student who is ready to sacrifice their sleep for grades, then these tips will certainly help you to reach those all-important academic goals.