Had An All-Nighter? Here’s How To Recover

Perhaps you’ve been studying, or work has been crazy, or you’ve been partying until dawn. Whatever went on, you haven’t had any sleep and now it’s morning. With a full day to get through before you can curl up under the covers, it can be tempting to reach for the energy drinks and power through. But this can leave you feeling even worse – and unable to sleep when you finally get to nighttime. Don’t worry, though, there are some things you can do to get your sleeping pattern back on track…

Lack Of Sleep Can Mess With The Brain

Let’s start by looking at what that all-nighter actually does to your body. We know they are unavoidable sometimes, so no judgement here, but it’s important to know about the effects to your health. Here are some of the things that can happen when you go without sleep:

• You will find it difficult to think. A study found that going 23 hours without sleep can cause damage to the connectivity networks inside the brain. This is what leads to that sluggish, slow feeling.
• A change in the levels of hormones in your body, which aren’t being replenished during sleep, can leave you feeling hungrier and craving fatty foods. Pull an all-nighter too often, and you’ll likely find that you are putting on weight.
• It doesn’t just affect one night. When your circadian rhythm – your internal clock – is thrown off, it can be difficult to get it back on track.
• Ever felt ill a few days after an all-nighter? It could very well be linked. Lack of sleep can have a negative effect on your immune system, so you’ll be more likely to catch any bugs or viruses.

When you take all of this into account, it should be no surprise that you spend the next day feeling rough. However, there are some things you can do to get back on track and feel healthier.

How To Recover From That All-Nighter

Follow these steps and you can get back to feeling bright eyed and bushy-tailed.

1. Tempted To Reach For The Cookie Jar? Don’t

Lack of sleep leaves you hankering for unhealthy foods. However, if you give into your cravings, you could very well end up feeling worse. This is because foods that are high in fat and sugar can cause an even bigger crash later – so while you may feel better in the short term, later on in the day you will feel much, much worse. Instead, try eating nuts, fish and fresh fruit to keep your blood sugar levels steady, and leave you feeling energized.

A breakfast of fresh fruit, followed by a lunch of whole grains (quinoa or lentils would also be good) and a dinner of fish with green, leafy vegetables will do wonders. Plus, you’ll take the benefits of those vitamins and nutrients through to the next day.

2. Get Moving

When you’re low on energy, exercise may feel like the last thing you want to do. But actually, a walk in the fresh air can do wonders for your energy levels. If the sun is shining, you will get the added benefit of some Vitamin D too. A walk will also help you to achieve better quality sleep in the night, too.

Don’t push yourself too hard, but to get the benefits aim for at least half an hour. If it’s possible and nearby, a walk in the quiet countryside will be better for you too. Seeing trees and nature gives you a mood boost which will help to get you through the day.

3. Coffee’s OK – But Don’t Overdo It

It can be so tempting to order an extra large, triple shot coffee after a night of little or no sleep. Although that might make you feel better at first, it will leave you feeling jittery and sick later on. Instead, go for a normal sized coffee and leave a few hours between each drink. This will give your body plenty of time to process the caffeine.

Alternatively, get your caffeine fix from green tea instead. Green tea has around half the amount of caffeine compared to coffee, and has plenty of health benefits too.

4. Stay Hydrated

Got a headache following your all-nighter? That could well be down to dehydration. Your body will have used extra fluid staying awake all of that time, and so you will need to make sure that your H2O levels are topped up. Keep a bottle of water next to you all day, and sip it often.

As well as drinking water often throughout the day, make sure you drink a big glass of water before you go to sleep that night. This will make sure that your body has the water it needs to carry out repairs and get back to full working order while you’re asleep.

5. Sneak Away For A Nap

Only do this if you’re certain that you have the willpower to keep it to 10-20 minutes. That’s the perfect amount of time to give you a burst of energy. Any longer and you risk slipping into your sleep cycle – this will leave you feeling tireder, and can mean that your sleep is knocked off for the next night too.

The benefits of a short power nap are huge, so if you can find somewhere to bed down for a few minutes then do. Try to keep your nap to mid-afternoon rather than early evening.

6. Boost Your Vitamins And Nutrients

Staying awake all night will have depleted the levels of vitamins and minerals in your body. This is part of the reason why you end up feeling drained and lacking in energy. You can give your body a huge boost in vitamin levels by opting for a Vitamin IV drip. A Vitamin IV drip will help you by administering the required vitamins directly to your bloodstream – allowing you to absorb far more nutrients than when you take a supplement. This will leave you feeling more energized, and you will sleep better that night too.

7. Get An Early Night

Although it’s debatable whether it’s possible to ‘bank sleep’, it is likely that a few extra hours of sleep the next night will help to get rid of the groggy feeling from the night before. Aim for around 10 hours of sleep the night after your all-nighter. This will give your body a chance to recover.

Try going to bed as much before midnight as you can. Going to sleep earlier (rather than getting up later the next day) will have the biggest benefits.

The Takeaway…

Should you be going a full night without sleep regularly? The answer to that is definitely no. But very occasionally, we have to – and if the next day isn’t managed correctly, your sleep deprivation can affect you for days afterwards.

Follow these tips, and you will find it much easier to get back to normal – and you can book your Vitamin IV Therapy online today..