12 Proven Tricks for How to Stay Awake (with Less Than 5 Hours of Sleep)

Turn on a bright light

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night—and although we should aim for that, it doesn’t always happen. A sick kid, deadlines on a work project, or even insomnia can cause us to get too little shut-eye. But how to stay awake when that happens? Besides taking a nap, which isn’t usually possible when we have to face the day, here’s what you can do: Reset your internal clock with the help of light. “Light therapy delivered for 20 minutes upon awakening or at particular times of day can be very effective,” says sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, author of The Power of When. “There are special [blue spectrum] bulbs that are commercially available that can help a person wake up—I use them in my bathroom.” A study from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that bright light at the end of a night shift was effective in increasing alertness. If you can’t sleep, one of these 10 medical conditions could be why.

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12 Proven Tricks for How to Stay Awake (with Less Than 5 Hours of Sleep) Health – Reader's Digest