UP ALL NIGHT

It’s crunch time at USC! Finals are making up crazy! This means today’s Helpful Healthy Hint is all about staying healthy during these next few weeks, how to keep yourself energized, and yes, how to pull an all-nighter as comfortably as you can.

First and foremost you must SLEEP! 

Sleep is obviously the number one necessity for keeping stress at bay – but at times like this even catching 6 hours seems a luxury. So make sure you’re loading up on Vitamin C! Victor provides us with orange juice every week day morning, but let’s be honest, we all know about the massive amounts of sugar in every 8oz cup of OJ. It’s much easier just to take a Vitamin C – get the kind you can chew (not Chewables, just the kind you can grind up in your mouth.) 

Second, you must DRINK WATER!

It’s easier than you think to get dehydrated. Since we’re 70% water, our body’s performance levels drop when we’re dehydrated by only 2%! And when you’re dehydrated, your body’s energy is forced to focus on keeping you alive, so your brain stops working properly; you get groggy, slow, start to feel out of it… You’ll also start to think you’re hungry and start binging on anything in site. That late night pizza then gets stored as fat because your metabolism has slowed to conserve energy.

Then, obviously, EXERCISE! 

Are you feelin' it? The tension, the frustration... the anger? Remember what Elle said, "Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands." It's true. Exercise also gives you energy. So when you're feeling those eyes start to droop, stand up and do 10 jumping jacks. It'll give your body an extra jolt to keep you going. Plus you can burn off some of those late night Starbucks calories.

So, those are the obvious ones; get some sleep, drink water, exercise, the classics. It’s not exactly what you’re looking for. You want the tricks! So here you are: 

THE MIRACLE OF DRUGS ... what?

Don’t try to deny that you haven’t at least been intrigued by the affects of Adderall – the intense focus and calming factor that it provides is tempting, even for those who aren’t ADHD. But don’t turn to your student psychiatrist – or Adderall dealing friend (they’re out there!) - to start giving you those expensive little pills. Instead, try these: 

B-12

This little vitamin is not only AMAZING, but also essential for women our age. It balances your emotions, gives you energy and increases brain cell function and health. It also clears your mind and allows you to focus, not to mention boosting your memory. This is a great vitamin to take while studying and you can find it at CVS. Take it either two hours before you eat, or three hours after so that it doesn’t get dissolved during digestion. 

L-TYROSINE

This is a harder to find vitamin, but works wonders with the B12. It can’t be found at your normal pharmacies like CVS or Ralphs, so  you usually have to go to a vitamin shop for it. But if you’re willing to take the time, L – Tyrosine increases alertness, focus, and mood.  It also contains dopamine, which is the chemical that provides motivation in your brain.

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS

Don’t let the “fatty acids” bit scare you, it means they’re important “fat molecules” that enhance memory and brain function. You should actually take these 3 times every day (depending on what brand you use. I take the CVS brand.) Omega 3 is also found in fish oil supplements, walnuts, and flaxseed oil.   

 CAFFEINE

It makes a huge difference what kind of caffeine you put in your body.

A late night trip to Starbucks is fine, but coffee will leave you feeling jittery. We’ve all experienced that shaky feeling we get toward 3am, when we’re on our second cup of coffee and our bodies are begging for the comforts of those Tempurpedic mattresses. But you press on, keeping those fingers firmly pressed on that keyboard as the paper gets harder and harder to write.

Then you feel that sharp pain in your stomach, the one that starts permeating up your spine. Your eyes start to hurt, even when you close them, and your head just won’t stop banging. That’s your body saying, “Oh God no more caffeine!”

Simply put, the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee is supposed to be enough to last you 6-8 hours. Many of us have grown immune and need that extra boost, but coffee is NOT what you need. It dehydrates you – and remember what I said about drinking water?

So, instead, turn to tea. Two cups of tea may only equal a half a cup of coffee, but it will actually sustain you better throughout the night. Why? Because you can keep drinking it! Each up of tea will give a dose of caffeine that will perk you up without giving you that jittery feeling, those stomach cramps, and that awful withdrawal headache. It will also keep you hydrated throughout the night, allowing your mind to stay focused.

So, I hope all this helps a bit. We're almost done, kids. Home stretch. Just remember: