[lovablekrnstar63]

hello everybody
so the thing is, i get sleepy very fast
and i need to be staying up more and sleeping less to get through school

school starts at 7
and after school and practice, i get home around 6'ish everyday
and so my MIND isnt tired but my body is exhausted
so i end up lying in bed waiting for sleep but my mind wanders around until i finally fall asleep and i waste a lot of my time during the night that way (when i should be studying, doing hw, etc)

and i take frequent naps during school nights
NOT because my mind needs a break but my body is just so tired

so..
bottom line is i cant have caffeine
(my dad wont let me (i'm 17 in 2 months) and i personally dont like caffeine either)
and i need to find another way stay awake during the night..
anybody have any suggestions?

-EDIT-
i HAVE heard that exercising helps
but really, exercising makes me even more tired
the reason why i'm so tired after coming home from school is b/c of the 3 hour practice
so i dont wanna come home and exercise again ;
thanks for the help though
i'll try the other stuff tonight
(i'm looking at no sleep tonight.. that's what i get procrastinating.. and being on soompi )

[!Huong]

Eat a good breakfast! Helps me stay awake..
Try eating some sort of dessert during lunch? lol
and do some excersizes..like stretching before or during school?
I do some of these. but I think breakfast is the most important.

[lime_shadow]

Exercise. Make sure you're getting all your vitamins, etc. Maybe go see a doctor, you might be anemic or something?? Go take a walk...maybe some fresh air will be good and keep you awake? or maybe make your room a different temperature. I find that if it's too hot or cold I fall asleep pretty easily.

[1xviet]

i think you should take power naps... like 20-30 min naps. ull feel energized afterwards i heard. maybe just slap yourself in the face? XP

[Kendo]

What do you practice?
Kendo?
If so, I can't imagine how you can be so sleepy with all those people trying to hit you on the head with a stick.

Anyways.
Drop the naps, that's probably what's killing your sleep cycle.
Try "resetting" your sleep schedule by taking one weekend day and just getting a low amount of sleep (sunday is a good day to do it provided your homework is done). Hopefully you aren't one of those people who can fall asleep standing up because it's just a matter of not putting your head down on your computer desk when browsing soompi. By sunday night you'll be so tired you don't have much of a choice but to sleep.
This won't work for very long, but I find it useful for a short-term fix.

[tranceeee]

i cant believe ur school starts at 7..mine's at 9!

well, i guess u can try listening to ur mp3 or ipod...

[Millie]

I really am caffeine-dependent, so I can't help much... except, I've heard that an apple first thing in the morning can really energize you.

[addickshun]

have a full breakfast goes a long way.

[demllequ]

drink tea - its lighter than coffee also Apples are known to wake you up other than an alarm clock

[klx13]

Like everyone else said, make sure you are eating healthy and taking vitamins if need be. Maybe it'd be helpful to have several small snacks/meals throughout the day to keep you energized.

I drink yerba mate tea-- it doesn't contain caffeine perse but it does contain a stimulant that's similar to caffeine without the bad side effects (no jittery-ness, etc.). It gives me energy when I need it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate


Also, naps ARE good for you. It's good to take a "power nap" everyday-- 20 minutes. Of course it's bad if you sleep for too long though (like more than 45 min or so), because it'll disrupt your sleep cycle.

[bbyxwinnie]

i heard if u turn on pop music or any type of music that has a fast beat or something helps you feel more awake? well that's according to my mom cause everytime i turn on any kind of music that isnt melodies at night she complains saying im waking her up and shes mad tired T-T

[h3artbr3ak3r]

i think mints help....hehehe candy does the trick for me:D

[cinder_soup]

The Chinese Ginseng drinks are suppose to give you a natural boost of energy and healthy compared to other caffeine drinks.

Also taking a cold shower in the morning wakes me up!

[givmeyourcookie]

I heard that apples were more efficient to waking you up than coffee.

[iPandaBear]

Eat a banana.
Chew gum.

[kimchi hana]

You can get up and eat early. Then go for a jog. Then shower. :D

[trungiie]

move around to keep you blood flowing...sitting around (6-7 hrs straight at school) makes you tired

[lucky_me_noodle]

First of all you should be aware of the fact that you are stressed. Your body is always tired but your brain is constantly working
even while you are sleeping. Thus your body is fatigue no matter how many hours you've spent to sleep.

My suggestion to you is, drink lots of water. No caffeinated drinks such as coffee, soda, and tea.
If you must have sugared drinks opt to have only one cup a day.

Take your multi-vitamins.
Get regular exercise, if you hate to exercise then I suggestion don't go to a hard workout which will make you either energize and tired.
Go for light exercises such as stretching exercise.

If you are in the middle of study and by god I know how boring that can be even if you love the subject well in my case.
Wash your face with cold water.
And don't forget to have a healthy snack while you study for brain power. And limit your study
time. Don't cram, but educate yourself everyday after an hour or 40 minutes of study take a break and not think about what you studied
to rest your mind which might have affected your body as well.

[babyN_xxs]

^ reallly good suggestions INDEED.

Energy drinks etc is just temporary..

[Oddfella]

I live far from my school so i have to wake up at 5:45 everyday to get to school, and what wakes me up is an apple, i just go to dominion cause it's on the way (it's 24 hours) buy an apple for 40 cents and i'm wide awake, bananas are good too.. and after school if i'm doing an assignment at like 3 am then i'll take a cold shower, and it'll keep me awake for atleast another couple hours