How to Keep Your Friends Awake for an All Nighter

Last Updated: July 3, 2022

So, you want to pull an all-nighter at a sleepover, but it can be tough to keep friends awake as well. Usually you'll come across the issue of your friends and you falling asleep. Here's a full guide on how to keep you and your friends awake for an all-nighter.

Steps

1
Let all the people attending the sleepover know that you're going to do an all-nighter. If you only let them know the night of, they might have already been prepared to sleep, or just weren't ready, or had something important to do the next day. If you let them know beforehand, they can anticipate being awake, which can help them be ready to stay up. This is mental preparation.
2
Be in an active place. If you're next to the kitchen or in a room with a 50" TV, you're in an active place. Rooms with the most light, noise, and/or technology are good places to keep everybody awake. Having easy access to the kitchen helps as well, so you can grab sodas, iced tea, ice cream, cake, coffee, and other sugary and/or caffeinated treats. It's also the best to be as far from parents and snitches or whiny siblings.^{[1]
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3
Have your guests bring any and all portable electronics. If they have a tablet, an MP3 player, and a phone, have them bring them all. Gaming devices such as DS's, Gameboys (if you still have any), and maybe the Wii U can also be brought. Technology stimulates your brain to keep you energized. If you're on an iPad all night, you most likely won't even feel tired.
4
Have energy-giving drinks around, like caffeine. Coffee, energy drinks, soda, iced tea, and root beer floats/ice cream soda are all great sources of energy. You should drink at least a half-glass of one of these every 1-2 hours. Lemonade and juice can also give a smaller, but still effective, amount of sugar (make sure they aren't sugar-free!)^{[2]
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5
Have the TV on. Watch scary movies, comedies, and adventure movies. Exciting or ^{[3]
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Research source} You can also watch similar TV shows. If you have to camp in your room, set up your TV, laptop, or tablet to play Netflix or Hulu somewhere.
6
Don't let anyone lie down. If they lie down, they're in the position for their body to tell them to fall asleep. This also makes a click in their brain that says they're tired. If anyone lies down, they'll probably fall asleep, so don't even let people lean down very far. Horizontal positions are a great, big, giant NO!^{[4]
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7
Play funny games, such as truth or dare, would you rather, "s*x, marry, kill", or charades. It'll make everyone jump around and laugh, which pumps you up. And, as much of a "cliché" this is for sleepovers, have pillow fights! This creates so much activity, it'll probably keep you up for hours.
8
Don't be afraid to wake people up. Make the penalties - first strike, get woken up. Second strike, get embarrassing sharpie tattoos drawn on your face. Strike three, get ice down your back. This might even keep people awake with fear of getting penalties, or wanting to witness the penalties in action.
9
If somebody says they're tired, have them splash their face with cold water and/or have a glass of soda or coffee. This probably means that they're shutting down and ready for bed. Cold water activates nerves, and caffeine is a gateway to insane.^{[5]
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Research source} You won't want anyone to say they're asleep. No matter how many times they say they're tired, make them follow through with the rule each time.
10
Play video games. If you or your sibling has a console, play exciting games like Call of Duty, or even Sonic. Bright, grim, or action-packed games are the best for this. Ratchet and Clank is a great adventure game that can keep your attention for hours.
11
Listen to music. Party hits or songs in the Billboard Top 100 are the best. Good party songs are "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore, "We Can't Stop" or "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus, "23" by Mike Wil Made It, "Roar" by Katy Perry, and even "Here's to Never Growing Up" by Avril Lavigne. If you're streaming through an MP3 player, create a playlist with popular party songs. Hint: if you want to dance to it or sing it out loud, it's a good party song.