How to Stay up All Night Without Your Parents Knowing

Last Updated: March 23, 2023 References

Your plan is to stay up, but if your parents find out, you could be grounded until the end of time. What to do? If you follow these steps then you can pull it off, without your parents knowing!

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Preparing for the Night

1
Gather your supplies. Get what you need to keep you awake until your parents go to sleep. This could include your cell phone, tablet, iPod Touch, Game Boy, laptop, D.S., some books, a notebook or diary, pencils, MP3 player, snacks and/or drinks, or a PSP.
- Sneak some snacks into the room. Just a few snacks (salty, sugary snacks are best) and a bottle of any drink would be perfect. Try to get sugary beverages such as soda or juice. The drinks don't have to be cold. You might want to get some water too.
- If you are going to get on the computer, turn it on before going to bed, because it makes noise when it turns on. Just ensure your speaker volume is low (or turned off).
2
Choose a day when there isn't much going on the next day. Choose a day where you don't have much to do. If you do have school and you want to stay up fall asleep the next day. Begin at about four in the afternoon. Clean Your Room, as most of your time will be spent there.^{[1]
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3
Prepare entertainment.^{[2]
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Research source} Charge anything that needs to be charged. Make a list of what you will want to do, because it is easier to stay awake with a list to work through.
4
Try to take a nap before the night. About 1-2hours is ideal if a good night's sleep was taken the previous night.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Settling in at Bedtime

1
Follow your usual bedtime routine. Avoid arousing suspicions around bedtime; just do everything normally, such as teeth cleaning and saying goodnight to everyone in the house.
2
Prepare for the bed check. If you know your parents will check on you before going to bed, listen for when they come. Hide whatever you are doing and pretend to be asleep. Normally, when pretending to be asleep, you do not move, however, it is okay to turn a little in your "sleep".
- Don't snore unless you are known to snore.
- It helps to pull your blanket over your face to save half the trouble of keeping a straight relaxed face.
- Consider sleeping with the radio on to give you cover. If you accidentally make a sudden noise, it'll be blamed on the radio.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Having Fun All Night

1
Wait about an hour before moving around. This is to make sure your parents are asleep. If you want, you can go to their room and double-check they're sleeping. If they are not and ask what you're doing, say you heard something strange. If not, keep doing things quietly in your room, but if your parent(s) lock their doors, carefully try to hear through the door. If it's quiet they're probably asleep. If not, stay 15 to 30 minutes in your room, and check again for silence.
2
Turn your light on to a dim setting. Line towels against the crack of your door to block out the light.
3
Prepare to have fun. Once your parents are asleep, stay up. It should be late at night (10:00-12:00 am). Get out the PSP, PlayStation, Wii, Switch, Vita, computer, DS, 3DS, whatever game you plan to play.
- Use headphones or earphones for electronics. Putting earphones/headphones in your laptop/computer will keep things quiet.
4
Enjoy midnight. A new day has come (12:00-2:00 am)! If you are hungry, eat a snack, or drink something. Continue playing the same game until you are bored.
5
Change to another activity. At about (2 - 4 am), early morning, try something different like reading a book, drawing, watching a movie (quietly!). Go onto Facebook, or create a Facebook account.^{[4]
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Research source} Make sure none of your parents friends are friends with you on Facebook; they might tell your parents. Make sure everything you do remains at low volume.
- If you are going to text, put the phone's volume on silent or vibrate. This will make it less likely that your phone wakes up your parents.
6
Eat something. Between (4:00-6:00 am), early morning, have another snack. Keep doing whatever kept you awake most until 5 am. Next, move on to the morning tasks. Take a shower, get dressed, brush your teeth and hair, and tidy up the room again for the day.
7
Wait for your usual wake up time. If the household typically wakes up between 6:00-9:00 am, stay inside your room until then. Do some puzzles or read a book, until it's the time you'd usually be up and about the house. That will mark the end of your all-night up!

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Getting Some Sleep

1
Prepare for activities that you have that day. If you have something to do the next day, like school or church, go to bed about four hours before you have to get up. This way you will at least have some sleep. Go to bed early the next day; your body will be craving sleep.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I keep from getting bored at night?

Community Answer

Plan ahead. Make a list of all the activities you can do. Load your devices with games and apps and alternate between them so you don't get bored. Have snacks. If you still get bored, just go to sleep.
Question

If I close my eyes for 5 minutes, I fall asleep. How can I avoid this?

Community Answer

Cover your face with a blanket or pillow and keep your eyes open. Or you can try facing the other direction, away from your door so that your parents won't know you're awake if they look in.
Question

What if you are not allowed to have your light on?

Community Answer

Use a flashlight or the flashlight on your phone. You might also use your TV with the sound turned down or off.

Warnings

Don't go on a social media if your parents use it. They might see that you were active when you were supposed to be asleep.

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Be very careful if you have siblings or parents that are light sleepers. They will not hesitate to bust you.

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If you have a pet, like a dog or cat that sleeps in your room, don't wake them up, or try not to. A dog or cat may hiss or bark or growl if woken up from a comfy sleep. If they sleep in your bed, move slowly out of the covers to let them still sleep, or gently, slowly pick them up off your bed and onto the floor. If they do wake up, either leave them alone to let them fall asleep again, or if they come and sit with you, pet them and cuddle with them as you play or read.

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Do not lie down doing these activities. This will cause your body to think it is time to sleep.

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Do not slam your bedroom door when you leave your room, it will get you in trouble and risk waking your parents.

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Do not do this on a school night, you may fall asleep in class or forget what you learned. Only do this on a Friday or Saturday night or when you have school vacation.

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If you love the refreshing nature of sleep, don't stay up all night. You will create a sleep deficit that will take many nights to recoup and will affect your ability for days to come.^{[6]
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Trustworthy Source
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School's Educational Site for the Public
Go to source}

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Don't stay up two nights in a row. If you think this is a good idea, search online for sleep deprivation and torture; it'll soon change your mind.^{[7]
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Things You'll Need

Consoles
iPod
Cell phone
Snacks
Soda
Computer (does not have to be in your room)
Notepad and pencils
Books
Water
Flashlight
Headphones/earbuds
Towels and blankets (to block out the light)
Kindle Fire or another tablet
Something to cover the evidence of your activities(a pillow or a blanket)
T.V. (or a different device you are able to watch movies on)
Nightlight (reduces your chance of natural melatonin kicking in and making you sleepy)