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Have you ever fallen asleep in class?
There’s no need to be ashamed about dozing off in class. It is actually a natural phenomenon. Studies have shown that people can only stay completely focused on something for a maximum of 10 minutes.
Unfortunately, most classes last longer (often waaaay longer) than 10 minutes. In addition, many class instructors ignore this information or are totally oblivious to this learning process.
The problem, of course, is that falling asleep in class can cause poor academic performance.
Dozing off during an important activity or event on a regular basis can develop into a habit that you might carry into other areas of your life (e.g., in your career or during important gatherings that require your participation).
In this article, you'll discover 15 simple strategies to feel energized and awake while in class.
Tips on How to Stay Awake in Class
If you're having trouble with feeling like you'll fall asleep, then here are 15 tips on how to stay awake in class.
1. Avoid eating a large meal before class.
Most people have experienced the notorious “food coma” after eating a large meal. This results in a feeling of heaviness that drains your energy.
This happens because the body releases chemicals that signal drowsiness after eating. This is particularly true if you eat certain foods, such as a meal that is high in carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates release more serotonin from the brain, which makes you feel good. However, too much serotonin can increase melatonin production, leading to drowsiness.
Basically, not all foods have the same impact on your body. While some foods can increase your energy, others can make you sleepy.
Also, tasking your body with digesting a large meal is exhausting. Eating large portions—especially of unhealthy foods—will leave your body with little energy to use elsewhere.
You can keep a stable level of energy if you eat smaller meals more frequently. This gives your body has the opportunity to digest smaller amounts of food at a time. Leaving you feeling energized instead of tired after your meals.
Avoid heavy foods and opt for healthy, balanced meals instead. A healthy meal to eat before class could include fruit, vegetables, lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
An example of a well-rounded breakfast to have before class would be one cup of plain Greek yogurt sprinkled with bran flakes and topped with 1/4 cup of berries.
2. Sleep the night before your class.
Students who doze in class often missed sleep the night before. Getting enough sleep is your first line of defense when it comes to staying away in class.
Make sure to get some shut-eye if you have a class the next day. For most people, eight hours of sleep is sufficient to get through the day, but your body may require more. (Need more convincing? Read these sleep quotes!)
Maintaining a regular sleep schedule by going to bed at the same time each night will train your body to know when it needs to be asleep and when it is time to wake up.
Allow yourself time to relax before heading to bed by putting away your phone, homework, and other things that keep your mind active. Getting enough high-quality sleep can alleviate daytime fatigue.
3. Take a shower before class.
Showering helps you feel refreshed and awakens your senses. The warm water from your shower raises your body temperature. This also increases your heart rate and circulation so your blood travels around your body faster.
Finally, it helps deliver oxygen to your vital organs so your body can work at an optimal level of efficiency.
For an extra boost of energy, finish your shower with a blast of cold water. When your body is exposed to cold water, your arteries and veins constrict, which allows your blood to flow at a higher pressure, meaning that your circulation is even further increased.
The cold water will also help wake you up because it will shock your body, forcing you to breathe more deeply. This will increase your oxygen intake, leading you to be more mentally sharp.
4. Have some mints.
The crisp, refreshing smell of mint can awaken your senses and keep you alert in class.
When you eat a mint, the menthol component excites your senses and stimulates the hippocampus area of your brain, which directly impacts your mental clarity and memory. The clean smell triggers your mind to wake up and pay attention.
Studies have found that people who are exposed to peppermint become more alert and less tired, have an increased sense of motivation, and become less irritable.
Studies have also found that peppermint slows the release of cortisol and can keep people calm by limiting the release of this stress hormone, yet without putting them to sleep.
5. Drink plenty of water, and bring some to class too.
Dehydration causes fatigue and sluggishness. Every cell in your body needs water in order to function, and a deficiency in body water disrupts various processes.
Your blood concentration thickens due to a lack of fluid, which results in the reduction of plasma in the blood, which in turn makes the heart work harder to supply oxygen and nutrients to the body. Since more energy is needed for blood circulation, you experience weakness and fatigue.
Secondly, a decline in hydration is typically accompanied by a loss of electrolytes. These chemical ions are present in your bloodstream and play a vital role in regulating your fluid levels, muscle function, and nerve reactions.
An electrolyte imbalance leads to tiredness and fatigue, muscle weakness, lightheadedness, and an irregular heartbeat.
Increase your water intake by consciously taking sips of water throughout the day. Furthermore, prevent dehydration and make sure you’re bringing a bottle of water with you to class.
6. Munch on a light snack.
If your professor allows eating in class, you can bring some light snacks to munch on. Glucose gives a quick energy boost when you’re feeling drowsy. A sugary snack will give you a quick boost of energy.
But it will be followed by an energy crash, which can leave you feeling worse than you did before your snack.
Choose a healthy snack that will keep you satiated and won't cause a spike in your blood sugar levels.
Some good options are carrots with hummus, an apple with peanut butter, and yogurt with almonds. The healthy fats and protein will help tide you over and give you lasting energy.
7. Don’t get too warm.
Feeling warm and cozy leads to sleepiness. Typically, your body expends energy to maintain a consistent temperature, but when you get warm, your body has to work overtime to keep you cool.
This requires your heart rate and metabolic rate to increase, and this extra effort can make you feel sleepy.
Additionally, we often correlate being warm with being cozy, and coziness leads to sleep. This psychological link is stronger than one may think.
When you associate something strongly with a feeling, such as comfort and sleep, it’s easy for your mind to react accordingly by starting to shut down when you are warm.
(Being cozy isn't all bad though. Learn about hygge living and how it can help you achieve happiness.)
Open the nearest window or take off your jacket to keep cool during class. Make sure you wear some layers in case you start to feel sleepy.
8. Take notes.
Keep your attention on what’s going on in class by taking notes as the professor gives the lecture.
Taking notes is an effective way to stay awake in class. It forces you to maintain activity in your mind. Your brain will be engaged in class if you write down what is being said.
Taking notes can also help you think more and pay more attention to the lecture. Your notes don't have to be perfect—just write down the main points that you find to be interesting, and any questions that you think of.
There are various methods to taking notes, you just have to experiment and find the one that works best for you and keeps you focused.
9. Take notes in a creative way.
Speaking of various methods of note-taking, doodling has been proven to be an effective way to maintain focus and recall. Doodling prevents you from completely losing interest when you need to pay attention.
This is due to the fact that it requires enough brainpower to prevent you from daydreaming, but not enough to make you lose focus.
In other words, doodling helps you anchor your attention and remain engaged rather than zoning out.
Doodling can also help you find solutions to problems. Doodling is thought to activate areas of the brain that help you analyze information in new ways.
Even if you are simply drawing on the corner of your paper, you're activating different networks in the brain and engaging with new and different information. Doing this may lead you to come up with a new solution to a problem.
You can also use note-taking apps to help speed up the process. To learn more about them, here's our review of the 15 best note taking apps on the market.
10. Take a quick walk.
Excuse yourself from class and go to the bathroom. The quick stroll can help keep you awake—not only because it will get you up and moving, but also because the change in the environment for a few minutes helps your brain stay active.
Physical activity signals to your brain that it’s not quite time to go to sleep. Get your blood pumping a little bit to improve your sense of alertness. When you sit in one place for too long, it slows down your circulation and negatively impacts your state of mind.
You can also use physical activity as a preventative measure before going to class. Take the stairs instead of the elevator on your way to class to increase your heart rate and give you some energy.
11. Sit in the front row.
Sitting in front allows you to become more engaged in the lecture. Just like when you are taking notes, sitting in the front of the class will keep you focused on what the teacher is saying. And less on how tired you are.
Also, you will probably be nervous about getting scolded by your teacher for falling asleep, so you will actively keep your eyes open.
It is also easier to pay attention and participate in class when you’re sitting in the front. You will likely be sitting near people who are actively participating in class. Hearing their voices might help keep you awake.
12. Drink green tea.
Green tea has properties that boost your energy without the jitters that others experience when they take coffee. It has about one-third the amount of caffeine as coffee does, so it doesn't give you that quick rush of energy followed by a crash.
Green tea also contains L-theanine, which is an amino acid that gives you a feeling of calm alertness.
Drinking green tea throughout the day can also keep you full. This prevents you from eating a big meal that will make you tired later on. It will give you a steady stream of energy throughout the day. The act of sipping on green tea throughout the class will keep your body engaged.
13. Listen to isochronic tones.
If the class instructor allows it, listen to brain-entrainment tones to keep awake and stay focused. Listening to isochronic tones is a fast and effective audio-based way to keep your mind stimulated.
These sounds can help you improve your focus, increase your energy levels, and get a good night's sleep without taking drugs or using any special equipment.
Listening to isochronic tones leads your brainwave activity to a different frequency. This allows you to alter your mental state and how you feel.
Some people report feeling more alert and having an enhanced ability to focus while watching the following video featuring isochronic tones.
14. Use essential oils to raise your energy and perk you up.
Essential oils have properties that keep you energized. The best part is that they don’t have the side effects of palpitations, heartburn, and trembling that some people get when they drink coffee.
Inhaling an essential oil can give you the quick burst of energy that you need to stay awake during class.
One of the most well-known essential oils that is used to increase alertness is rosemary. Grapefruit and peppermint essential oils are also popular choices. Keep some essential oils in your bag. Take them out in the middle of the day if you need a quick pick-me-up.
15. Stretch.
Stretching resets your nervous system and promotes blood flow, giving you a quick energy boost. Stretching is especially great to do during class if you can't get up and move around. You can always do some simple stretches in your seat.
Stretching activates your energy reserves and help you breathe deeper, giving your body more oxygen to supply to your vital organs.
Final Thoughts on Staying Awake in Class
We’ve learned that a person’s average attention span lasts for 10 minutes. However, most class lectures last longer than this.
It is quite understandable to feel sleepy in classes where the instructor is not aware of this fact or chooses to ignore it.
The tips on how to stay awake in class provided here serve as a guide to helping you concentrate. They help you to focus your attention to maximize your learning so that you can accomplish your goals, such as those show in the video below.
Try a couple of these suggestions for the next few weeks in the class where you tend to doze off. See what happens.
Another thing: If the reason you’re drowsy in class is that you’re sick, it might be better to allow yourself to be absent for a day and rest.
Also, to further motivate you to stay awake during class hours, practice the habit of rewarding yourself when you’ve successfully made it through a couple of weeks without sleeping in class.
Finally, if you're looking for more resources to succeed as a student, be sure to read these blog posts:
- 11 Vision Board Ideas and Examples for Students
- 31 SMART Goals Examples for Students of All Ages
- 13 Effective Study Habit Examples
Taking notes especially seems to help me the most!
That and also bouncing my leg to somewhat keep me physically stimulated helps.
Probably because I realise it’s harder for me to fall asleep whenever I’m moving.
Like when my fingers are typing on the keyboard from taking notes.
Or nodding my head to the teacher’s words.
Some sort of physical stimulation might just help you too!
Good point about harder to fall asleep while moving. Any physical activity can help revive you. I remember a teacher who would have anyone who made anyone who looked sleepy stand in the back of the room, Sort of makes sense now.