Have you ever had to study all night for an exam or a deadline? Considering an 'all-nighter' is a classic situation that happens sooner or later when you are short of time. Keep in mind that all-night studying is not a healthy practice. So if spending the small hours over your notebooks seems inevitable, this blog will, with a pinch of humour ;), show you what all-night studying looks like in 6 stages.

Stage 1: Full of Optimism

It all starts with a great deal of optimism! You are confident you can fulfil all your tasks and meet the deadlines. These 6 hours of no sleep are nothing but a child’s play! After all, it’s not like you haven’t been going out with friends for the same amount of hours before. You open your laptop, the notes are all prepared and you can feel the motivation fueling you up with sheer optimism and energy.

Stage 2: A Steady Start

It’s been two hours since you started this ambitious adventure and you have been going well and steady. The motivation levels are still present, however, these two hours surely felt like four but hey, give yourself some credit – you did a good chunk of work so the rest will go just as well…right?

Stage 3: The Snack Break

Energy levels begin to drop down. You feel a strong need for something sweet. It has been a couple of hours since your last meal so it’s time to get back on track by fueling up with some snacks. Unfortunately, there is nothing open at the moment so you have to be creative. How long does the making of some pancakes take anyway?

Stage 4: The Witching Hour

These pancakes were indeed a great idea but now you feel like having a nap. Nevertheless, you convince yourself that you can push it through and that your motivation is still there even though at this point you start wondering how much of it is left. Fatigue crawls in, your eyes start closing down and your mind starts playing tricks on you – you get distracted and start scrolling through your social media accounts hoping to establish contact with others who might also be in the same situation, yet you are the only one at this late hour. You start feeling some loneliness so to keep yourself awake you begin staring at the walls or rearranging your desk for the 10th time.

Stage 5: The Delirium Phase

At this point, the effects of sleep deprivation begin to show. The optimistic thoughts from the first stage are long gone. Your actions are driven by pure madness, and your ideas become more and more disorganised. You begin to wonder what the purpose of life is, what assignment you are even working on and to send your study group absurd texts. Your study notes begin to sound like the random thoughts of a madman.

Stage 6: Light At The End of The Tunnel

Just when you thought that you were defeated, a hopeful view unfolds before your eyes - the first sun rays hit the wall and this means only one thing: you made it! Even though your delirious phase took a toll on you, the new day begins suggesting that you survived yet another all-nighter. How much of your work was done and whether you will do it again, well, that’s debatable.

In any case, experiencing the six stages of studying all night presents you with a rollercoaster of emotions - from initial optimism to sleep deprivation madness, culminating in the first rays of the sun. The aftermath may leave you questioning whether you would devote another sleepless night to an assignment, so just be sure not to engage with it too often and plan your study times efficiently!