Second semester is here and signaling a sad return to the late nights and early mornings just about everyone dreads. As the homework loads and under eye bags commence once more, here is my pick for the top 10 ways to stay awake while doing homework.

10. Take a nap in the middle of doing your homework and wake up later to finish it

In retrospect, this is a horrible idea. If you go to bed tired, you are probably going to wake up more exhausted at an even later point in the night– and that’s considering you do wake up before morning. Just be sure to buy an obnoxiously loud alarm clock if you try this method.

9. Hop in a cold shower

There’s two less sheep to count with this one: the cold water will wake you up, and you don’t have to get up earlier in the morning to shower. Take it from experience, though: warm water is not the way to go for a night shower when you still have work to get done. It will make you more tired, which could mean saying goodbye to that A you wanted on tomorrow’s math exam.  

8. Middle-of-the-night jumping jacks

Exercise tends to be an effective method to try if you want to wake yourself up. Just don’t jump too loud at three in the morning, you don’t want to wake up the rest of your family.

7. Easy work comes last

Some psychologists claim that it is important to do the “easy work” first to clear your mind of smaller tasks and help it focus on the hardest assignments. My mind disagrees. I certainly would rather be up at midnight doing my gym crossword puzzle than reciting my AP presentation, but I’ll leave this one up to you.

6. Take a hard rock music break

Does staying up until sunrise to text mark “A Tale of Two Cities” make you feel like you’re on the highway to hell? Me too. Slide some headphones in and blast rock or heavy metal to keep yourself awake.

5. Eat something

The healthier, the better. Nutrition will keep you energized and alert.

4. Keep your room cool

Just as a cold shower helps people stay awake, research suggests individuals are more alert in an environment if the temperature remains at 68 degrees or below. Say goodbye to your jackets and robes, we got work to do.

3. Give yourself a pep talk

“Just another half hour and I’ll be asleep, I can do this.” There’s really nothing to back this one up, but sometimes you just need a little bit of inner motivation to complete your work. No one will be awake to judge you for talking to yourself anyway.

2. Ignore the alarming nutrition label– energy drinks are ALWAYS your friend

If that label looks a little bit too alarming for your liking, I suggest finding a healthier energy drink alternative that will still get you through an exhausting study session. I recommend “Emergen-C Immune Plus.” Plus, the product comes in packets that must be mixed with water, so you don’t have to stir in the entire packet if you only need a small boost of energy to complete your assignments.

1. Don’t procrastinate, start your homework earlier

Generic top answer? Definitely, but effective nonetheless. Trust me, I can learn from this one.

I’m sure you can, too.