Did you know that the average human spends about a third of their life asleep in bed? Not because we necessarily want to (although there are a lot of us who love our beds), but because our body simply demands it of us, it's the way we are wired. Think about this for a second; if you live to the ripe old age of 90, that means you are going to spend AT LEAST 30 YEARS of it asleep. This is enough sleep to put sleeping beauty to shame. It's no wonder that people are always trying to figure out how to stay awake.

With the high demands being placed on us in this day and age, it is easy to lose concentration and focus when we should be working on a task. We all do it. In fact, we have done it since we were kids. I'm sure there are not many people out there who could honestly say they have never fallen asleep in class while Mrs Crabapple waffles on about algebra or the second world war. Heck, in some of my classes, the teacher couldn't even be heard of the snoring drone in the classroom. Problem is, as kids it didn't matter so much if we missed out on a couple of history lessons. As adults, the risks associated with falling asleep can be much greater. You could lose your job, crash your car, or even lose your partner if you fall asleep at the wrong time.

Speaking of jobs, what a lot of people don't realise is that after most of us are snuggled into our warm beds for the night, there is a whole other breed of humans who are just rising to begin their "day". These are the night shift workers, and their whole purpose is to keep the world ticking along while you sleep. These guys and girls have modified their body clocks over extended periods of time so that they are now nocturnal, and hardly ever see the sun. Some of you may think that this is unnatural, but when you get up at 3am to go to the toilet and don't hit your head on the bathroom sink, because the light works, who do you think you should be thanking?

Asleep at the Wheel

Another whole species of humans that exist out there are the truckies. These dedicated people spend their whole lives making sure that your supermarket shelves are stocked with food and other grocery items. They zoom from one end of the country to the other, working extremely long hours in a generally thankless job. Truck drivers are especially interested in how to stay awake, because they only get paid for the amount of time their wheels are turning, and you can't drive a truck while your asleep. Many have tried, and all have failed. Whatever type of driver you are, sleepiness and driving is a sure recipe for destruction. The only logical thing that you can do if you are sleepy and driving is to pull over and have a nap. Here are a few other methods that people try to employ to get from A to B without stopping...

• Winding the windows down - especially effective if it's a cold winter night
  
• Play loud music - And sing along, at the very least you will get some funny looks from passers by
  
• Get a device - There are devices that you can buy that go in your ear hole and detect if you start to nod off. When this happens, they emit a loud beep to wake you up
  
• Talk - If you have a passenger in the car with you, hold a lively conversation with them, if you have a hands free kit, give someone a call and talk to them
  

Work is another place were people are always trying to work out how to stay awake. I saw a staggering statistic the other day that said that 75% of people found their jobs tedious and boring. This is 75% of the population that is having trouble keeping their eyes open while at work. And if you are caught sleeping on the job, their are not many bosses out there that would continue to employ you. The last thing you want is for your boss to walk into your cubicle, and catch you drooling on the keyboard with a 1,200 page word document on your screen full of kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk's.

As a result, the coffee industry is making a killing, your average office worker will down 4 or 5 cups of coffee a day, some a lot more. Coffee may be a great short term solution, but it's going to do you more damage than good in the long term. Another problem with coffee is that it dehydrates you, and the experts will tell you that one of the most important things you need to do to keep yourself alert and awake is to be hydrated. You need to be drinking a glass of alkaline water every hour. some people will also turn to those ever popular high energy drinks as a way to stay awake. Once again, these have an immediate effect, but they are full of sugar, and you will end up with less energy than when you started.

So, if you are still reading this, you must really want to know how to stay awake, otherwise this article would have definitely put you to sleep. Well, the truth is, the best way to stay awake is to go to sleep. Make sure that you are getting the eight hours a night that your body is telling you it needs. Make sure that you don't drink any caffeine for a couple of hours before going to bed. Also, try to have dinner at least a few hours before hitting the sack. The reason for this is that it gives your body time to digest the food.. If you go to bed while your body is still digesting your dinner, you may be asleep, but the rest of your body is busy churning around. 

If the eight hours a night is still not enough, try having a 20 minute power nap in the afternoon. Power naps can give you a wonderful boost to get you over the afternoon hump and set you right for the rest of the day.

The other thing you need to look at is your diet. As I've mentioned previously, drink plenty of water and cut down on the caffeine as much as your addiction will allow. Natural high protein foods will also help you stay alert. A great idea is to take a small Tupperware container of dried fruits and nuts to work with you and nibble on them during the day.

So hopefully now you have a better idea of what you can do to help you stay alert and awake throughout your day. If none of these techniques work, then maybe you need to look at changing jobs. Maybe you could start to research ways to make money from home, or better still, win the lottery and you can afford to sleep the rest of your life away.