Trying to pull an all nighter? Need to take a powernap? Here’s how I take a nap without falling asleep.

Before we start, set a quick alarm to alert you that your time is up. Loud alarm or quiet alarm, the choice is yours. All set? Good, let us move on to the napping.

Lie down on your back at your favorite napping location. Even your bed is suitable for this technique because it’s practically impossible to fall asleep while napping with this nap trick.

Now place your hand over your face. Lift your hand up a few inches. You want enough distance so it hurts when it falls, but not too much so it misses your napping face. About 4 inches should be more than enough.

Now close your eyes and enjoy your nap. If you do fall asleep while napping your hand will land on your face and wake you up. If you stay conscious it won’t. nature will handle the rest.

And that kids is what I learned at college – how to nap without falling asleep.

If you want to expand on this further, have a glass of cold water before napping. The cold will stop your metabolism from shutting down and keep you from sleeping even more.

After your nap, you can get back to your all nighter refreshed and ready to own it.

How long should a nap take? 20 minutes is recommended but I would argue 15 minutes is the sweet spot for the perfect napping experience.