For many of us, perhaps the most frightful part of the upcoming weeks is the legendary all-nighter.
Even if you’ve never stayed up all night to work on something, you’ve probably missed out on a large chunk of your eight hours at least once. To stay up, you probably chugged a variety of liquids that may or may not lead to hospitalization. But we think there’s a bright side to an all-nighter: the delicious breakfast you have once you’ve accomplished your night’s task.
Curious to find out what you were indulging in the morning after, we interviewed some of you—only to discover that you’re not as indulgent as we thought. Here’s a countdown of UTM’s top three breakfasts after an all-nighter.
#3: Bowl of cereal or oatmeal
Compared to an Egg McMuffin, grains may not be the tastiest option. Students who chose oatmeal as their ideal post-all-nighter breakfast said they chose it for the energy boost. Oatmeal packs a variety of vitamins and minerals, and it’s a great source of carbohydrates, protein, and iron. In fact, if you’re following up your all-nighter with an exam, research says the best breakfast is a high-fibre one—like oatmeal or cereal (although probably not the high-sugar variety). Plus, both oatmeal and cereal are easy to prepare, so you’re less likely to burn yourself when you doze off for few minutes.
#2: Coffee or green tea
So… these drinks aren’t exactly food, but they were still the preferred breakfast of many UTM students after a sleepless night. “Green tea warms the body and soul,” said Wei Wei Wong, a fourth-year student.
According to some research on caffeine, UTM is on the right track—sort of. Drinks containing caffeine (like green tea and coffee) can elevate mood and improve brain function. Unfortunately, as you’ve no doubt experienced, these benefits don’t last very long. Also, the caffeine boost works best with meals, not as a replacement. Maybe you should have some oatmeal with it?
#1: Nothing
Tsk-tsk, UTM. Even after hearing from all those annoying people that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the number-one breakfast for students pulling all-nighters is nothing?
“I’d rather spend more time in bed than be awake for breakfast,” said Philip Kwan, a biotechnology student. It seems finding something to eat is a little too much to ask of someone who’s had no sleep; most of us would rather spend that time hugging our pillows. So we’ll probably just keep ignoring the health experts. After all, they also said all-nighters don’t work, so what do they know?
