How can I be comfortable when my body is stressed?

March 15, 2007 3:04 PM

On my feet and awake for 32 hours straight. How can I stay as comfortable as possible?

In a little over a week, I am participating in a fundraiser for the local children's cancer hospital which involves me being awake and on my feet for 32 hours non-stop. (If you're curious, there's more information about the event here).

I'm not kidding myself, I know I'm going to feel terrible after all is said and done, but do you guys have any tips that will help me (and my fellow participants) remain in some degree of comfort? Here's what I've done/am planning to do so far:

1) Food/Water/and Gatorade is provided, so "staying hydrated" isn't a problem.
2) I plan to change clothes about every 4 hours, and socks more frequently.
3) I am wearing the most comfortable broken-in shoes I own.
4) I'm also considering purchasing a back/knee/and or ankle support braces for the weekend -- will these help?

I am a college student in pretty good shape, but any other tips to help me help the kids will be greatly appreciated.

posted by mikespez to health & fitness (21 comments total)

Not exactly related to comfort, but definitely arrange in advance to have someone give you a ride home after the event. You will not be a safe driver after staying up that long.

Frequent, gentle stretch breaks might help with the comfort level.
posted by tdismukes at 3:13 PM on March 15, 2007

Sponge baths, if possible. Wet wipes for your face--take a box. I find the worst part about extended waking hours like that is how gross my face feels. Wet wipes absolutely ameliorate that.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:16 PM on March 15, 2007

You shouldn't need to change clothes nearly that much, but if it helps you stay up and awake, by all means.

Do not wear the most comfortable broken-in shoes you have. Wear the best sneakers you have that give you the most support, particularly in the heel.

A back brace might be a good idea, especially if you have bad posture, but you should wear it too tightly. In the end, joint braces (unless you're helping an existing injury) will limit circulation to parts of the body that you want to be getting blood to.

And gentle on the stretches, like tdismukes said - you go to hard and you will get TIRED.
posted by allkindsoftime at 3:18 PM on March 15, 2007

Best advice is to know your limits, and not overdo. Back in the late '20s and early '30s, when cash prizes at endurance dancing contests were big money, and widely covered, people frequently died at these things. And many, many others hurt themselves badly, falling, or through sprains, bleeding blisters, or other injuries endemic to these kinds of events. So, really, don't overdo.

That said, stretching, especially your feet and legs, helps a lot. Doing what you can to conserve energy early on helps, too, but contest operators often put in a lot of "fast dances" at the start to winnow the field. If you can have people drop by to talk to you, with encouragement, that helps tremendously in later hours.
posted by paulsc at 3:19 PM on March 15, 2007

I would take a at least 2 different pairs of tennis shoes and alternate them when you change your socks. Also bring a few different styles of inserts - that way you can "fix" sore heels or arches.
posted by blackkar at 3:24 PM on March 15, 2007

Wear support hose, or, barring that, the tightest pair of jeans you can lay your hands on. you will thank me when everyone else has swollen ankles and you are cool.
posted by OldReliable at 3:28 PM on March 15, 2007

I do 30-hour shifts about 7-8 times a month, and it's not as terrible as you might think. You've probably pulled all-nighters studying for tests and things, and this will be pretty much a slightly longer version of that. It might even be easier because you'll be moving. Don't get me wrong; it will be a challenge, but you can totally handle it.

Try to eat small amounts at regular intervals and do think about staying hydrated. Don't go crazy with the coffee -- on one of my first shifts, I drank a ridiculous amount of coffee and ended up being very caffeine intoxicated, which suuuuuucks. Take a nap beforehand. WRT your list, I'm not sure that you'll have to change clothes every four hours unless you're really breaking a sweat. Careful with the shoes -- broken in is good, but make sure they give you decent support. Your back WILL hurt at the end of this, and good shoes will help a lot. I've never had any luck with any support products, but YMMV.

It's always worst for me right at the time that I would normally wake up. I'm fine until then, but then it usually hits me hard for about 20 minutes or so. It passes, though, so if this happens to you just push through it, and you'll feel better soon. The most important thing is to keep a good attitude -- this is supposed to be fun, so try to keep a good outlook.

tdismukes comment is valid, too. Have a ride coming so you can sleep in the car.

Good luck! Sounds like a great thing to do.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 3:29 PM on March 15, 2007

Modafinil.
posted by alms at 3:30 PM on March 15, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Be sure to eat some protein at regular intervals. If they're mainly giving you starches (donuts etc), have a friend bring you a chicken sandwich or cheese every 4 hours or so. Try to eat as well as you can; the allure of the donuts will increase as you get sleepier but hour after hour of donuts will make you feel like ass. Alternate them with apples etc if you can.
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:37 PM on March 15, 2007

Maybe have some painkillers on hand, if you're allowed. Your dogs are gonna be barkin' something fierce if you're standing on a hard surface.
posted by bink at 3:52 PM on March 15, 2007

If you have to crap, can you sit down for a few minutes?
posted by tristeza at 4:23 PM on March 15, 2007

Let's not start encouraging the guy to steal ADD meds from kids, shall we?

One thing I find that helps me when I start getting overly fatigued is to force myself to jump up and down and shake my arms around. Just to keep the circluation going helps. (Can you sneak any redbull?)
posted by miss lynnster at 5:20 PM on March 15, 2007

moleskin.
posted by peace_love_hope at 5:42 PM on March 15, 2007

I've done this in a production job, and it's okay. My trick is to keep eating, enjoy chocolate for it's caffeine and sugar, keep drinking plenty of fluids. Since I have a fairly high calorie output I tend to eat high calorie foods. Drink fruit juice or V8 or similar.

I didn't change my clothes, I just accepted I was going to be a bit stinky afterwards. One change of clothes should get you through.

Good shoes - investigate good insoles. I have a pair of insoles which are some sort of gel, they cost about $40.00 but made an old comfortable pair of shoes even better, restoring the cushioning without impairing the nice fit you get after lots of wearing.

Overdo your anti-persperant / deodorant. Get a good amount on your underarms and let it dry so it's not like chemical warfare for those around you, and you should be able to go days without stinky 'pits.

I wouldn't wear a back brace or any support unless I had a medical reason for doing so. Too much use of these weakens the muscles in the long run, and I find stretching every now and again useful.

If you're moving about rather than doing a repetitive motion, you should be fine. You'll feel tired and possibly a bit delirious. I actually enjoy that feeling, it's like a sneak peek at what going crazy would be like. Seeing things out of the corner of your eyes, hearing stuff, jumping at shadows, making wild connections between odd things in your head.

Good luck with it!
posted by tomble at 6:32 PM on March 15, 2007

When I was doing 30 hour shifts every 4th day or so, I found that a bar of face soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and deodorant were things I needed to have at hand. A change of socks was also a blessing. I second the advice to wear shoes that are broken in, but stiff and comfortable with good arch support.

Drink more water than Gatorade. Full strength Gatorade makes you dehydrated, as your kidney needs to dump more free water than the drink contains to deal with the salt load.

Be prepared for your mood to fluctuate unpredictably, especially as you're not in the habit of doing this. At some point you'll probably feel pretty low. At that point, just remember, "ikkyu2 told me this would happen," and ignore it.

After someone else drives you home, give yourself the remainder of the day and the next night to recover. Most of that time should be spent in bed.
posted by ikkyu2 at 6:53 PM on March 15, 2007

Thanks guys for the advice so far. Just to clarify, don't worry about us driving home, since this event is at our University Gym, we'll all be pretty much walking home to the dorms afterwards.

Secondly, the reason I'm planning on changing clothes is more psychological then anything else — hopefully a fresh shirt and pair of pants will make me feel a little better then sweaty smelly ones.
posted by mikespez at 7:21 PM on March 15, 2007

I regularly stay up for 40 hours and it helps me greatly to pop a NSAID or tylenol even if I don't have a headache. Part of feeling tired is your body hurting, so take some pain relivers ahead of time. 30 hours is easy, take a nap before hand and stay away from thing that have too much sugar. You don't want a carb crash.

And if you are doing the dancing, I would bring a change of clothes and change when you feel like it. Nasty sweaty shirts would really bug me.
posted by bigmusic at 8:15 PM on March 15, 2007

I know for THON, the event that spawned yours, they have groups that exist for helping dancers get through the night. Find these groups, and ask them for help. Just note that after the first 16 hours, nothing you do is going to matter because you are going to be that tired, and after 24 hours you will think you feel great because you'll be hallucinating.
posted by Loto at 9:48 PM on March 15, 2007

No advice, just wanted to say I thought I was crazy for shaving my head for children's cancer research, but, dancing for that long is worse. Good luck and thanks for doing this.
posted by SuzySmith at 9:59 PM on March 15, 2007

Awwww you've got me all homesick. I ran the tech side of DM for 5 or 6 years before leaving Jersey. I won't lie to you, it's tough. Last year I literally fell asleep and keeled over while standing up and talking to a volunteer (sup fink).

Hygiene
- Changes of clothes: good (underwear, socks, everything else is less important)
- Brush your teeth alot. Your breath gets bad when you don't sleep for some reason.
- Stock up on wet naps and/or alcohol-based hand wash (purel style, but the cheap walmart brand lasts longer). It cleans you off without a shower and I feel like the cheaper stuff actually acts like smelling salts.

Comfort
- Shoes changes are your best friend. By letting the foam/whatever in your shoes 'rebound' in 2-4 hour shifts they are more supportive and your feet will hurt less. At the beginning you will not feel like you need to do this but YOU DO. Schedule shoe changes on a regular basis whether you feel like you need to or not and start the clock the moment you arrive. Old, comfortable shoes will NOT be old and comfortable here. Find supportive, newer sneakers from people in your dorm/house.
- Find people of similar size and weight and learn to do group leaning. 3 people back to back makes for an excellent break.
- Trips to the can mean you get to sit your ass down. Become friends with the College Avenue Gym 2nd floor bathrooms. By the second day they'll feel like paradise.

Food
- DO NOT start on caffeine and/or stimulants until ~6 AM on the second day. The last 8 hours is the worst. Oh and these are not provided so find a friend to 'visit' with red bull in a dark water bottle (perrier, a dark nalgene bottle works too)
- When they club the place up at night people will try to sneak in booze. If by some miracle they do get in (RUPD has gotten better about this) do not drink - your night will be over immediately.
- Don't over-do the food breaks. There's one < every 4 hours for 32 hours. you will be full.br> - Pick and choose your food carefully. Avoid the over-processed snacks. They'll just make you crash. Those machine-made PB&J pockets last year almost made me puke. Stay away from sugars, take it easy on the carbs, if there's meat annihilate it and ONLY it (remove bread from sandwiches if you're having more than one). fruits and veggies are good too.

Finally, this may sound a little panty-waist, but the emotional drain of the testimonials and speeches on the second day can really f*** you up. Believe it or not, You'll never see so many frat boys crying in one setting. I guarantee it. Harsh as it may be in the face of children dying of cancer, try not to break down in tears.

Otherwise have fun - It's a great place to meet people. I met my current significant other at DM and we've been together for like 5 years. A great cause, hundreds of hot members of the opposite sex and sleep-deprived delirium. I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend!
posted by datacenter refugee at 2:01 AM on March 16, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Change your shoes and socks along with the rest of your clothes. Supportive shoes are a must, and comfortable is a must -- but comfortable here is not the same comfortable as you wear around the house. Stick with supportive shoes that don't rub or chafe anywhere and you'll be fine. If you can change between shoes that fit a bit differently (but still fit well) from your last pair, your feet will be happier.

Bring moleskin, bandaids, and lambswool in case you need them for your feet. You might check into the variety of specialized atheletic socks availible also.
posted by yohko at 10:39 AM on March 16, 2007