Several times in my life I decided to work the entire night to finish a project.  Projects such as Luminara and Dark Cut were finished in the wee-hours of the night.  When I am SO close to finishing a game it doesn’t feel right just to leave it 95% done so I’ll out the rest of the night.  If you ever decide to spend the entire night programming, remember a these few important rules:

Most Important Rule

All-Night Programming SUCKS.  If you plan on doing it do it sparingly.  It saps you of energy, makes you grumpy, and less tolerated by roommates.  It’s rather unhealthy in large quantities and your sanity needs sleep.  Do it when you really can’t do it any other time, if you are jamming with other developers for fun, are on a personal quest of self-fulfillment or you are just that motivated that you couldn’t have it any other way.

I also find that my work gets sloppy with little sleep, so don’t expect things to turn out as beautifully as they during the normal midday work hours.

Time

Spending the entire night programming (for example, from 9 pm to 9 am), gives you an additional 12 hours of work time.  But remember that you were probably up since 9 am the previous day, so you’ll be running for a straight 24 hours without sleep.  For many this is not a hard task but if you require extra sleep or need to be in bed at a regular early time this will be quite a fight.

Wake up late the morning you plan on doing your overnight programming.  Try not to do a lot of really physically straining activity that day.

Crashing

Sleeplessness comes in two major phases.  The first is the “I need to sleep” phase.  This phase kicks in usually a few hours after your normal bedtime, and usually this hump is easy to overcome.  When you have work to do and you are focused usually it’s not a huge deal.  If this is hard to get over think about taking a quick shower or getting your body moving.  It can usually be shaken off somehow, whether that is activity, food, drink or taking a short break.

The “crash point,” however, is like trying to stop a full-speed train.  This is the point at which my body can no longer tolerate a sleepless night, which is typically after about 5 pm the following day (or 29 straight hours of no sleep).  You shouldn’t hit this point and if you do you should consider giving in… at this point you won’t be getting anything done anyway.

Food

Food is energy, and if you are one of those people who never eats this overnight coding is going to be tough.  Keep eating foods that will give you a bit of energy such as whole wheat bread.   I like Clif Bars because they are fairly good and tasty.  Eat constantly and consistently well.

STAY AWAY from energy shots or other food with massive doses of random crap your body doesn’t need.  I find these items just make me sick or make me crash faster.  Fast food or unhealthy treats will make your body feel gloopy.

Drink

Caffeine is a welcomed friend in staying awake, but I would avoid having a lot of caffeine in one day.  If you plan on coding all night you should perhaps not drink a ton of caffeine earlier in the day.  Caffeine is a drug afterall, and I always believe too much of something is a bad thing.

Avoid energy drinks like the plague.  These things are not good for you and (at least for me) causes huge crashes.  Great for a quick boost by causes rough roads ahead.  Regulate your caffeine by drinking things like tea, small cups of coffee, and soft drinks… moderation is always key.  Fruit juice is great too for when you need something tasty yet non-caffeinated. 

And of course, don’t drink beer, wine, or anything else with alcohol until you get some sleep.

Repetitive Eye/Muscle Stress

When you are coding non-stop don’t forget to stretch and walk around every few minutes.  I often find myself getting locked onto the computer too long in the middle of the night and getting really sore eye muscles.  Sore eyes mean quicker road to sleepiness.  Also move around and get your blood flowing.

Turn down the brightness of your monitor, and remember to stay in a well-lit room.  Dark rooms with bright monitors strains the eyes and makes you sleepy.

Sit in a computer chair at a desk.  If you are sitting on a couch programming a laptop you might get too comfortable and fall asleep… couches are the bane of overnight programmers.

Avoid Chill Music

If you listen to Moby or something similar you are going to fall asleep.  Listen to heavier, happier music that will keep your heart beating and enthusiasm pumping.  I listen to 80′s hair metal, and that’s quite a treat.

Voice podcasts are also really nice.  Having someone talking to you is really quite a treat, because I am sure your roommates or friends certainly won’t at 4 in the morning.

Also use headphones.  Roommates want to sleep.

Stop Looking at the Clock

Get your project done and stop worrying about the time.  Every time you look you are just going to want to go to sleep.  The faster it gets done the more sleep you’ll get in return.

Go To Sleep ASAP

You’re going to be grumpy and your body will be exhausted.  Get your work done and immediately go to bed.  Let your body be healthy.

And finally…. have fun.  All-night programming jams are great with friends or when planned ahead of time.  If you find yourself doing it for self-pain, don’t.  Don’t be a workaholic and do this every other night.