Caffiene, WOW, and Sleep

[Arcdelad]

Weve all been there - our squinty eyes burning holes into our skull, hoping against all odds that the stars align, everyone performs and we just kill this damn raid boss so we can all go to sleep. It causes feral druids in philly to fall crashing asleep outside the shades room, or 9 people in a raid to use their loudest sounding spells in the hopes of waking up that holy priest so we can just beat the prince and get some rest.

We, as a WOW people, are genuinely TIRED and sleep deprived...this isnt a call for sympathy, since it IS our own doing. The fault lies not in the stars, it seems, but within our burning desire to kick the face in of a raid boss.

This is why, though, maybe more important than understanding the effects of AGI on crit, or the proper shot rotation for a hunter, its important to understand CAFFIENE - how to use it, proper drink rotation, and how to properly stack RL chemical buffs so we can just plain stay awake!

Take myself for example....this morning my caffiene buffs consisted of:

- 12 FL Oz Red Bull - Red bull contains 9.64 grams of caffiene per ounce of liquid, which means that equates to 115.68 grams of caffeine this morning. Red Bull ALSO contains side chemicals like taurine, ginseng, B12 and all that...these may or may not help as advertised.

- 10 OZ brewed coffee from the kitchen x2 - Coffee as brewed by the Kuerif contains 13.44 grams of caffiene per ounce, meaning that stacked another 268.8 grams into my body.

Its important to note that caffiene buff durations are also dependant on things like speed of consumption, body weight, and stomach contents.

For my morning, I drank a Red Bull in the car after having no breakfast at all at a fairly good rate of consumption - which means it provided a nice, immediate and strong caffiene boost. The coffee I consumed IN the office at a lower rate of consumption but at a higher amount helps to extend the "well caffienated" buff I gained in the car - in short, the red bull gave a strong, but short duration buff which lasted until the office where I was able to gain a more sustained and prolonged buff with the coffee. Factor in a higher right of physical mobility, mental power demand, and other things and then physical factors help augment the need for caffiene with things like testosterone and adrenaline.

The IMPORTANT thing is to get the initial burst, then sustain the caffiene effect.

(One a side note, try and down a 12 OZ Red Bull in one drink - and then feel your face melt as tons of blood rushes to your face!)

Arc's prescription for late night WOWing

Here are three guaranteed ways to stay awake for the raid - I am breaking them down into three cost categories - low cost, medium cost, and high cost. There are also avilable substitutions depending on personal taste =)

Low Cost - aka Fiere Style

Initial - Starbucks Doubeshot 6.5 OZ $1.99 - 20.00 grams of caffiene per ounce and you can SLAM it in one-two drinks.

Sustaining - Drip coffee...thats right...your poor - go brew some damn coffee in your $20 coffee maker in the kitchen. Drip coffee has 18.13 grams of caffiene per ounce, and you can brew up to 24 to 36 ounces! Grab a cup once its done brewing and sip away while you smite mob after mob.

Medium Cost - aka Nas' Gift to Panzer

Initial - Espresso shot from your favorite coffee place - just by itself it weighs in at 51.33 grams of caffiene per ounce, but your going to want to have it dumped into another coffee drink like a Cafe Americano or a Carmel Machiatto, which means your getting the 22-25 caffiene per OZ PLUS the extra 51.33. My personal favorite is the Red Eye or Black Eye at starbucks, which is coffee +1-2 shots of espresso (respectively). $3.00 - $4.00

Sustained - Monster, Sobe, Red Bull 24 oz. All hang around 10.00 CPO, have a good taste, and ample amount. $2.19-$3.49 depending on what you like.

High Cost - aka Arc's heart will implode soon

Initial - Mana Energy Potion - come on...the name says it all! You pot in-game, why not drink mana pots IRL?!? It also has 118.52 CPO and is a one-shot application - $5 (http://www.manapotions.com/)

Sustained - NOS energy drink - found in most gas stations or grocery stores, and is a higher powered version of monster/red bull weighing in around 16.25 CPO. $4.00.

The most important thing is carpe diem! Yeah...your pumping your body full of chemicals...but damnit, killing Alar is worth it? Right?!?

[Drygioni]

I met the coolest old hippy out in San Francisco. He invented the Interstellar Propeller anyway.... He carries around a haggard old Starbucks cup because its only 50 cents for a refill. Every 6 months or so he'll buy a new one when his cup finally disintegrates. The cheapest caffine fix you can find. Oh and hes worth millions...

[kajunlady]

I guess i can tell you my caffinee buffs but i dont think your going to like them or hear anything new from what arc posted.

Starting off

a nap 50% of the time

a RED BULL (( they give you wings you know)) lol

A Meduim size bubba keg  of coffee and cinnamon (yummy)

that usually get me to an hour and 1/2

then i start my sparks ( a yummy energy malt drink)( wise to drink no more then 3 at a time)

and then raids over usually

nothing much but thats how i get thro it if i am fully stocked here

[Avelandra]

I don't do caffinee, the body is flesh, and flesh....DOES AS ITS TOLD. I will stay up as late I need to. Or want to. Or am physically able too. There have been days when my body just decied it does not want to cooperate...but those are rare, and I still push through.


Did you know
if you sleep 3 or less hours in 24, your mental capacities are the same as a drunk person.
after 72hrs of being awake, you can be declared legally insane.
Auditory hullucinations start at 72hrs,
Visuals start around 96hrs.

Those are fun....

[Arcdelad]

Kajun - napping is cheating!!!! The point here is to deny your body and mind and cheat it as much as possible thrugh chemical introduction!

Ave - Don't feed me this garbage about your body being a temple lol...not after you sang the virtues of alcohol so much last night =)

[kajunlady]

what can i say i cheat when needed!

Cheating can be fun!

[Avelandra]

I never said that my body was a temple, alchol is one thing, beer is another.

There is a song that I love to sing and I'll sing it now for you.
My friend it is no mystery, its of the fine brown brew.
And I have yet to meet the Ale for which I didn't care,
And there's no pub in all the land where you won't find me there.

HEY! Hats off to beer me boys, hats off the beer
Lift your glasses in the air and give a hearty cheer,
and when the barrel's empty, we'll shurely shed a tear
Hats off to beer me boys, hats off to beer.

Well, seven days with out a drink would shurely make one weep,
And its pleasure in the company of a frosted mug I seek.
Well, I've travelled clear across the land
and you know that I've been cursed
But the devil doesn't know where a man will go
When he's dying of the thirst

HEY! Hats off to beer me boys, hats off the beer
Lift your glasses in the air and give a hearty cheer,
and when the barrel's empty, we'll shurely shed a tear
Hats off to beer me boys, hats off to beer.

Mr. Killian would be proud if he heard the old one say
"Another time round with Irish Red and the Devil, let him pay!"
Sometimes she's a happy wench or a bueatiful madien fair,
But there's nothing else on this green to which she can compare

HEY! Hats off to beer me boys, hats off the beer
Lift your glasses in the air and give a hearty cheer,
and when the barrel's empty, we'll shurely shed a tear
Hats off to beer me boys, hats off to beer.

Now there is but one dream I have and of this I will relate,
Its not of riches, fame or power for these are not my fate
Sure It's clear that I love my beer and of this there is no doubt,
And when I turn the kitchen tap I wish she'd come flowing out!

HEY! Hats off to beer me boys, hats off the beer
Lift your glasses in the air and give a hearty cheer,
and when the barrel's empty, we'll shurely shed a tear
Hats off to beer me boys, hats off to beer.
Hats off to beer!

[Arcdelad]

Beer and coffee are just different sides of the same coin, and both are attempts to manipulate that fleshy body =)

[kajunlady]

on that not ill post the best prayer ever!

[Airtotem]

Sleep is for the weak, that's what Saturday is for.  Do what I do, sleep 4 hrs a night on weekdays! 

Really the only times I can play is when the wife is working late or at school, so once I realized you can go to sleep at 1 or 2 and wake up at 6ish, the body gets used to it. Once the body gets used to it, everyone else gets used to you walking around like a zombie, and then it'll soon all be normal as if you had gotten 8hrs of sleep... because we all know killing that computerized pixel formation in the shape of a raid boss that respawns weekly is far important than a full night's rest.

I try to ween back on the caffeine, so I only drink a soda at lunch and that's about it. 

[kajunlady]

is this why in a post a while back,which i now can not find, it was said most of the guildies have the dark circles?

and i have to have my sleep or i wake up with monster headaces for some reason lol

[un4]

Doesn't work for me... I just wing it.

[fiere redfern]

Quoth Ave...

I don't do caffinee

Sez the guy who drinks more coffee than I do when we're on call =P

I personally do either black coffee or a Monster Energy Drink when I know it's going to be a long night and need the stamina to keep going. I actually don't drink nearly as much coffee as some folk think I do - that way I'm not subject to crashing hard when I don't have any caffiene in my system.

[Avelandra]

I drink coffee when nothing else will keep me going, like this week.

4hrs of sleep a night will keep your body going. The mind needs to other 4hrs, but meditation can help offset that.

[Trismus]

Arc, isn't it Milligrams? Maybe I'm nuts but dissolving several grams of a powder into 1oz. of liquid just seems impossible :p



also, considering the LD50 for caffeine is 192mg / kg in rats, and people have died from ingesting 2 grams of caffeine, my hunch is you made a mistake due to lack of sleep brought on by caffeine overconsumption, or maybe you were just out of potions 

anyways, check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine


Either way, I'm going to go drink some coffee.


-Tris