By Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

I bought a pack of Dubble Bubble bubble gum the other day to celebrate National Bubble Gum Day. Sure, it was a wild hair, and I really meant to chew a piece or two, challenge my hubby to a bubble blowing contest, then give the rest away.

But the same day I bought the package of individually-wrapped, pink chunks of sugar, edits were due on a recent writing project. I unwrapped piece after piece, popping each one in my mouth and chewing just until the flavor diminished. The sugar-high kept me awake long past two in the morning, and I completed the entire batch of edits in one night.

However, when I finally climbed into bed, that same sugar explosion coursing through my veins kept me awake for at least another hour.

While sleep eluded me, I thought about another episode with too much bubble gum.

It was over two decades ago, in Washington State, just a ferry ride from Seattle. Frantically trying to finish writing a homeschooling devotional due to my editor in a couple of days, I devoured more than half of the seventy-two servings in the blue and pink package.

Between the massive dose of sugar, the stress of a writing project, four children I homeschooled, and a husband facing an impending deployment, my body started its own revolt that night. My heart started doing weird things and a broken right pinkie toe with only a few weeks of recovery went numb and the tingling radiated through my right foot.

I’d never encountered a health scare like that, so while David listened out for the sleeping kids, I drove myself to the military hospital’s emergency room.

After a long wait, I finally moved from the waiting room. When the doctor studied my vitals and asked a few questions, I explained – as all writers do most likely – with way more details than were necessary for the evaluation. When he found out I was a writer, he placed two hands on the bed rail, leaned in, and asked pointedly, “So … do you … take anything to help you with your writing?”

I was mortified by his insinuation, though maybe my heart rate and blood pressure caused him to jump to conclusions.

“Only bubble gum,” I answered. “Lots of it.”

Another hour later – I’d already wasted a couple in the waiting room – and my numbers seem to be back to normal. The doctor offered no explanation, and sent me home with a prescription to lay off the bubble gum for a bit.

While I don’t suggest consuming enough bubble gum for your serving and the servings of four dozen of your friends, I do have a few healthier tips for staying awake when you have a big project due soon.

* Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water throughout the day to stay alert. Dehydration causes you to lose concentration.

* Exercise sometime during the day, preferably in the morning, to get the juices flowing. Exercising boosts endorphins and dopamine, increasing your energy level throughout ythe day.

* Go for a walk when you’re feeling groggy. Get the blood pumping and circulating in your body and you’ll feel more awake.

* Eat healthy snacks – not bubble gum – when you’re feeling low on energy. Avoid sugary ones that can cause an energy crash.

* Turn down the temperature. It’s easier to stay awake in a cooler environment.

* Splash cold water on your face.

* Get plenty of sunshine. Take that walk mentioned above outside, if possible, to absorb some of the sun’s wonder-working rays.

* Take regular breaks. Stop writing for a bit and do something different, like start a load of clothes, take out meat for dinner, sweep the porch, or simply read something for fun. Whatever you do, move to a different location during the break and you’ll come back refreshed and ready to start again.

* If you don’t have even a second to spare for any of the above, at least take a few seconds to stretch right at your desk.

When you have a deadline fast approaching (and even without an impending deadline), keep these tips in mind to help you healthier and more alert due the day. And maybe even to keep you from nodding away and missing a deadline.

What’s your suggestion? Did I miss a top tip for staying awake that works for you? Share with us if you have new tips I missed.

 Julie Lavender enjoyed the release of her first picture book, A Gingerbread House, published by End Game Press, just in time for the Christmas season. She is the author of devotionals, parenting books, children’s educational projects with her biologist hubby, newspaper and magazine articles, and Children’s Bible Stories for Bedtime, published by a Penguin Random House imprint.