The security guard at my warehouse swore by pickles for staying awake - I thought he was nuts

Last month during my 3am break, Dave the security guard told me to eat a dill pickle whenever I felt the sleepy eye thing coming on. I laughed it off because it sounded like some old wive's tale, but after three nights of almost nodding off at my station I got desperate and tried it. Dude, it actually works. Something about the vinegar and salt gives you a jolt, and crunching on something loud keeps your brain engaged. I've been keeping a jar of Claussen in the break room fridge and it gets me through the 4-6am stretch way better than coffee. Anyone else got a weird snack trick that beats the night shift slump?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.sean10d ago

Funny you mention that because I once tried hot sauce packets from the gas station and ended up crying at my desk at 2am for about 15 minutes while everyone stared. Pickles make way more sense than what I did - at least you don't have to explain yourself to HR the next day. Vinegar definitely cuts through that brain fog like nothing else though, I might have to steal Dave's trick before I try something even dumber like sniffing a sharpie to stay awake.

the_wade10d ago

@ross.sean I ate half a jar of pickles once and burped vinegar for two days straight though.