Well I know you need your 8 straight hours of sleep. Society tends to highly underestimate the need for sleep, but it doesn't have to be a certain time of day or night. It just has to be the same time each 24 hours. When you first wake up, expose yourself to sunlight, or a very bright light. Don't look at the light source, but get your eyeballs into the light. This tells your brain to start producing its own "stay awake" drug. 16 hours later, it will automatically switch to its "go to sleep" drug. The exposure to light is important for setting your body's circadian clock. I personally have my coffee when I first get up, and at no other time. Somebody mentioned when you're to be awake to do what your body has already been trained to do during waking hours, and that is sound advise. I want to also add, make it as dark as possible when you sleep. You may think you can sleep in the light, but the quality of sleep is much greater in the dark. If you want advise on how to stay awake without 8 straight hours of sleep on a regular basis, I donno how to do that without pain and sickness.