Staying up for the football? Here's how to survive a World Cup all-nighter

So, you want to watch the World Cup, but you have no idea how you're going to cope with the sleep-wrecking kick-off times?

Some of them are going to be a challenge if you've got work or university in the morning – and you don't want a call from school to say your kids are snoring in maths.

Well don't worry, I've got you covered… forget blocks and tackles, this is the tactical plan you need for the football.

We'll look at sleep hacks and the sweet spot for coffee and we'll offer a little bit of relationship advice and some tips for children. (Be warned they will not make you popular).

But first a reminder of what we're up against in this 104-match extravaganza of the beautiful game.

The group stage kick-off times are: 17:00, 18:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00, 23:00, 00:00, 00:30, 01:00, 02:00, 03:00, 04:00 and 05:00.

"It's perfectly designed to screw things up," says sleep scientist Prof Russell Foster, from the University of Oxford. He says you won't fall asleep the second the final whistle blows either because "you're going to get so energised, it'll be difficult to wind down".

England have two 21:00 kick offs and a 22:00 to start. Scotland, back at the World Cup after 28 years, have a particularly cruel set of fixtures starting at 02:00, followed by their last group game at 23:00 on a school night.

Some games are going to be easier to cope with than others, but the first thing we need to decide is when to sleep. There are three key plans:

• The full American
• The sandwich
• The squeeze

The most hard-core committed football fan who has no other commitments in life - or at least a very understanding family - could go for the fullAmerican.

"Put yourself on North American timing for the duration of the World Cup," says Dr Victoria Revell, from the University of Surrey.

It'll take you a few days to fully adapt, but after that you'll be almost nocturnal and will manage to take in the whole World Cup. The only price will be human contact, but that'd only be a distraction anyway.

If that sounds too much, then try the sandwich or the squeeze depending on kick-off times and what feels right for you.

The sandwich strategy involves two sleeps – one before and one after the game.

So you're going to bed early, setting an alarm for just before kick-off and then enjoying the game. The downside is you might be a bit groggy, but the adrenaline rush should take over so you enjoy it, although you "might struggle to then fall back asleep", says Revell.

The squeeze method involves staying up all night to watch it and squeezing in a couple of hours sleep before you have to get up. It's the simplest plan, but "you're going to cut your sleep very short and there are consequences the next day," says Revell.

Whether you're an early riser or a night owl will dictate what appeals more to you.

Odds are you will end up cutting your sleep short somehow. Just keep in mind that the tired brain is not you on a good day.

And if you've had a couple of beers while watching the game then things are going to be even worse. Alcohol is a sedative, but it dents your sleep quality.

"Lack of sleep, fuelled by alcohol consumption is an even worse recipe for functioning the next day," says Foster.

Not sleeping enough leads to mood swings, being irritable, high levels of anxiety and you won't care much about others as your empathy does a runner. And if you've got work or studies to do then concentration, decision-making, creativity and productivity all take "a nosedive" says Foster.

You're also more likely to take risks and be impulsive.

"It's bad for safety. Even after a one-hour clock change, there's a higher incidence of road traffic accidents," says Revell.

So you might want to weigh up if you need to drive.

And you know that make-or-break conversation you've been meaning to have about the state of your marriage - don't have that today.

"It's alright to push the boundaries, as long as you know that you're going to be screwed up the next day and that you don't make any important life decisions," says Foster.

It's a no-brainer that some of us are going to be surviving on caffeine – whether that's coffee, tea or energy drinks.

The drug changes the way the brain works so it stops paying attention to the signals saying we're tired – it's the chemical equivalent of a toddler sticking their fingers in their ear.

This is great the day after a game. "Make it a strong one" says Revell to get you up and going in the morning.

But caffeine is a double-edged sword because the stimulant lingers in the body for a long time – a strong coffee at kick-off could be a disaster for sleep.

Normally, we're advised to knock coffee on the head around lunchtime so you're going to tweak that for the World Cup. Think about when you want to sleep and then have the last caffeine hit eight hours before to help you power through.

Experts advise getting up at the normal time (sleep purists hate the weekend lie-in) to avoid throwing the rhythms of your body out of whack.

You probably won't have a choice if you've got to go to work, but early morning light will help tell your brain it's time to be awake.

Strategic napping is also a World Cup watcher's power move.

You can take them in the build up to a game so you can stay up late to watch the football or after a night of action to help refresh a tired brain.

The perfect nap time is just after lunch as the body has a natural dip then – siesta time.

"Employers might even want to encourage people to do that," says Foster.

But keep them to around 20-30 minutes. If you go into a deeper sleep then it is harder to wake up and you'll be super groggy.

When it comes to children it depends how old they are. Younger children are generally ready to sleep earlier.

"I would never wake my child up once she's asleep, I want her to stay asleep," says Revell.

Teenagers, however, will be fine staying up late to watch a match in the middle of the night. The problem will be getting them to haul themselves out of bed.

Foster says 25% of teenagers are already sleep deprived and the World Cup could make it worse.

"I think potentially them watching it before they go to school, maybe waking up early and watching it might be better," says Revell.

Although I will warn you – this is what my parents used to do to me and it was not a popular decision. It's not the same even if you can avoid the scoreline.

"But that is a completely brilliant strategy and is exactly what you should do in terms of defending your sleep and ability to perform and function," says Foster.