That is, how you can do this when you really have to, when it’s an emergency. Not when you work the nightshift anyway, that’s a whole different bag of hurt. But for deadline-induced all-nighters, Lifehacker has some cautious advice.

Denying your body sleep is naturally unhealthy. As such, there’s one rule above all others for pulling an all-nighter: don’t. Obviously, that’s not always the most practical solution and some days you just have to work late. However, you should always keep in mind that reducing your amount of sleep takes a toll on your body. If minimizing sleep is a part of your typical routine, you’re going to ruin any of the productivity benefits you’d gain with those extra few hours.

All-nighters are also not great for your memory, attention, or focus the following day. Staying up til 4am to study for a test at 8am is a bad idea. Just because you spent all night reading words on pages doesn’t mean your brain retained the information. If you need to function the following day, cut your losses—or at least compromise and get some sleep.

There are still some situations where staying up all night might not kill any benefit you would otherwise gain.

How to Pull an Effective All-Nighter – Eric Ravenscraft, Lifehacker (30 April 2014)

Those situations include how your next day is going to be, whether it’s a light day once you’ve delivered on that deadline. But there is more: do have a read of the full piece.