When will we know the general election results in Suffolk?

If you're voting today - and a significant number of people will have voted by post - don't forget to take some ID to the polling station. You don't need your polling card but you do need something with your photo on it like a passport or driving licence.

But what's happening later - and how can you follow the action during the night? How can you ensure you are awake for the big results? When will you know who your MP is?

The first indication will come at 10pm tonight as polling stations close. A huge exit poll has been commissioned by the BBC, ITV and Sky News covering polling stations across the country.

The results will be broadcast as the polls close - and these exit polls have been remarkably accurate in previous general elections. 

It won't tell you who will win your seat - it should give a pretty good idea about who is moving into Number 10.

From just before 10pm will be running a liveblog keeping you up with what is happening at the Suffolk counts - passing on any gossip and, of course, being first with any results that come through.

This is aimed to be mainly locally-focussed, giving you a local perspective as you watch the national picture emerging on television.

Many people will watch the election coverage on the BBC hosted by Clive Myrie and Laura Kuenssberg (Image: Jeff Overs/BBC)

If you want to catch a few hours sleep before tuning in to watch the drama, this is probably the time to do it - setting your alarm for 2am which is when things are really expected to get interesting.

The first two results are expected to be declared shortly before midnight - at Blyth and at Sunderland South in the North East.

There will then be a handful of seats declaring between midnight and 1.30am, and the most interesting of these could be Basildon and Billericay.

That is a new seat in Essex which looks safe for the Conservatives on paper, but party chairman Richard Holden was parachuted in with no local selection - and Labour hopes to snatch it.

From 2am the number of declarations will really start to pick up across the country - and the first Suffolk seat to announce a result is expected to be Ipswich. The borough hopes the result will be announced by 2.45am but many feel this is optimistic - though not wildly so.

Will Ipswich's result be declared by 3am? (Image: Newsquest)

Suffolk Coastal, Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket and Lowestoft are all hoping to declare at about 3.30am while Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, South Suffolk, West Suffolk and the cross-county Waveney Valley are hoping to declare by 4am.

These figures all look quite optimistic - and all assume there are no recounts, which can add and hour or more to any declaration.

Many political observers are predicting a number of very close contests in seats where the result is usually a foregone conclusion - that means any seat could see a very long count.

In 1997 Bury St Edmunds did not declare until breakfast time on Friday because of the number of recounts as the Tories hung on with a majority of 368.

However it's impossible to predict exactly where the tightest contests will be - although it would be a major surprise if Ipswich matched the 13 vote majority by which Ernle Money won the seat from Labour in 1970!

We shall be covering every twist and turn on our live blog - and will also be be contributing to Suffolk Sound's first ever election broadcast during the early morning. 

Full reports from all the counts that have been declared should be on our websites by breakfast time on Friday.

Paul Geater has covered every election since 1992 - he met David Cameron who was visiting Ipswich before the 2010 election. (Image: Newsquest)

Paul Geater always stays up for general election results - this is his ninth that he has spent at Ipswich Corn Exchange for the town's count. These are his tips on how survive the all-nighter.

Some people will be holding election night parties - but for most people watching the results come in is a family, or even solitary, activity in front of the television screen and with tablet in hand.

If you do want to see the drama unfold, the best thing to do is to try to get two or three hours' sleep after the exit poll is published.

I know that is easier said than done, but if you can sit down at 2am with a nap under your belt that will set you up well.

Unless you are at a buzzing election party, don't have anything alcoholic to drink! Nothing will send you to sleep quicker than a few glasses of wine during the night.

A friend of mine, a Labour supporter, told me how she and her husband opened a bottle of expensive whisky to have tot every time the party won a few seats in 1997.

"What did you do when Portillo lost his seat?" I asked. "Oh, we were fast asleep by then!" I was told.

Some people say drink lots of coffee to keep you awake - but I prefer to just have a bottle of chilled water at hand.

At the count the adrenaline of the night carries you through - it's when you get home that the fatigue hits you and you start to struggle.

But remember if you do find yourself nodding off, give in to it! The results will still be there a few hours later - and you'll still have something to celebrate or drown your sorrows over.

Also, the chances are you'll get a very good night's sleep tomorrow!