August 2021
Sleep "Hygiene":
I am not providing legal or medical advice and my comments are not in response to any particular inquiry. My pointers are for a general audience ..much like a "life coach" might provide.
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Countless professionals, not just JDs or Attorneys, brag about how little sleep they need. Don't listen to these "Oracles of Delphi". They are lying.
Stay with the science (the "data"). It's peer-reviewed and time tested:
(1) 7-8 hours of sleep.
(2) Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each night/morning.
(3) #2-applies to weekends.
(4) #2-it's virtually impossible to make up for sleep deficits.
(5) No exercise before sleep, no blue light (or any light for that matter), no caffeine or energy drinks after 4:00 PM, no food before sleep (or in the middle of the night), no liquids before sleep (particularly if you are all too rapidly aging).
(6) Black-Out curtains.
(7) White noise (does not work for all- experiment).
(8) Don't make your schedule for the next day right before you go to sleep (unless you prefer to worry and can sleep through anxiety and rumination). And if you ruminate, try to NEVER make the "perfect" the enemy of the "good".
(9) Afternoon naps (under your desk?)- works great for some/not much for others.
(10) Light meditation before sleep (or "prayers" if you have an exam or trial the next day).
(11) Room, pillow, and mattress temperature- experiment. Given Law School tuition, the price of the best mattress, pillow, and sheets seems a small price to pay.
(12) Carefully make your bed each morning so that you will not be tempted to crawl under your sheets for a few more winks (which can turn into hours). Military Special Forces have "bed-making specifications". See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRRxww6eDvc.
(13) Throw away all clocks you may have that have "snooze" buttons. Smart Phones are too expensive to throw away, so just disable the feature and keep it disabled.
(14) Be careful about RX sleeping aids- Ambien for example. Don't talk to your Primary. Talk to a Sleep Disorder doctor.
(15) If you have sleep apnea get to a sleep clinic/lab asap (unless you want to stop breathing midway through the night). ASSM [American Academia of Sleep Medicine] Accreditation is discussed at
https://sleepeducation.org/sleep-center.
(16) Watch out for ADHD medications or Modafinal- the cure ("upper") might be worse than day-time fatigue or a tendency to overly procrastinate. And something everybody forgets: You will likely have to disclose the use of psychoactive drugs on your Fitness and Character Report. In turn, the Bar can hold up your admission for a considerable period of time (sometimes forever, or at least under months or years of strict supervision by a barred attorney and a mental health counselor). I wager that when you were selected by your top-notch Law School, the School never told you this. The ABA, and many State Bar Associations, pat themselves on their backs for their enlightened treatment of attorneys suffering from mental health issues. Congratulations are hardly in order. In many (all?) States, attorneys may be suspended or disbarred for Major Depressive Disorder or Bi-Polar Disorder (etc.). In re Bagwell 286 Ga. 511 (2010) [the attorney also offered evidence that he suffered with “Bi-Polar Disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, and has undergone in-patient psychiatric evaluation.” Id. The court imposed a two-year suspension and conditioned reinstatement on certification of mental competence. It should be noted that Chief Justice Hunstein dissented, stating that “Based on Bagwell’s admitted conduct, I disagree that suspension is an appropriate discipline. Because I would disbar Bagwell, I respectfully dissent.” Id. at 512].
Note the anomaly: An attorney that suffers from depression is "mentally incompetent" until proven otherwise (and he/she has the burden of proof). And this, despite many reports that upwards of 28% of all trial attorneys will have major depressive disorder at some point in their careers.
(17) Apparently, in some cases bad sleep habits can be improved through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBD). Will you need to disclose such therapy on your Fitness and Character Report?
(18) No television or computer displays in the bedroom.
(19) Never study in bed and your bedroom should never be your study area (your "workstation").
(19) No Alcohol before bed. It's a stimulant.
(20) If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed. Go do a quiet activity without a lot of light exposure. If you stay in bed, tossing and turning, your anxiety will skyrocket because you will increasingly think you will never fall asleep. Chasing your own tail.
(21) A Melatonin supplement helps some- far from all.
