Solutions to Sleeping Before Test Day? Forum

[vivalalsat]

Exercise and waking up early seem to be the best recommendations.

Get yourself a novel which describes setting with lots of detail but doesn't have a very interesting plight. Read it before you go to bed and don't turn the T.V. on. Watching television will awaken you, while reading takes a mental effort and therefore induces sleep.

+1

I suggest Moby Dick.

I prefer watching PBS

[gbn]

sleep as late and as much as you can in the days leading up to the test. you will be able to perform up to your potential on 3-5 hours of sleep. you will not, however, be able to perform up to your potential on 3-5 hours of sleep if you have been waking up at the crack of dawn for a week to "get acclimated"

.02$ for ya!

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'm not following what your saying though.. should I sleep as late as I can the week before the test and sleep in till the afternoon? Or should I sleep as late as I can and wake up early and sleep during the day?

[jarofsoup]

Don't make my mistake and go to bed at 9 pm when you usually go to bed around 11. I didnt sleep through the night and woke up way to early.

[examplepdf]

Look: bottom line is just make sure you are very well-rested the week coming up to the LSAT. If you only get four or so hours of sleep the night before, it won't really bother you if you got 7 hrs on Wednesday and Thursday. The energy you're running on on a given day is normally more dependent on the sleep you got *two* nights before, not the night before. So: yay!

And, don't have any caffeine on Friday, even in the morning.

Last words of advice: eat some protein for breakfast and bring a peanut butter sandwich for break--make sure you're going on good fuel and you won't feel as tired.

[spearnreel]

Not wanting to "stir the pot" but what works for ME is prayer.

[housie07]

get in bed an hour early and read some relaxing and easy fiction. like harry potter. or lie in bed and talk to your girlfriend on the phone about the time you went to that tea room and there was the nice live music. see how boring and pleasant that shit is.

[nuseph]

ASAP start going to bed at a reasonable hour and waking up at the same time you will on LSAT day--maybe even a little earlier so that on test day you can start your day by hitting the snooze bar and sleeping in.

Avoid working out too late the evening before--exercise makes you physically tired, but it wakes up your brain. I actually went on a fast 1.5 mile run when I woke up LSAT day to burn off the nervous energy and to get my brain fired up. Worked well for me. But to each his/her own.

[cubswin]

Not wanting to "stir the pot" but what works for ME is prayer.

Prayer is also a good substitute for test prep.

[thepunisher24]

Tylenol PM or Melatonin

[Cupidity]

2 psuedophed at 4pm. No later

[Eruannon]

or lie in bed and talk to your girlfriend on the phone about the time you went to that tea room and there was the nice live music. see how boring and pleasant that shit is.

TITCR

[studylaw7]

Easiest solution is to get a case of beer and down the whole thing. This will put you to sleep.

terrible solution.

[kumba84]

For me, being distracted on the day before really helped. I was taking the test in a nearby city, so my partner and I went in for the day, got a hotel room, walked around the neighborhood and went out for dinner. I think being in a different, interesting environment definitely helped take my mind off things. The first time I took the LSAT, I was alone in my own place, and I only managed to sleep for about 3-4 hours. I think a new location helps.

[spearnreel]

so my partner and I went in for the day, got a hotel room

...please spare the details.

[egilb]

i can think of an excellent herbal remedy. if you're averse, melatonin works really well.

[neimanmarxist]

I would strongly disagree with the idea of taking a sleep aid. Unless you do this often and are quite used to it, there is a good chance it will leave you feeling somewhat addled on test day even if you've had a decent amount of sleep.

Obviously, don't drink.

How well rested I was had a huge impact on my test scores. Here is what I would suggest:

1) get into a rhythm about 2 weeks before your test. Go to sleep at more or less the same time that you would on the night before the test, wake up at the same time too.
2) wake up at the same time that you will on test day every day in the 2 weeks leading up to the test.
3) On the Friday before the test, wake up a couple of hours early. This will ensure that you are nice and tired when it's time for bed. Don't go to bed ridiculously early, like at 9 p.m., because you'll end up waking up at 4 a.m. on test day. Go to bed at the normal time that will give you seven-eight hours of sleep.
4) The tip to stay distracted during the day before the test is a good one. I went to work in the morning, then went out to the movies in the evening. I completely forgot about the test.
5) eat the same breakfast you'll eat on test day every day. Not a sleep tip, but useful.

I think the real key is getting up somewhat early on the day before the test and being pretty tired during the whole day. you'll be so glad to crawl in bed and sleep like a baby, even though the LSAT is the next day!

(or at least I was. I had a friend that used this tactic for the USMLEs, and it worked for her too. She woke up at 3 a.m. the day before the test, which I think is overkill. I woke up at five - I normally wake up at seven- and it worked just fine. )

[studylaw7]

I would strongly disagree with the idea of taking a sleep aid. Unless you do this often and are quite used to it, there is a good chance it will leave you feeling somewhat addled on test day even if you've had a decent amount of sleep.

Obviously, don't drink.

How well rested I was had a huge impact on my test scores. Here is what I would suggest:

1) get into a rhythm about 2 weeks before your test. Go to sleep at more or less the same time that you would on the night before the test, wake up at the same time too.
2) wake up at the same time that you will on test day every day in the 2 weeks leading up to the test.
3) On the Friday before the test, wake up a couple of hours early. This will ensure that you are nice and tired when it's time for bed. Don't go to bed ridiculously early, like at 9 p.m., because you'll end up waking up at 4 a.m. on test day. Go to bed at the normal time that will give you seven-eight hours of sleep.
4) The tip to stay distracted during the day before the test is a good one. I went to work in the morning, then went out to the movies in the evening. I completely forgot about the test.
5) eat the same breakfast you'll eat on test day every day. Not a sleep tip, but useful.

I think the real key is getting up somewhat early on the day before the test and being pretty tired during the whole day. you'll be so glad to crawl in bed and sleep like a baby, even though the LSAT is the next day!

(or at least I was. I had a friend that used this tactic for the USMLEs, and it worked for her too. She woke up at 3 a.m. the day before the test, which I think is overkill. I woke up at five - I normally wake up at seven- and it worked just fine. )

I think this is good advice. OP, remember that one night of bad sleep won't kill you. Stress is cumulative and you need to remember that. If you have slept well for a few days before Friday, then you should be fine because your energy reserves are still strong. Lying in bed also gives your body some rest too...at least it's much better than staying up and reading lsat material.

[gbn]

sleep as late and as much as you can in the days leading up to the test. you will be able to perform up to your potential on 3-5 hours of sleep. you will not, however, be able to perform up to your potential on 3-5 hours of sleep if you have been waking up at the crack of dawn for a week to "get acclimated"

.02$ for ya!

Sorry to bump this thread, but just to understand your recommendation, are you suggesting that I should sleep as late as I can then wake up early to get accumstomed to writing LSATs with no sleep, or are u suggested I sleep as late and as much as I can in to the afternoon?