Sleeping Soundly

ehoya

I'll be taking the LSAT this Saturday, and I feel much better about it this time around thanks to 7Sage. (You guys rock!) However, I'm finding that I have a LOT of nervous energy (read: I'm having trouble sitting still long enough to focus on reviewing this week). I did the same thing the first time I took the test, which culminated in a mostly sleepless night before the big day, even though I went to bed in plenty of time. I think I tossed and turned for at least four or five of the eight hours that I had allotted for sleep, though I didn't feel tired at all the next day, which I attributed to adrenaline.

Given that I didn't do as well as I wanted to that time, I'm hoping to avoid the same scenario this go round. I've taken off work the Friday before the test, and I was thinking about checking out a local martial arts studio to both take my mind off the test, and, hopefully, wear out all my nervous energy so that I will sleep well Friday night. Does anyone have any other suggestions for staying energized but focus this week and for getting a good night's sleep on Friday so I (and all my fellow 7Sagers) can rock this test?

ENTJ

Put all your electronic devices on DND mode friday afternoon/night, do some light review, eat a good meal, and settle up with a book with a happy plot. I plan on doing the same this friday.

cverdugo

Taking back-to-back PTS Friday morning and then taking back-to-back PTs Friday night.......... Lol

Just kidding! I've been planning this Friday for three months now, going to wake up, get a good breakfast, go for a walk, hit up the gym. Do some Christmas shopping, and then go to the movies with my girlfriend at night.

@ENTJ when you say light review, what do you mean? A section?

ENTJ

@cverdugo Don't do that on friday man. You'll burn out and taking PTs a day before the actual test day will hurt you. Can you imagine scoring 10 points below your average on the day before? What would that do to your mental state?

Whatever gets your brain in test mode. For some it's working on a section or two. For others it's just going over sufficient/necessary language. It all varies on the person.

Julia L

Exercise!!! Go for a run or go to the gym. That has worked so well at knocking me out at night. Also drinking tea helps me a lot. Chamomile or bedtime tea.

And in general, don't be afraid to get your mind off of the LSAT! Hang out with friends, go to a museum, go watch a movie, etc. Whatever makes you happy and not stressed out!

ENTJ

@"Julia L" Yes! Exercise will definitely help you sleep!

cverdugo

@ENTJ sorry you missed my JK! Of course I won't do that, took my last PT today! Feeling pretty confident about this test.

ENTJ

@cverdugo Haha. Sorry, I'm pretty out of it. Can you blame me?

june62016goals

you could do some reading comp right before. that alwasy puts me to sleep

nicole.hopkins

Every day this week: Wake up at 6. Go to bed when you're tired, definitely before 11pm.

Friday: Exhaust yourself through exercise. Get a Swedish massage (lowers cortisol, Google it), 90 minutes. Take a bath with epsom salts. Get in bed by 8pm. No blue light after 7, if you can swing it (no phone screens and computer screens only using something like f.lux . Again. Google it.)

Pacifico

You could always go to the doctor and get some Lunesta, Ambien, or whatever else floats your boat.

nicole.hopkins

@Pacifico said:
You could always go to the doctor and get some Lunesta, Ambien, or whatever else floats your boat.

Just try any medicine out a few days before Friday ... You never know how you'll react to a foreign substance!

DumbHollywoodActor

Melatonin. It’s amazing.

Sheri123

I concur with DumbHollywoodActor, I have chronic sleep issues even after a couple of surgeries. I tried lunesta, and Ambien with somewhat concerning results, (had phone conversations that I did not recall the next morning, temporary amnesia, literally forgetting to eat & drink, got severely dehydrated) thank God I never got behind the wheel after taking them. I also tried the C-pap machines before my surgeries & could not tolerate them. Melatonin quick disolve tabs from GNC have been great. I think the exercise, early bedtime and massage options sound fantastic as well.

nicole.hopkins

@DumbHollywoodActor said:
Melatonin.

AGAIN. I want to issue a very stern warning to anyone taking the December test.

PLEASE do not mess with sleep medicines, herbs, melatonin, etc. the night before the test. If you insist on trying new medication or supplements this close to the exam, please test it out in the nights before the test. Do NOT try anything new the night before. There are so many stories of folks doing this and seriously regretting it due to unforeseen side effects, which can include next-day grogginess. Especially with something like melatonin.

Be careful.

DumbHollywoodActor

@nicole.hopkins said:
Be careful.

Agreed. I'd start with the melatonin tonight, so that you get acclimated to it. It can make some people pretty groggy in the morning.

Pacifico

It never ceases to amaze me that melatonin actually has any effect on people... That stuff is a joke in my world...

Shownuff

Trust me... splurge on a therapeutic massage the day before, and tell'em to focus on your neck and back.

GordonBombay

What I did in October worked like a charm. I woke up at 6am the entire week before the LSAT, and then the day before (Friday morning) I woke up at 4am. It was difficult to get out of bed, but I was dead tired by 8pm Friday night and passed out around 8:30-9:00pm. Woke up the next day at 5:00am and had time to do some yoga, shower, eat a good breakfast, and get to the test center early to do a warm up (games section, a handful of LR questions,1 RC passage).

Will be doing the same this go around. Good luck everybody!

nicole.hopkins

@Pacifico said:
That stuff is a joke in my world...

Same here bro!

nicole.hopkins

@GordonBombay said:
I woke up at 6am the entire week before the LSAT, and then the day before (Friday morning) I woke up at 4am. It was difficult to get out of bed, but I was dead tired by 8pm Friday night and passed out around 8:30-9:00pm.

Wow, nice. I might try this.

inactive

@Pacifico said:
It never ceases to amaze me that melatonin actually has any effect on people... That stuff is a joke in my world...

Melatonin knocks me out in 0.5 seconds. :c

Ghoorch

highly recommend exercising, it lowers that nervous energy and cortisol levels. You don't even need to over do it either, but do focus on your legs and a bit of cardio.

nye8870

@GordonBombay said:
What I did in October worked like a charm. I woke up at 6am the entire week before the LSAT, and then the day before (Friday morning) I woke up at 4am. It was difficult to get out of bed, but I was dead tired by 8pm Friday night and passed out around 8:30-9:00pm. Woke up the next day at 5:00am and had time to do some yoga, shower, eat a good breakfast, and get to the test center early to do a warm up (games section, a handful of LR questions,1 RC passage).

So far this is the best advice I've read!

Nanchito-1-1

Youtube asmr. Turn the lights off. Get comfy put your earphones in or put the volume up on your phone and put it face down... next thing you know it's morning, trust me.

DumbHollywoodActor

@Pacifico said:
It never ceases to amaze me that melatonin actually has any effect on people

I think it may depend on the brand and dosage. I take Source Naturals 3mg (from Whole Foods) and 45 minutes later, the runway to sleep is clear. The funny thing is it’s like a window; if I push past even 30 minutes from the first onset of sleepiness, I’ll won’t be able to fall asleep. But if I follow that window, I sleep beautifully.

GSU Hopeful

Two simple things that I have picked up from Dave Asprey in his book are either a tablespoon of raw honey or a fatty snack (high quality saturated fat) about 45 mins to an hour before going to sleep. They have helped tremendously when I remember to do it.

Julia L

@"GSU Hopeful" yeah I tried chamomile tea + honey yesterday before bed and it may have helped! Slept soundly yesterday. But I had to wear myself out a lot during the day too.

kaytheeh

tart cherry juice also has melatonin, albeit in lesser quantity than a pill would but it helps me. That plus exercise and what @GordonBombay said, waking early on Friday, should help me sleep like the old cranky dog that I am. Best of luck everyone, may the force be with all of us (All jedis use the force, but not all…)

Pacifico

A bottle of Rex Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon has enough tannins to put your right to sleep.

Pacifico

Bonus: it keeps your brain nice and limber for those tough LG sections!

nicole.hopkins

@Pacifico said:
Bonus: it keeps your brain nice and limber for those tough LG sections!

Pacifico

I'm about to have a glass with Vega and check out the games from 75

nicole.hopkins

@Pacifico said:
I'm about to have a glass with Vega and check out the games from 75

Well, it's 5 o'clock somewhere

splitterhopeful

Anyone else staying at a hotel tonight? I'll be at one within walking distance from the test center. Fortunately I tend to sleep pretty well away from home. I figure it beats spending an hour and a half of driving the morning of the exam... plus I'll have a free breakfast buffet right there to selectively choose from.

kaytheeh

@splitterhopeful , me too…doing the hotel thing…but i'm packing my own quinoa breakfast and coffee (even reheated good coffee is better than…). I'm also taking my husband and my dog ! Walking the dog early morning really helps me wake up etc.

splitterhopeful

katheeh, bringing the husband and the dog sounds like a great way to soothe the nerves... I'm hoping they have "real coffee" down at the buffet; I won't be touching the pouch crap in the room!

nicole.hopkins

Me too, also adjacent to the testing center (anyone else in McKinney TX?). Got a whole elaborate set up going on and 4pm checkout. Fridge, micro, all my foods and vitamins. Epsom salts for the tub, following massage.

ehoya

Thanks for all the advice guys! It went better than I had dared to believe! I went from a 158 in February to a 170 in December!!

Sheri123

Congratulations @ehoya, that is a great score improvement! Did you use any different studying or practice techniques to improve your score in Dec?

lsatings

@nicole.hopkins said:
Do NOT try anything new the night before.

I recommend testing it out a few days in advance, just incase you need some recovery time. I know that when I get sleep medicine grogginess it takes a few days to get it out of my system, and I would hate testing under those kinds of conditions.

ehoya

@Sheri123 Do you mean other than going through all the 7Sage lessons? Besides those, I did 2-3 PTs a week starting in September, I think, but the last few weeks before the test I dropped it down to 1-2 (because I was working overtime at work), so on the days when I didn't do a full PT, I would do an entire LG section, timed, with a BR, instead because that was my weakest section. Then the Friday before, I took the day off work, went to a High Intensity Interval Training workout class in the morning, got a massage in the afternoon, and had an early dinner with a good friend in the evening before I went to bed. The day of, I got up at 5am and just spent an hour listening to a "Test Day" playlist I had put together to get me pumped before I made a big breakfast and leisurely walked to the center. It was perfect for ensuring that I was relaxed when I arrived.

Sheri123

Awesome congratulations! I didn't feel as confident after this Feb exam as I did with the Dec exam. For some reason I felt more rushed & felt like I just had to guess on more questions. Not sure how much of it was from not being able to sleep well & how much of it was due to having to reread a lot because of noise outside the testing room, which caused me to loose focus.
I thought about canceling my score but who knows it might turn out better than I'm expecting.