<p>I was hoping I could receive some advice regarding on falling asleep before a midterm. I just had a chem midterm today and could not fall asleep last night. I went into the test with only 3 hours of sleep!
I understood every single problem assigned, all the optional problems, and even got a 100 percent on last semester's exam. After looking at the problems again, I feel terrible. The problems that I had trouble with were ones that, if I had actually slept, I would have easily gotten.
Do you think I should visit the health center for advise? I usually sleep very very well with the exception of nights before big tests.</p>
<p>I don’t advise doing this because its not good for you, but I have friends who have experienced the same thing. What they do is drink a little bit of nyquil, even though they are not sick and it knocks them right now. </p>
<p>What you should do instead, is go see a doctor and see if you should try over the counter sleeping pills.</p>
<p>Thank you momtocollegekids! I honestly thought that it was pretty rare for students to have this much anxiety. glad to know that I’m not alone. </p>
<p>Colleges00701: Thanks! I am going to visit the health center and probably try out some mild sleeping pills. I never want to not go for a test this tired ever again :[</p>
<p>I cannot count the number of times D2 used to call me late at night (typically around midnight my time; 2 am hers) to complain about test anxiety keeping her awake. At times the calls continued every 2 hours all thru the night. </p>
<p>I finally had to tell her to stop calling because she was keeping ME awake all night…</p>
<p>What worked for her–some anxiety management counseling thru her college; not studying right up the very last minute right before going to bed (IOW, having a mental cool-down period before going to bed); warm, relaxing bath before bed; OTC sleep aid or OTC antihistamine; reading a [boring] non-school related book or magazine (I recommended non-fiction since she got too into novels); relaxation visualization exercises; earplugs and sleep mask (to block out dorm noise & lights); getting up when she can’t sleep and doing something else for 15-30 minutes before going back to bed.</p>
<p>In time, she learned to manage her own anxiety by using some or all of the above techniques. She doesn’t always sleep wonderfully the night before an exam, but she generally does get some sleep. (And she doesn’t call me at 2 am anymore!)</p>
<p>Think about it as a tool for you to learn to operate well on 3 hours of sleep. You will need it in Med. School and later on in your life when you start having children. Do not forget to have coffee and very dark chocolate before test. 3 hours of sleep is not a problem for me, coffee and chocolate help a lot, they are good for your brain. However, 5 hours is my norm, I would have a headache if I sleep longer. So, my advice might not work for you, sorry.</p>
<p>^I need about 9-10 hours to not feel tired the whole day at school. Is this a bad omen (for a future in med school + residency)? I usually get 7 hours a night and I’m pretty beat during my last period (1:10-2:20).</p>
<p>I will try out the different things that your daughter tried WayOutWesternMom. Thanks! @MiamiDAP: I think I’ll wait on practicing getting little sleep once I am actually in medical school and residency. But I totally see your point. In the future I will have to learn to function at optimal level with less than ideal sleep. </p>