how can I stay awake? PLZZZ help! desperate

[dingleberry007]

---

Members do not see this ad.

does anyone have any "tricks" to staying awake short of drugs?

I've tried the whole coffee and energy drinks thing... but I'm falling asleep as I type this. I can't do without 9-10 hrs a night... which is PATHETIC and negatively affecting my studies.

any help...
thanks

 

[peter90036]

dingle
you get used to it,
but,
most important is: having an effective study time
if you're not sleeping enough your efficacy will decrease and so will the amount of information you retain and process

exercise helps me, some coffee works too sometimes,
getting involved in the study: taking notes, powerpoints etc -- if you have time.

 

[JeffLebowski]

You can sleep 9-10 hours a night. Don't freak out. As was stated, you'll just have to make the most of your study time. Prioritize. Reassess your goals for your days and decide whether your hours are better spent cracking yourself out on caffeine and sugar or getting another hour or two of sleep. That's the thing - 2 additional hours spent sleeping will improve your studying efficiency the next day (well-rested), while cracking yourself out for that 2 hours to stay up may not be efficient study time itself, and it may impair your studying the next day if you're sleepy. A good way to avoid freaking yourself out is to sit yourself down with your "to do" list for the day and really pare it down to what's reasonable based on your time available. I think studying 9-12am, 1-6pm, and 7-11pm is a great schedule, and that should give you 9-10 hours of sleep and an hour for each meal. Depends on your individual needs, obviously, but there you go.

 

[UditNarayan]

agreed, if you need the sleep, take it or else your days will be unproductive. I also need a fair deal of sleep to feel refreshed but somedays you will have to function on less. Also, try to keep a regular schedule each day so that when its time to sleep you'll sleep and when you need to get up your body will eventually just let you get up. i tried to sleep less than usual for a couple of weeks during my studying and that was not a good thing...i would then wake up late and feel pressured that i had woken up late. better to be productive with your time than just staying awake without being able to study...

 

[mudphudwannabe]

Also, try to keep a regular schedule each day so that when its time to sleep you'll sleep and when you need to get up your body will eventually just let you get up.

I can't emphasize enough how important this is. I had 3 weeks to study, and I have big problems when my sleep schedule gets screwed up so I made keeping a routine schedule a top priority. I knew I needed to be at the test center at 8 on exam day, so every day I went to bed at 11pm, woke up at 7am, and was ready to study by 8am. I studied until 5pm each day (including short breaks every hour, and a 1 hour lunch break), then called it quits and relaxed the rest of the evening. So, you can definitely keep a good study schedule while still sleeping 9-10 hours each night.

Of course, at some point you will need to get by on less sleep (3rd year, residency), but it should not be a concern for Step 1.

 

[doc20]

studying and residency are different things, dont worry about it yet
try to different things while studying, reading, questions, taking multiple short breaks, etc to stay up
and ofcourse exercise and eat really light or just go on fruit diet lol

 

[trdc3lica]

does anyone have any "tricks" to staying awake short of drugs?

Whats wrong with taking drugs? I took a buttload of drugs when I studied for step 1. 😉

 

[peace zealot]

Well I am taking my college exam these days and I take 8hrs sleep to keep me going at good pace with my studies.I sleep 2hrs in the after noon 3 to 5 pm and then 12 to 6am at night.I am not used to coffee very much but when I take it I feel much more fatigued after a few hrs. Just 3days before exam I took lots of coffee out of frustration and the result was ahh... I got sever palpitations and sort of chest pain, and was unable to get out of bed for 2 more hrs. The the funny part is that the fear of getting a scolding from my mom was taking my heart rate even higher.🙂

So in short, drugs won't help much, take quality sleep to get quality time for studies.👍

 

[dontwantaids]

three cups of tea keeps me awake all day...

 

[phase12007]

Try to keep a regular sleep time, and enough sleep everday(7-8 hrs)...
When studying, if you fall asleep, do something at the moment other than studying and consider it your moment of break time.
Be in a place with enough light, with the right room temperature.
Try to eat healthy foods, and decrease the amount of sugar-carbs, they can get u on the sleepy side(well atleast for me, maybe different for u)
I dont like caffeine(coffee) to much(although for many its the way to keep them up), only bcuz u have that high/and must try to maintain that high/ if not when u drop, u drop.....But hey, maybe i works for u....

And try make the best of things, just focus on ur goal, and visualize your end results.(that in itself perhaps can keep u awake)
Good luck

 

[njbmd]

does anyone have any "tricks" to staying awake short of drugs?

I've tried the whole coffee and energy drinks thing... but I'm falling asleep as I type this. I can't do without 9-10 hrs a night... which is PATHETIC and negatively affecting my studies.

any help...
thanks

First of all, stop telling yourself that you "can't do without 9-10 hrs a night" because you can. If you keep focusing on how much sleep you do or do not receive, you become less efficient in sleeping and waste time.

Second, divide your study time into smaller chunks and do not try to sit for hours in the same space. Move around, read and pace at the same time. Get a breath of fresh air every hour or so. Check off tasks as you get them done so that you know that you are making progress.

Third, set a daily master schedule and put in some time for aerobic exercise. You don't have to go to a gym but do something like ten minutes of walking up stairs three times a day to get a total of 30 minutes. Exercise keeps your brain perfused and makes you more efficient.

Last, make sure that your study meals are low fat and nutritious. Nothing can zap your energy faster than "food coma" after a heavy and fatty meal. Also, drink plenty of water (no sugary juices, sodas or caffeinated drinks). If you can't stand the taste of water, get some lemonade Crystal Light and put that in your water - even better, drop in a slice of lemon.

Reward yourself at the end of the week if you keep to your study and exercise schedule. Do something for an hour or two that does not involve medicine or medicine-related items.

 

[phase12007]

First of all, stop telling yourself that you "can't do without 9-10 hrs a night" because you can. If you keep focusing on how much sleep you do or do not receive, you become less efficient in sleeping and waste time.

Second, divide your study time into smaller chunks and do not try to sit for hours in the same space. Move around, read and pace at the same time. Get a breath of fresh air every hour or so. Check off tasks as you get them done so that you know that you are making progress.

Third, set a daily master schedule and put in some time for aerobic exercise. You don't have to go to a gym but do something like ten minutes of walking up stairs three times a day to get a total of 30 minutes. Exercise keeps your brain perfused and makes you more efficient.




Last, make sure that your study meals are low fat and nutritious. Nothing can zap your energy faster than "food coma" after a heavy and fatty meal. Also, drink plenty of water (no sugary juices, sodas or caffeinated drinks). If you can't stand the taste of water, get some lemonade Crystal Light and put that in your water - even better, drop in a slice of lemon.

Reward yourself at the end of the week if you keep to your study and exercise schedule. Do something for an hour or two that does not involve medicine or medicine-related items.

NJMD well said.......

 

[peace zealot]

Great post njbmd, it's surely gonna help me too.
I go out to play soccer in my garden for 10 to 15 minutes atleast two times a day, and during my exam time I make sure that I must do that exercise. It has a special effect on me, I actually feel very high in spirits after playing some sports.It's helpful when you are feeling down due to ever getting bigger study material and ever getting shorter study hours.🙂

I wonder if a few other also have the same problem that I face, I am unable to concentrate on my book for more than 45 minutes maximum...🙁

 

[mudphudwannabe]

45 minutes is actually a good chunk of time to concentrate. How about studying for 45 minutes, then taking a 5 minute break? I've heard of several people on SDN using an egg timer to help them schedule breaks and stay on task. Taking frequent breaks is a good thing, but you do need to get back to studying so your 5 minute break doesn't turn into a 2 hour break. 😉

 

[peace zealot]

Thanks mudphudwannabe for your reply.
Well 45 min is actually the maximum limit.Usually it ranges from 2o to 30min.I take a lots of 5min breaks because without that I am unable to carry on my work.I have noticed another habit of mine, when the particular topic that I am studying is difficult task or seems to take lot of time that is the time I always lose concentration, when I actually need it.
Any suggestions? The reward one is not workable...I go for the reward first leaving back my work like a little monkey.🙂

 

[mudphudwannabe]

You don't *need* to study for any particular length of time. You just need to set up a schedule where you are making the progress you need to make each day. Whether you do this with 20-30 minutes of studying alternating with 5 minute breaks or one long study session doesn't matter. You just have to find what works for you. I would suggest, though, if you're going to study for shorter periods of time, try taking shorter breaks too. If you take too long of a break, it can be hard to get back into study mode. Maybe something like this would work for you:

20 minutes - study
2 minute break - get up, walk around, look out a window
20 minutes - study
5-10 minute break - have a snack, walk outside - I studied at home, so I would clean up around the house a little on breaks too, but if you're studying away from home just try to do something active and not involving reading for the majority of your break time.
Repeat for as long as you need. Don't forget to take a break for lunch and/or dinner! 🙂

 

[peace zealot]

Very well said mudphudwannabe🙂
But the actual task is really, as you are emphasising, to keep the breaks short.

 

[TOXOSIS]

Misunderstood original post.... edited

 

[ZonaRidicularis]

z