Share your tips about how to get to sleep the night before the MCAT

[Gauss44]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Share your tips about how to get to sleep the night before the MCAT. And feel free to discuss any of the tips mentioned.

What I've heard works:

Eating turkey
Melatonin
Sleeping Aids (Sleeping Aid Cons: This can backfire the next morning and if taken regularly may cause memory trouble.)
Eating Lots
Doing something relaxing
Working out

 

[Ailleurs]

Working out is an iffie. When I go hard on the elliptical, some days I fall into a stupor around 10pm (I am someone who normally cannot sleep that early without waking up at 1-2am) and other days I don't feel tired. Lifting doesn't have an effect on my sleepiness or lack thereof. I use melatonin but I wake up at 4am... I need to perfect my poor sleeping habits 🙁

 

[frochocinco]

I wouldn't do anything drastic (i.e. medication). Last thing you wanna do is throw off your body's chemical balance. Just do what you normally do before going to bed...even if you lay in bed tossing and turning for an hour or two, it'll hardly be the end of the world.

 

[blkgrnblkylw]

eating turkey won't do anything, and working out near bedtime will likely make it more difficult to fall asleep.

I was thinking I would try to sleep less the nights leading up to the night before the MCAT, so that I'm very tired that night.

Like go to bed at 10pm wake up at 4am so that by the time 10pm the night before the MCAT rolls around, I'm exhausted.

 

[Gauss44]

eating turkey won't do anything, and working out near bedtime will likely make it more difficult to fall asleep.

I was thinking I would try to sleep less the nights leading up to the night before the MCAT, so that I'm very tired that night.

Like go to bed at 10pm wake up at 4am so that by the time 10pm the night before the MCAT rolls around, I'm exhausted.

Actually, if you google search "turkey sleepy," you'll find that it's one of the most well known foods for making people sleepy due to the tryptophan. Sorry to hear that it doesn't do anything for you. The sleep deprivation sounds like something that would work for some people. For me, it takes a few days to get back on track after any significant sleep loss. What works for some people doesn't work for others. That's why I am hoping for a long list of ideas.

 

[Gauss44]

Working out is an iffie. When I go hard on the elliptical, some days I fall into a stupor around 10pm (I am someone who normally cannot sleep that early without waking up at 1-2am) and other days I don't feel tired. Lifting doesn't have an effect on my sleepiness or lack thereof. I use melatonin but I wake up at 4am... I need to perfect my poor sleeping habits 🙁

Yeah, working out doesn't necessarily help either. It wakes some people up! Melatonin is good but not strong enough for some people. It's tempting to just take more, but that clearly could backfire.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

I didn't get any. Maybe 3 hours? and then drank like 2 red bulls with a nice strawberry jelly-filled donut and a breakfast crunchwrap from taco bell. That was definitely a cheat day.

 

[Ailleurs]

I didn't get any. Maybe 3 hours? and then drank like 2 red bulls with a nice strawberry jelly-filled donut and a breakfast crunchwrap from taco bell. That was definitely a cheat day.

That sounds awesome (well not the red bulls unless you mix it in with some Canada Dry or Schweppes (my preference), but knowing that if I consumed that I would go into a sugar coma for 3 days and feel miserable. I can't afford that during these trying times a few weeks before the MCAT!

As silly as this sounds, I am keeping a journal where I document what I ate and how much of it, at what times, and how I felt afterwards (sluggish, sleepy, fine, awake etc) and my sleeping habits. I need to pinpoint exactly what will make me feel the most alert so that I can replicate it day in and day out until my test lol. Sounds pretty "anal" but I know I'm going to need it.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

That sounds awesome (well not the red bulls unless you mix it in with some Canada Dry or Schweppes (my preference), but knowing that if I consumed that I would go into a sugar coma for 3 days and feel miserable. I can't afford that during these trying times a few weeks before the MCAT!

As silly as this sounds, I am keeping a journal where I document what I ate and how much of it, at what times, and how I felt afterwards (sluggish, sleepy, fine, awake etc) and my sleeping habits. I need to pinpoint exactly what will make me feel the most alert so that I can replicate it day in and day out until my test lol. Sounds pretty "anal" but I know I'm going to need it.

Honestly man.. there is no super food or anything that will give you the best performance on this exam. Just be CALM. Answer every question to the best of our ability and that's it. You'll be fine in the end.

 

[NextStepTutor_1]

Don't change your daily routine the day before - instead you should change your routine to match what you expect the day before and day of the test a couple weeks beforehand. Meaning, if you typically don't wake up at 7 AM and you'll have to, start doing so a week or 2 before the test. Basically, acclimate your body.
Outside of that - get plenty of fresh air the day before. This tends to be exhaustive. And try to relax! No one can sleep when their mind is racing. Watch a good movie before bed or go out with some friends to calm your nerves and then hit the sack.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Share your tips about how to get to sleep the night before the MCAT. And feel free to discuss any of the tips mentioned.

What I've heard works:

Eating turkey
Melatonin
Sleeping Aids (Sleeping Aid Cons: This can backfire the next morning and if taken regularly may cause memory trouble.)
Eating Lots
Doing something relaxing
Working out

Shower, get into bed, turn off lights. It's like magic!

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Also IDK why melatonin is being sold over the counter. That stuff is a really powerful hormone. I would only take it if I was traveling a lot constantly and that messed up my sleep pattern. Seriously. That's a really strong hormone, I have no idea what it's doing OTC.

 

[vanillabear55]

Melatonin sometimes gives me really vivid (intense/scary) dreams, so I'm avoiding that 100%. I take it once in awhile when my sleep schedule is really out of whack, but I try to avoid or go for a Benadryl

I'm one of those people who gets exhausted after working out, so I'll definitely do that and eat the most bland food possible for the few days before.

I don't know if that sleep deprivation thing is a good idea, a doctor told me once that those nights of sleep leading up to it are pretty important too (we were talking about taking the MCAT).

 

[Ailleurs]

Honestly man.. there is no super food or anything that will give you the best performance on this exam. Just be CALM. Answer every question to the best of our ability and that's it. You'll be fine in the end.

Of course not. But I want to find what works for me and stick to that so that cooking and eating become clockwork, leaving me more time to study and rest.

 

[Ailleurs]

Honestly man.. there is no super food or anything that will give you the best performance on this exam. Just be CALM. Answer every question to the best of our ability and that's it. You'll be fine in the end.

Of course not. But I want to find what works for me and stick to that so that cooking and eating become like clockwork, leaving me more time to study and rest. I don't deal well with meal prep and I'm not relying on takeout or crap food.

Shower, get into bed, turn off lights. It's like magic!

If only I worked that way! I have trouble falling asleep no matter if I'm busy or not.

 

[pithy84]

Here's what worked for me: Valium.

I just took the MCAT on December 6th at 1 PM. On Dec 5th, I did not study at all. I relaxed as much as possible, I ate well. However, I was still having a very very hard time getting to sleep the night before the test. I eventually took 4 mg of Valium, and I fell asleep about 30 or 40 minutes later.

I woke up about 4 hours later, anxious about the upcoming test.

So my conclusion: 4 mg of Valium effectively got me to sleep, but it wore off completely within 5 hours. I was feeling extremely alert by test time.

I also highly recommend: Routine. Set your sleep routine in the days before the MCAT, do not deviate.

If you are anxiety-prone, I highly recommend getting some Valium before your MCAT. Also, you should take it three or four times to see how it affects you, and to find the right dose. Don't take Valium for the first time ever the night before the MCAT.

You should also bring Valium to the testing center with you. I did.

I recommend Valium over Ambien because Valium is more effective against anxiety. They both are effective sleep aids.

Valium kicks in faster than many other benzodiazepine sedatives, such as Ativan and Klonopin. This is because Valium is more lipophilic. This is not personal experience, I actually read papers about pharmacokinetics before choosing which benzo to ask my doctor for. When administered orally, Valium gets into the blood faster and it causes sedation sooner.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

All of y'all recommending drugs like Valium to hormones like Melatonin are completely insane and the epitomy of premeds who freak over everything, now including the way to properly go to sleep.

Dude. Just. Be. Normal. Go for a run or work out during the day. Then eat dinner and take a hot shower. That'll start making you relaxed. And then meditate for a bit and calm yourself. Then just climb into bed slowly and tell yourself that the results are out of your control, but what you can control is the process. Just relax, close your eyes.

PS- turkey does not contain significant amounts of tryptophan to put you to sleep. It's placebo if anything.

 

[kkosp2451]

Here's what worked for me: Valium.

I just took the MCAT on December 6th at 1 PM. On Dec 5th, I did not study at all. I relaxed as much as possible, I ate well. However, I was still having a very very hard time getting to sleep the night before the test. I eventually took 4 mg of Valium, and I fell asleep about 30 or 40 minutes later.

I woke up about 4 hours later, anxious about the upcoming test.

So my conclusion: 4 mg of Valium effectively got me to sleep, but it wore off completely within 5 hours. I was feeling extremely alert by test time.

I also highly recommend: Routine. Set your sleep routine in the days before the MCAT, do not deviate.

If you are anxiety-prone, I highly recommend getting some Valium before your MCAT. Also, you should take it three or four times to see how it affects you, and to find the right dose. Don't take Valium for the first time ever the night before the MCAT.

You should also bring Valium to the testing center with you. I did.

I recommend Valium over Ambien because Valium is more effective against anxiety. They both are effective sleep aids.

Valium kicks in faster than many other benzodiazepine sedatives, such as Ativan and Klonopin. This is because Valium is more lipophilic. This is not personal experience, I actually read papers about pharmacokinetics before choosing which benzo to ask my doctor for. When administered orally, Valium gets into the blood faster and it causes sedation sooner.

I would actually NOT recommend this. Drugs interact with different people different ways. Even though it wore off after 5 hours for this person, doesn't mean it will wear off in 5 hours for you. In addition, you don't know what kind of side-effects you may have to taking a medication, which may range anywhere from an upset stomach to diarrhea (which would completely destroy your chances at taking a timed exam)...I don't know about you, but that's a huge risk to take before your mcat.

I do totally agree about getting into a schedule. A few days before my exam, I would sleep in all day and stay up all night. Even when I tried to wake up early the day before, I was still awake for 4-5 hours the night before my test.

If it makes you feel better, I went to sleep at 10PM the night before my exam, woke up at 1AM, stayed awake from 1PM-5AM, and then slept from 6AM-10:30AM. My test was at 1PM, I got to the testing center at 12:15PM. I really wasn't THAT tired, it wasn't too bad at all...So worst case scenario, if you do go to sleep late because of nerves, you'll have so much adrenaline pumping in you on test day that you won't feel tired at all (but obviously try to get a good nights sleep!)

 

[pithy84]

I would actually NOT recommend this. Drugs interact with different people different ways. [...] you don't know what kind of side-effects you may have to taking a medication, which may range anywhere from an upset stomach to diarrhea

My post explicitly instructs people to use the drug three or four times in advance, just to see how it affects you as an individual.

Also, benzodiazepines like Valium essentially never cause nausea or diarrhea. In fact, many studies find that Valium causes less nausea than placebo. If you have anxiety-induced nausea, Valium will help.

Definitely do some test runs with the drug before the big night.

Also, definitely take the drug exactly as prescribed by your doctor, and be honest with your doctor. Drugs are serious business. But don't be irrational about it, some people can benefit from drugs.

 

[kkosp2451]

All of y'all recommending drugs like Valium to hormones like Melatonin are completely insane and the epitomy of premeds who freak over everything, now including the way to properly go to sleep.

Dude. Just. Be. Normal. Go for a run or work out during the day. Then eat dinner and take a hot shower. That'll start making you relaxed. And then meditate for a bit and calm yourself. Then just climb into bed slowly and tell yourself that the results are out of your control, but what you can control is the process. Just relax, close your eyes.

PS- turkey does not contain significant amounts of tryptophan to put you to sleep. It's placebo if anything.

Agreed...if you need drugs just for MCAT, what are you going to do for the STEPs?

 

[deleted388502]

Start your day super early, it will make sure you're exhausted by the end of the day. I woke up at 6am the day before my exam and slept like a baby at 10pm. If you're too anxious to fall asleep you should think about things other than the test because frankly, being that anxious will effect your performance. If you can sense that the night before it's a good check to get your head on straight. As someone with insane test anxiety - not that I recommend this to anyone - but going to sleep the night before convinced I was going to void my test the next day relaxed the **** out of me. Do whatever you need to do to relax to a point where you realize it's just a freaking test, whatever.

I also highly recommend Olive Garden as a dinner option to make you food comatose because it worked for me 😛

Good luck getting a valium prescription for these purposes though. If your doc is anything like mine they'll tell you to chill the F out and send you home with meditation exercises. Benzodiazepines ain't no joke

 

[Gauss44]

Melatonin sometimes gives me really vivid (intense/scary) dreams, so I'm avoiding that 100%. I take it once in awhile when my sleep schedule is really out of whack, but I try to avoid or go for a Benadryl

I'm one of those people who gets exhausted after working out, so I'll definitely do that and eat the most bland food possible for the few days before.

I don't know if that sleep deprivation thing is a good idea, a doctor told me once that those nights of sleep leading up to it are pretty important too (we were talking about taking the MCAT).

Watch out for Benedryl and it's active ingredient, diphenhydramine. A neuropsychologist told me that it causes memory loss for many people over time.

 

[maral.morta]

Hello I need a melatonin 1 mg that doesnt make you foggy/drowsy next day. I have tried couple of these fast dissolved and also I have cut the pill in half (0.5 mg) but still makes me foggy and brain dead next day no matter how much coffee I take.

Please share if you know any good brands

 

[Examkrackers]

Hello I need a melatonin 1 mg that doesnt make you foggy/drowsy next day. I have tried couple of these fast dissolved and also I have cut the pill in half (0.5 mg) but still makes me foggy and brain dead next day no matter how much coffee I take.

Please share if you know any good brands

If you require a melatonin to go to sleep but are also drinking coffee in the morning to be alert, you are taking two separate psychoactive drugs that have antagonistic functions. Even if you only drink caffeine in the morning, it can remain in your system and affect your sleep that night. It sounds like you need to cut back on both caffeine and melatonin.

Try to keep a regular routine without worrying too much about fine tuning exact amount of sleep. Just try to do what you'd normally do.

 

[platty]

I laid down at 6pm after a hot shower and got into cozy pajamas. I felt like if I laid there long enough, I’d fall asleep. It worked by 8pm but I woke up at 4am which ended up being nice cause I had plenty of time in the morning to eat and shower and use the bathroom and do morning things.

 

[Powerlifter95]

Going to wake up at 6am the day before the test, workout for 2-3 hours, get lots of sunlight, take a little melatonin around 7pm. Go to bed at 8 and sleep 10 hours lol.

 

[brotherbanjo]

Depending on how studying is going, taking the day off before the test can be fine. It helped me feel more relaxed and rested and probably to sleep better too


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile