Sleep Aids

[DireWolf]

Has anyone tried a sleep aid (ambien, sonata) the night/s before the exam? The only thing I'm concerned about is oversleeping or short-term memory loss.

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[huktonfonix]

try reading a biochemistry text. Always seemed to put me right to sleep. But to answer your question, the half life of the above meds should be short enough that it won't affect you the next day if you don't take it too late at night.

 

[Megalofyia]

They only have a half life of 4 hours. Sonata CAN have the side effect of causing someone to wake up in a very bad mood. Though I'm not sure how commong that side effect is.
Personally I did not find Sonata or Ambian to be that great but I was taking it to counter working nights so I could sleep during the day and that might have had an effect on why it wasn't so great for me.

 

[Jingojango]

Of the new gen sleep aids Ambien is considered 1st gen, I would go with sonata- shorter half life, little to no hang over, refreshing sleep.

Of course you should do a demo run before taking it on D-day -1 just to see how you react.

Oh and don't take it for at least 4-5 days before the exam- don't want to build tolerance.

Best of luck!

 

[MrObvious]

I've been prescribed Ambien for years for DSPS. I took Sonata before that and found it to not be as effective or consistent. Ambien is a surefire bet everytime as long as you're not tolerant from taking in 3 days in a row. Take it to try it first. Then take it 3 days before the test and then the night before the test. If the night before the test is the first time you ever take it, it will be a very UNpleasant surprise. But if you know what to expect, it's like clockwork. Either way, these are only suggestions. Good luck.

 

[starayamoskva]

Originally posted by DireWolf
Has anyone tried a sleep aid (ambien, sonata) the night/s before the exam? The only thing I'm concerned about is oversleeping or short-term memory loss.

Why don't you try the meds out before the big day and find out how they affect you. Everyone responds to things differently and while most people have no hangover the next day you never know.

 

[jed2023]

Originally posted by DireWolf
Has anyone tried a sleep aid (ambien, sonata) the night/s before the exam? The only thing I'm concerned about is oversleeping or short-term memory loss.

Yes, I've tried ambien the night before an exam with no negative effects, in fact just 3 days ago on Monday (and scored no differently than usual, in fact a little better). I was confident in trying it because I had been noting my body's reaction to it for days, which you should do as well, if you are thinking about taking it the night before.
I say this because when I initially used it I would be a little groggy in the morning. Nothing too bad, but not something you'd want to carry into a testing situation. But then after about 3 or 4 days, tolerance kicked in to a degree and then the morning groggy feeling dissapeared for me.
So, bottom line, figure out how your body will react. And, then feel confident to go with that. Beware, however, that Ambien is designed so that if you take a full dose you should at least be in bed for 7 to 8 hours because its half life is around 2.5 hours. So, if you take it and get up after 5 hours (and don't have tolerance) you may have a problem, as far as maximally concentrating.