How to sleep night before step 1

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GonefromTX

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Hey everyone, when I took the MCAT I wasn't able to get enough sleep because I was so anxious that I just tossed and turned the night before. Was hoping to not have a repeat of that for Step as it is a long, more mentally consuming test.

I am planning to not sleep at all two nights before step, exercise the whole of next day and pass out with some 1st gen antihistamines the evening before. Has anyone else tried something similar and would like to share?

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That sounds excessive.

I just treated the day before step like any other and went to bed at the same time I usually do. Use positive thoughts and tell yourself you are okay! By this point, you should be prepared, and honestly if you do not sleep well, the adrenaline will carry you through the day. Take that with a grain of salt since N=1, but good luck!
 
Hey everyone, when I took the MCAT I wasn't able to get enough sleep because I was so anxious that I just tossed and turned the night before. Was hoping to not have a repeat of that for Step as it is a long, more mentally consuming test.

I am planning to not sleep at all two nights before step, exercise the whole of next day and pass out with some 1st gen antihistamines the evening before. Has anyone else tried something similar and would like to share?
Well the MCAT is different from Step 1.... I couldn't even eat during my breaks BC I was too concerned about the last block so I just powered thru the exam.. but day before, i didn't really study. I had an idea to study in the am, but that fell thru. Maybe a formula sheet review the day of, but it won't make much of a diff imo, studying more the day before the exam.


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That does sound excessive. And it is a bad idea to start any medication or eat anything that you wouldn't normally take/eat the the couple of days before the exam, and especially the night of the exam. I would highly recommend exercising the day or two before though. Many people would not recommend exercising before sleeping, which makes sense because your sympathetics are revved up, but if you don't normally exercise and you try to go for a run (at a pretty fast pace, and do so until you can't anymore; I'm not very active and I have very poor stamina for aerobic exercise so 15 minutes at 6-7mph is enough for me) you should be exhausted within in the hour, and you should have no trouble sleeping.
Try this like a week or so before your exam just in case it doesn't work or you actually end up more energized by the end of the run, or if it makes you too tired the next day.
 
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Hmm I just watched Netflix the whole day before and it was enough to keep me from thinking about the exam. It's very important that you chill out
 
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Hey everyone, when I took the MCAT I wasn't able to get enough sleep because I was so anxious that I just tossed and turned the night before. Was hoping to not have a repeat of that for Step as it is a long, more mentally consuming test.

I am planning to not sleep at all two nights before step, exercise the whole of next day and pass out with some 1st gen antihistamines the evening before. Has anyone else tried something similar and would like to share?

perhaps-
1) if single, little bit of self stimulation night before
2) if attached, some cuddlin'

benadryl for sleep may give you that hangover feeling day of the exam.
 
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perhaps-
1) if single, little bit of self stimulation night before
2) if attached, some cuddlin'

benadryl for sleep may give you that hangover feeling day of the exam.

Good idea, masturbation can be tiring. :D
 
No dude, 1st gen antihistamines have been shown to lower cognitive abilities following use. Just get what sleep you can and have some coffee before the exam. I only got like 2 hours of sleep and didn't even notice
 
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Not sleeping for two nights before the exam may be a bad idea. You will accumulate a "sleep debt" and even if you get a full night's rest before the exam you may still not be at your mental prime. Be wary of benadryl as if you take too much it can really affect your cognition the next day. I would simply exercise heavily early in the day to tire yourself out. I actually slept pretty poorly the night of the exam and still performed decently.
 
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No dude, 1st gen antihistamines have been shown to lower cognitive abilities following use. Just get what sleep you can and have some coffee before the exam. I only got like 2 hours of sleep and didn't even notice
Not everyone can function on two hours of sleep. I know people that failed the exam for that very reason.

If you're going to take a first generation antihistamine, take it a couple of hours before bed, and don't only use it the night before the exam- I use Benadryl to sleep for certain high-stress situations, and usually start on a three-day lead-in so that I'm not as groggy the next day due to my body adjusting. That first day is always rough. This isn't medical advice or anything, just my personal way of doing things that minimizes grogginess and maximizes sleep duration.
 
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No dude, 1st gen antihistamines have been shown to lower cognitive abilities following use. Just get what sleep you can and have some coffee before the exam. I only got like 2 hours of sleep and didn't even notice
Thanks for the warning, definitely won't take benadryl then. Will you get the same experience with melatonin?
 
Hey everyone, when I took the MCAT I wasn't able to get enough sleep because I was so anxious that I just tossed and turned the night before. Was hoping to not have a repeat of that for Step as it is a long, more mentally consuming test.

I am planning to not sleep at all two nights before step, exercise the whole of next day and pass out with some 1st gen antihistamines the evening before. Has anyone else tried something similar and would like to share?

Don't be stupid( ❤️). Ive heard that Benadryl actually has a negative impact on memory and depending on ur liver, who knows where that Benadryl will be during the test (in the urinal or causing brain fog). On top of that, some people say it's the sleep the day before the day, not the day of. you've never tried it before, don't experiment now. The way to get sleep if you suffer from test anxiety is to sleep the way you'll sleep on test day 1-2 weeks prior. You're right about exercise. Do it in the morning/afternoon as opposed to the evening. Do not drink caffeine the night before and if you do, just finish your last dose by 1 pm. Wake up early the morning of and get a kick ass, but short workout (30 mins max, squats help get the blood flowing). Running is amazing too. Lastly as you feel the all-too-familiar anxiety-spiral while trying to get sleep the night before (why am I not falling asleep which should make you feel more anxious, etc.) just think to yourself it's natural to not get sleep the night before. For me personally my body has different states I gauge the morning of. Feeling my heart beat is normal but finger pulsing means I had too much coffee the night before.

None of my recommendations have any evidence behind them but I still swear by them.
 
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Hey everyone, when I took the MCAT I wasn't able to get enough sleep because I was so anxious that I just tossed and turned the night before. Was hoping to not have a repeat of that for Step as it is a long, more mentally consuming test.

I am planning to not sleep at all two nights before step, exercise the whole of next day and pass out with some 1st gen antihistamines the evening before. Has anyone else tried something similar and would like to share?

I've had my share of sleep issues beginning midway through year 2 of med school. I am happy to say that they have all but disappeared since sitting for Step 1 haha. I had similar issues getting to sleep before the MCAT. Definitely do not forgo sleep the two nights before...I think your mental state would be in really rough shape in such a situation on the day before.

I know most of the other people on here will disagree with me, but I took 50mg diphenhydramine the night before Step 1. I took it at 9pm and woke up at about 4am. It was impossible for me to get back to sleep after that, but I was pretty jacked to have gotten 7 hrs of sleep. I felt totally fine, but I've also used this medication on a semi-regular basis when I had issues sleeping, particularly before our school block exams.

I agree with @Mad Jack about the lead-in a few days before. Then at least you'll know how it affects you if you choose such a route. I've never personally noticed any adverse effects on my performance, but I also have not received my score back yet!
 
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Just work out like a maniac for 5 hours the day before. You will be exhausted.
 
Hey everyone, when I took the MCAT I wasn't able to get enough sleep because I was so anxious that I just tossed and turned the night before. Was hoping to not have a repeat of that for Step as it is a long, more mentally consuming test.

I am planning to not sleep at all two nights before step, exercise the whole of next day and pass out with some 1st gen antihistamines the evening before. Has anyone else tried something similar and would like to share?
 
I was super anxious the night prior to the MCAT. Benadryl always makes me super drowsy so I tried Unisom (Doxylamine) a week or so prior and noted it worked a lot better without the hangover effect. I took it at 8:00 PM the night before and also took a Melatonin with it. I ALSO bought myself a one hour massage the day before the test. One of those things got me seven hours of sleep so I was very satisfied.

Note: I know the MCAT is a lot less intense than Step 1, but I think good sleep techniques are always helpful
 
Thanks for the warning, definitely won't take benadryl then. Will you get the same experience with melatonin?

Feel free to try it out before testing day and see how you feel. I would be nervous taking it for the first time the day of.

At least for me I always took melatonin to fix a poor sleep schedule. 0.5 mg before bed did wonders

I like the massage idea too.

Try not to worry about it though, literally everyone I talked to on test day said they didn't sleep a wink. You really barely notice it from all the adrenaline
 
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Late response here, but whatever. Try not to deviate from what you've been doing in the days leading up to the test. Get up at the same time, work out (enough that you'll be tired, but don't go crazy), and go to bed at around the same time. Don't go to bed early, you'll just lie there and not fall asleep. Try not to look at any flash cards/First Aid/etc for an hour or two before you go to sleep, it'll just stress you out. I wouldn't take any meds to help you sleep unless you do it regularly enough that you know exactly how it will affect you. Don't worry too much about whether or not you get enough sleep. You'll have enough adrenaline to get through it and you won't feel tired (until it's over). Any time you feel yourself starting to freak out, either before or during the test, consciously close your eyes, take a deep breath, and try to clear your mind for a few seconds. I was definitely pretty stressed leading up to the test but this stuff helped me get through it and I did fine! :)
 
I'd be careful experimenting with meds. The very last thing you want to do is accidentally oversleep...maybe not even enough to miss the test but you add unnecessary stress to the situation.

Exercise is probably your best bet. Maybe a long shower before bed, stuff like that.
 
Hey everyone, when I took the MCAT I wasn't able to get enough sleep because I was so anxious that I just tossed and turned the night before. Was hoping to not have a repeat of that for Step as it is a long, more mentally consuming test.

I am planning to not sleep at all two nights before step, exercise the whole of next day and pass out with some 1st gen antihistamines the evening before. Has anyone else tried something similar and would like to share?

Horrible plan in my opinion. I took melatonin for 3 nights prior to fall asleep by 11 and wake up by 6-7. This was enough for me and I have trouble sleeping at night on a regular basis. I always have a lack-of-sleep hangover, if such a thing exists, when I don't sleep well one/multiple nights. So in my opinion, this would be devastating to my overall performance on test day regardless of how much sleep I got the night before.
 
Hey there.
I want to explain my experience regarding the night before sleep.
I usually sleep up to 8 hours every day prior my exam. The day of my exam I couldn't f**** sleep due being on anxiety mode on. I was expecting for that and even taking 1/4 of alprazolam I couldn't sleep well (aprox 3 h). In that part, please do not take anything the day before if you have not taken early due the fact that you need to know your dose to avoid hangover-effect.
I have some moment when I started to cry due the impossibility to have a good sleeping the prior day of such a relevant test. However, I realized that sometimes you might encounter with situations that will be out of control of you. Hence, I went to prometric with the self-confidence to ace that exam.
At the end, I score 1 point less than my last NBME (19, 252).
In a nutshell, believe in yourself and the hard work you spent until that time and the stamina will work for you.
 
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In addition, try taking a cold shower and having a high carb meal the night before. It definitely help me sleep (6-7 hours) before the mcat.

Here's a list of other things I did the night before my mcat:


1. Chamomile tea with sugar
2. Melatonin NO more than 3 mg
3. Turn off electronics 3 hours before sleep
4. NyQuil 3 tablespoons
 
You poor slobs. Pills, exercise, sleep deprivation and other weird ideas.

Some of the best sex I had was during Step 1 prep time with my husband. The day before my Step 1, I am not sure who wore out whom, but I was a happy test taker the next day, whistling while driving to the test center

So if you are married, you know what to do!
 
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It's important to maintain a regular schedule before your exam. Sleep at the same time every night, especially in the few weeks leading up to the test. Melatonin might be helpful. A carbohydrate meal before bed will also help.
 
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