How to relax the night before an exam
Feeling stressed and nervous the night before your exam? It can be difficult to snooze when you’re lying in bed with millions of thoughts running through your head. But getting adequate sleep the night before the big day is important.
Without at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep, you may struggle to concentrate or recall what you’ve memorised. Plus, you’ll feel physically tired and sluggish - it’s not how you want to feel during an important exam. Use these 8 tips to get a good night’s sleep so you’ll be ready to give it your all.
1. Avoid looking at your phone or computer an hour before sleep
Research has shown that blue light from your phone suppresses melatonin creation. Melatonin is a hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle. Low levels of melatonin cause your body to experience insomnia, tiredness during the day and frustration. As smartphones and computers are designed to make us more productive, using them before bed can stimulate the brain, making it harder to fall into deep sleep. It may be tempting to cram a few more hours of study into the night, but if you want to get a good night's rest, it’s best that you avoid staring at your laptop in the hours before bed.
2. Wear an eye mask and earplugs to sleep
It has been suggested that the brightness or illumination of any light can confuse the body’s circadian rhythm and delay the production of melatonin. Wearing an eye mask and earplugs to bed may help you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep during any night-time disturbances, so you can wake up more refreshed and prepared for your exam.
3. Do some exercise during the morning or day
Do some physical exercise the day before your exam to tire yourself out, so that your body is exhausted and ready to fall asleep in the evening. You may already feel worn out from a full day of studying, but that may not be enough for your body to sleep well at night.
Studies have shown that physical exercise can help to reduce stress or anxiety, promote better sleep, and aid with insomnia and other sleep disorders. Make sure you take some time out of your day to get moving!
4. Don’t drink caffeinated drinks before bed
According to the Sleep Health Foundation, caffeine promotes alertness and the effects can last up to 7 hours. It might be tempting to grab a cuppa and pull an all-nighter studying, but your body and mind will thank you if you avoid caffeine late in the day.
Make sure you don’t consume any coffee or tea up to 7 hours before bedtime - you don’t want to be tossing and turning for hours in bed.
5. Avoid alcohol the night before your exam
Although alcohol enables us to fall asleep quicker, recent studies show that it reduces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This is not ideal as REM is essential to the brain and assists us with learning along with retaining memories. So leave the celebratory drinks till after your exam instead.
6. Make your room darker an hour before bed
Start to unwind an hour before bed to prepare your body for sleep. Cues like dimming the lights will trigger the release of melatonin, making you feel sleepy so you can fall asleep faster when your head hits the pillow.
7. Read if you are still trying to fall asleep
If you’re rolling around in bed, staring at the ceiling, or counting sheep and still can’t fall asleep, try reading a book to relax your mind. Unlike reading on a blue screen, reading a book may help us reduce cortisol levels (a hormone released in response to stress). It is a great bedtime activity that could help you wind down and fall asleep sooner.
If that still doesn’t work, get up and out of bed. It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s important that your bed is a place for sleep. It can be problematic if you start associating bed with stress and anxiety. Do something else for 15 minutes to relax and unwind, then get back into bed and try again.
8. Have your last meal 2 hours before bed
If you hope to fall asleep quicker and comfortably, you should avoid having a full and bloated stomach while you sleep. A full stomach may keep you awake, especially when you’re stressing out about an exam. To ensure proper digestion, avoid heavy, greasy or spicy food before bed. If you’re feeling hungry, consider a light and healthy snack instead.
The key takeaway
Stressing before an exam is never a nice feeling. In the midst of pre-exam jitters, it can be tempting to adopt bad habits. But while pulling an all-nighter to cram, eating junk food because you’re too busy to cook, and downing coffee after coffee to keep your mind ‘focused’ may seem like a good idea, these things will only make it harder to get a good night’s rest. Give your body and mind the sleep it needs so you can wake up with a sharp mind and positive mood. Good luck!
IF YOU’RE EXPERIENCING PERSISTENT DISRUPTIONS TO YOUR SLEEP, CONSULT WITH A PHARMACIST OR TRUSTED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS.
Any advice provided in this content is of a general nature and does not take into account your objectives, health or needs. The information in this post is not intended to substitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be exclusively relied on to diagnose or manage a medical condition. You need to consider the appropriateness of any information or general advice we give you, having regard to your personal situation, before acting on our advice or purchasing any over-the-counter sleep product.