How do you sleep when you have exams?

[ember oriole]

When I have a school test, even if I study, I am unable to sleep the night before or even 2 days before because I am too scared and anxious about the test. How do you sleep when you have exams? This is ruining my mental health, Im so tired and its even preventing me from studying effectively.

[lethal goblet]

lmao i have a test tomorrow
If I really cant sleep, I usually
⭐make some tea and/or a hot water bottle
⭐have some white noise in the background; some noise to focus on
⭐melatonin or some other sleep thing idk
⭐try to limit screen time before bed
⭐try to improve studying techniques - flashcards, studying websites, etc
⭐DEEP BREATHING - for what, idk
⭐and always make sure your pillow is cold

(this might not be helpful im kinda bad at advice)

[normal sandal]

It sounds to me you're never able to sleep before anything that is a big deal in your life. It sounds anxiety induced.

I am the same way. I didn't sleep 48 hours before a flight to a country I've never been before halfway across the world where I had to take 3 connections to another airport and take another flight to another country I've never been before where I'd be all alone and not speak the language and figure out how to survive there.

I wish I knew of a magic solution. I don't. However, I do have some thoughts.

Try things that will calm your anxiety. It's different for everyone what works better. Look up anxiety remedies. Alli 👍 made a good list. Calming herbal teas. Deep breathing. Closing your eyes and imagine something that brings you peace and happiness for 5 minutes.

You already know that the more you worry about not being able to sleep, the worse it will get.

So, don't.

Acceptance. First accept that you probably won't be able to sleep. Plan around that.

Reframing. Have you taken an exam before and not slept? Have you had a good result in the past? It's easy to think of the bad times, but it helps more to think of the good times.

Look at the big picture view. Accept that you probably can't sleep. What's really the worse that can happen if you fail the exam? It feels pretty bad and it may set you back a little, but is it really the end of your life? Can you retake it? If you retook it, which obviously sucks, does it really matter in the bigger picture? Does it really stop you from achieving what you do before you die so you have little regrets?

Even if you think that's true, have you ever predicted the future incorrectly? My life turned out nowhere near how I expected. Many things I thought were only bad, couldn't possibly be good, turned out to help me so much a lot later. I would never have believed if someone told me I would be here.

Once you accept that you probably won't sleep, what can you control?

Here's a possible plan:

Knowing you can't sleep, prepare for it.

Lie down at an appropriate time. Why?

Because even if you can't sleep, rest is still important. I know of a friend who sleeps 20 minutes a day. They still lie down for 7 hours because their body still needs rest. Yours does too.

Maybe record yourself saying important exam notes. Then play them back to yourself while laying down in bed. So it doesn't feel unproductive. Spaced repetition.

Meditate. It's actually very simple, reduces anxiety, increases the chances you'll fall asleep, increases mental clarity when you're trying to think of something during the exam, and actually gives your brain a chance to rest. Everything needs rest. (this is not medical advice, but you're welcome to look this up.)

Set a quiet timer. One that won't wake you incase you do sleep. There are many YouTube videos for guided meditations if you prefer that.

The simplest explanation for meditation:

Set a timer. You decide how long (5+ min). Close your eyes.

Lay in bed comfortably.

Focus only on your breathing.

Your thoughts or feelings will drift. That's okay. Accept that's normal and gently guide it back to your breathing.

Don't try to control your breath, just notice it. In. Out. In. Out.

Your mind will drift. Keep trying to refocus it whenever you remember to. Guided meditation videos have a bell or indicator to remind you if it helps.

Keep doing this long enough and you will find often you do sleep, and if not, your mind is clearer.

If you get way too many thoughts that won't go away, especially recurring thoughts, that's your mind telling you to write it down. Write it down.

It will clear your mind for when you do have the exam.

Do this meditation between your study repetition reviews. Do it often. You may find even if you can't sleep as much as you ideally would, you'll sleep some, which is better than none.