Any advice on how to cope with morning groggyness?

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Kevinst: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 29; Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:57 amFollowed by: 6 members; Thanked: 11 times

by Kevinst » Wed Aug 01, 2012 8:30 pm

Hey there,

My GMAT exam is finally coming up August 23rd. I scheduled it for 8:00 AM.
Usually I would consider myself to be a night owl. I think that my mental awareness unfortunately reaches its peak at 10 PM. I've got the impression that this is daylight related. The darker a room is, the easier it is for me to concentrate.

Usually, when I get up in the morning I feel rather groggy. I still didn't schedule the exam in the afternoon, as I usually get tired in the afternoon hours. As I cannot write the exam at midnight, I thought 8:00 AM is the better bet, as I at least won't fall asleep during the exam

I am taking 10 days off work before the exam to adjust my sleep cycle a little bit. I am planning to go to bed at 10 PM and get up at 6 AM, so that I have 2 hours before the actual exam to fight the groggyness.

Is there maybe someone else out there who has similar problems, a preference towards night times and managed to find a way to get rid of the morning groggyness?
I tried going for a run very early in the morning, cold shower, Red Bulls right before a practice exam but so far I haven't found a solution.

Any tip is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Kevin

Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Wed Aug 01, 2012 8:30 pm

Kasia@EconomistGMAT: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 646; Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 7:08 amFollowed by: 143 members; Thanked: 322 times

by Kasia@EconomistGMAT » Wed Aug 01, 2012 11:20 pm

I am also a night owl. What helps me is coffee, although I heard that your body gets used to its effect after a while. You could try drinking green tea or mate. These two drinks can give you a stronger kick than coffee.

The second piece of advice is to simply get enough sleep and try to wake up by yourself and not using an alarm clock. Then maybe you will manage to be more awake.

Kasia
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sam2304: Legendary Member; Posts: 1239; Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:25 amFollowed by: 26 members; Thanked: 233 times; GMAT Score:680

by sam2304 » Thu Aug 02, 2012 3:25 am

Get into the habit of exercising in the evening around 5 to 7 PM. Hit the gym - aerobic exercises/cardio or swimming, you will feel tired earlier also you will get a good night's sleep. If you are sleeping from 2AM to 9AM sleep for same 7 hours but from 10 PM to 6 AM. Reducing the sleeping hours won't work. Without exercise in the evening, its difficult to sleep early for a night owl. You should be consistent as well for the 10 or 20 days, so that you can change your sleep cycle. I changed it this way.

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tutorphd: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 126; Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 10:11 amFollowed by: 7 members; Location: Chicago, IL; Thanked: 36 times

by tutorphd » Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:31 am

My mental focus and speed usually reaches peak around 7pm. If you can't function in the morning, do not schedule your exam at that time. The only thing to give you focus, when you are usually sleepy, is a stimulant. In order of increasing strength: ginseng, coffee, ephedra, ritalin etc.

To offset fatigue and promote a long duration of studying, take Piracetam. It doesn't give you a significant speed boost but stamina and motivation so more work is completed instead of feeling tired and procrastinating.

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Kevinst: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 29; Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:57 amFollowed by: 6 members; Thanked: 11 times

by Kevinst » Thu Aug 02, 2012 12:32 pm

Thank you very much for your answers.
I usually go to the gym during lunch break hours. In the 10 days before my exam I'll change that to the evening hours, as suggested.

Do you think Piracetam is still worth taking, although I am so close to the appointment?
Can you get that stuff in a local pharmacy? So far I've only found it on Amazon...

tutorphd: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 126; Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 10:11 amFollowed by: 7 members; Location: Chicago, IL; Thanked: 36 times

by tutorphd » Thu Aug 02, 2012 3:55 pm

Piracetam is for long studying to get the work done without procrastinating. It doesn't give you a sufficient speed boost to be worth taking it during an exam. I buy it on Amazon in bulk.

During the exam you will need actual stimulant like caffein etc.

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