Sleep More for Better Bar Exam Performance

Other than studying and taking practice tests, what is the number one thing you can do to help you pass the bar exam?

You might be surprised that I think the answer is: Sleep.

Studies have shown that missing a single night of sleep has an immediate effect on your brain function.

Tests of mental ability repeatedly show that people who are sleep-deprived score lower than those who are well-rested.

But, I get six hours a night. Isn’t that enough?

Not likely.

Here is proof: In one study sleep researchers put test subjects in rooms without clocks or windows and asked them to sleep whenever they felt tired. An astonishing 95 percent slept between seven and eight hours out of every 24. The remaining 5 percent of subjects were split between those who slept more than eight hours and those who slept less than seven hours.

The odds that you are a person who needs less than seven hours of sleep per night are 1 in 40.

Sleeping at least seven hours per night is normal, natural and healthy.

Long-Term Sleep Deprivation is Even Worse

At least one researcher, Professor Charles Czeisler, says that 24 hours without sleep or a week of sleeping four or five hours per night induces an impairment equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.1percent.

It can’t be a good idea to study for the bar exam while you are effectively drunk.

So, please, if you are not getting at least seven hours of sleep per night, make it a priority. You will be much better able to focus while studying and retain the information you are trying to learn.

Tips for Better Sleep

If you are having trouble sleeping, here are four suggestions to help:

First, get rid of all sleep stealers from your bedroom. Sleep stealers are things like smartphones, tablets, televisions, laptop computers, etc. The backlighting on these devices causes your brain to think it should stay awake because it is being exposed to light. If you don’t want to eliminate these devices entirely from your bedroom, just make sure that you stop using them at least 30-60 minutes before you want to go to sleep.

Second, make sure that you are physically active during the day. This not only helps your body become tired when it is time to sleep, but also increases blood flow to the brain, keeping it healthy. This is important when you are preparing to take a stressful test, such as the bar exam.

Third, eat right. Avoid foods that you know cause indigestion, which can wake you in the middle of the night. After all, if you are able go to sleep at night, it is a shame to wake up because your spicy burrito is coming back to haunt you.

Fourth, make sure you get exposure to sunlight each day. Studies have shown that the more exposure one has to natural light, the better one sleeps on average. So, if you can, study for the bar exam near a window. If you can’t do that, try to get outside for an hour each day.