ClumsyCharlie,

What you are experiencing is called sundowning. Your brain is becoming fatigued from your continuous efforts during the day. You may be pushing harder and harder as the days and weeks have gone by or you may be making your PCS worse by never giving your brain the chance to relax and "start" to recover. There is no way to know which is happening.

The business of Christmas with all of the auditory and visual stimulation may also be exacerbating your PCS. This has always been a rough time of year for me. Way too much stimulation.

The best thing you can do to help stave off this process is to rest during the day. The rest can be something as simple as finding a quiet spot and spending 5 or 10 minutes to just close your eyes and listening to some calming music to taking an actual nap. The more often you take these short time outs for your brain, the simpler they can be.

The key is to greatly reduce any visual and auditory stimuli.

You also should be avoiding caffeine. If you need caffeine to stay alert or awake, your brain is telling you it needs rest. Using caffeine to stay alert or awake is grossly fatiguing to your brain.

If you do not get some rest for your brain, your ability to be successful with your exams will be greatly reduced. Have you worked out any accommodations for your exam taking? You need extra time and a quieter environment than is normally provided.

I hope you can find a way to rest your brain. It sounds like you are only making your PCS worse.

My best to you.