Poll: How many hours do you sleep

[MedicManiac]

If you want to write something too, how about your GPA and MCAT scores and how many hours you get

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[sliceofbread136]

9, 4.0 37

 

[RTC19]

I get about 7.5 hours of sleep per night. I have not yet taken the MCAT, and my GPA is 3.98.

 

[altblue]

I've stopped noticing or keeping track. Maybe that's a bad thing.

 

[TaroBubbleTea]

I aim for 8 hours a night, but I probably average around 7.5. Maybe the trend can continue into med school. Here's hoping

 

[taina]

8+, 3.9, 33

 

[C@lidoc]

5, 3.7ish, 34

 

[Albino Dino]

7.5, 4.0, no mcat

 

[Jagon]

Why would you admit you sleep? Sleep is for the weak.

Your username makes this comment perfect.

 

[RTC19]

9, 4.0 37

Congratulations on the stats, man!

 

[RTC19]

Your username makes this comment perfect.

+1

 

[WedgeDawg]

Some days <3, some days >12. 3.9/36

 

[RTC19]

Some days <3, some days >12. 3.9/36

May I ask why the disparity?

 

[WedgeDawg]

May I ask why the disparity?

Depends on how much I need to do that day. I don't have a very consistent schedule.

 

[RTC19]

Depends on how much I need to do that day. I don't have a very consistent schedule.

Ah. That makes sense. Sounds like it would suck though.

 

[Theafoni]

6 hours, 3.47 GPA

 

[ERK123]

For all of you sleeping 8+ hours a night, you have a higher chance of mortality hazard than people sleeping less than 6 hours. Source: http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=206050

 

[Theafoni]

For all of you sleeping 8+ hours a night, you have a higher chance of mortality hazard than people sleeping less than 6 hours. Source: http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=206050

Meh we're all slowly dying anyway.

 

[GodComplex]

8.5

3.8

39


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[GodComplex]

It's hours per month right?


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[Spinach Dip]

For all of you sleeping 8+ hours a night, you have a higher chance of mortality hazard than people sleeping less than 6 hours. Source: http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=206050

I hear breathing molecular Oxygen has been correlated with mitochondrial free radical production, DNA damage, and eventual death.

Someone should really get on that.

 

[HCHopeful]

7 hours a night, 3.91 GPA, 31 MCAT

 

[jd989898]

5.5, 2.1, 19


kill me

 

[chiefscribejake]

6.5ish. 3.4, no MCAT yet.

I'm expecting a higher jump after this semester as well as once I quit my full-time job for next year. I'm too thankful for getting some need-based grants finally...

 

[sliceofbread136]

For all of you sleeping 8+ hours a night, you have a higher chance of mortality hazard than people sleeping less than 6 hours. Source: http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=206050

There are also studies showing normal weight correlating with higher mortality, but I don't listen to those either

 

[thebigdawg]

8-10hrs, 3.7, 30

 

[justadream]

If the OP is trying to find a meaningful correlation between hours of sleep and GPA/MCAT, it's almost surely destined to fail.

 

[Fedekz]

3.9 science, 4.0 in my major, 3.85 cumulative - graduating in 2 weeks... Taking the mcat in June so we will see.

I sleep about 12 hours or more a day when I'm not working. I hardly ever go to class because I usually just sleep through it and wake up in the early afternoon around 2 or 3. I hate it, I just need an unreal amount of sleep. On the flip side, I do work a night shift full time, so some days I get 0 sleep and I'm up 36-48 hours straight.

 

[NeuResurgens]

7.5, 3.94, no MCAT. One semester I regularly got less than 6 a night and it freaking sucked. You'll do better in school if you sleep, people!

 

[Glandzburg]

6-7 hours (I work more hours than I should during the semester), 3.95, 35

 

[WildZoo]

For all of you sleeping 8+ hours a night, you have a higher chance of mortality hazard than people sleeping less than 6 hours. Source: http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=206050

correlation vs causation issue there

7.5 hours is my optimum, gpa is 3.7 or something like that. No MCAT for me because I'm dropping in from the animal side of the forum

 

[ERK123]

correlation vs causation issue there

There is really know way to know. There are many variables to a persons optimal sleeping time.

 

[WildZoo]

There is really know way to know. There are many variables to a persons optimal sleeping time.

Hence why I said correlation vs causation issue. That's the nature of having many uncontrolled variables. I've seen the study discussed before. It's likely that a good number of the people sleeping excessive amounts had underlying health issues leading to that amount of sleep, not the other way around. There's no reason (that I've seen) to think that otherwise healthy individuals are shortening their lives by getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep.

 

[ERK123]

Hence why I said correlation vs causation issue. That's the nature of having many uncontrolled variables. I've seen the study discussed before. It's likely that a good number of the people sleeping excessive amounts had underlying health issues leading to that amount of sleep, not the other way around. There's no reason (that I've seen) to think that otherwise healthy individuals are shortening their lives by getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep.

Underlying health issues were controlled for in the study population.

 

[WildZoo]

Underlying health issues were controlled for in the study population.

There's a specific set of things they controlled for and as far as I can tell they were all self-reported and did not include sleep disorders or psychiatric conditions. Nor did they have a set definition for insomnia.

ETA: Also wanted to point out longer sleep does not necessarily mean good/productive sleep.

ETA Part 2: Not saying I don't find the data interesting, but a one time survey of these people, asking them to self-report health issues and how much they slept on average, followed by mortality analysis 6 years later, is not compelling enough to me to draw any conclusive statements.

 

[drsaurus]

7-7.5 hrs. 3.8. No MCAT

 

[ERK123]

There's a specific set of things they controlled for and as far as I can tell they were all self-reported and did not include sleep disorders or psychiatric conditions. Nor did they have a set definition for insomnia.


ETA Part 2: Not saying I don't find the data interesting, but a one time survey of these people, asking them to self-report health issues and how much they slept on average, followed by mortality analysis 6 years later, is not compelling enough to me to draw any conclusive statements.

There are some subsequent studies by the same author that link genetic factors as being highly consequential to a personal sleep duration.

Controlling for sleep disorders would certainly add value to the study, however, as a number of studies conclude that sleeping disorders are highly undiagnosed and treated I am having a difficult time contemplating how such data would be interpreted. I do not even think it would be possible to control for sleep disorders in the 1980's considering that sleep medicine was in its infancy.

ETA: Also wanted to point out longer sleep does not necessarily mean good/productive sleep.


This is the most common explanation for the data I hear from the sleep medicine community. People who sleep longer might be having more unproductive sleep than those who have shorter sleep durations. This might have a negative impact on health and lifestyle. After all, the majority of slow-wave-sleep occurs in the first half of the night, which is most important for rejuvenation. I am not sure if studies have been done with PSG to examine sleep staging during the 8th, 9th, and 10th hour of sleep. I don't quite see how this point impacts the conclusions made from the data.

It would be incredibly irresponsible to draw any conclusive declarations from one population level study. The authors intention was not to claim if person A sleeps 6 hours a night and person B sleeps 9 hours a night then person A is going to live longer. However, the data does provide interesting evidence that those who do have short sleep durations are not necessarily at risk for health complications as laymen's opinions often state. Sleep doctors I know often use this study (and several others) to calm patients who are anxious about their short sleep durations but have no consequential symptoms.

 

[WildZoo]

However, the data does provide interesting evidence that those who do have short sleep durations are not necessarily at risk for health complications as laymen's opinions often state. Sleep doctors I know often use this study (and several others) to calm patients who are anxious about their short sleep durations but have no consequential symptoms.

That's fine, but that's not how you presented it initially, you were specifically addressing the people who slept 8+ hours.

The rest of your post is obscured in the quote so I'll just say that I have no arguments to make there - was just pointing out flaws I saw in the study. I'm certainly not saying that the idea that less sleep= bad for health and more sleep=good is right either. I'm all about the individual sleep optimum. My point about long sleep not necessarily being good sleep was just to say that it would be more interesting to look at sleep cycles in a more detailed way. Not that I would have expected this study to do so.

 

[ERK123]

That's fine, but that's not how you presented it initially, you were specifically addressing the people who slept 8+ hours.

The rest of your post is obscured in the quote so I'll just say that I have no arguments to make there - was just pointing out flaws I saw in the study. I'm certainly not saying that the idea that less sleep= bad for health and more sleep=good is right either. I'm all about the individual sleep optimum. My point about long sleep not necessarily being good sleep was just to say that it would be more interesting to look at sleep cycles in a more detailed way. Not that I would have expected this study to do so.

Ah my bad. I was being semi-sarcastic in my first post because I thought this was a joke thread. I've worked with some of the authors to this study and it gets brought up somewhat facetiously every time sleep duration is discussed in a clinical case. I tried to edit my last post so my response did not get stuck in the quotes section.

 

[allantois]

Don't forget to include the tier of your school while at it

 

[Stlblues17]

Sleep when your dead

 

[WildZoo]

Ah my bad. I was being semi-sarcastic in my first post because I thought this was a joke thread. I've worked with some of the authors to this study and it gets brought up somewhat facetiously every time sleep duration is discussed in a clinical case. I tried to edit my last post so my response did not get stuck in the quotes section.

I'm sorry I took it so seriously then. Very out of character for me

 

[Annabell Lee]

I'm a single mom and have been taking 18 credits while working. My sleep schedule is pretty irregular. There are plenty of nights I get 4 or less hours of sleep. I have a 4.0, but this semester it looks like I might make B in trigonometry.

 

[mbeus]

9-10 (yes, I need a lot of sleep), 27 then 35 MCAT, 3.96 gpa. I just make sleep a priority in my life; it's really important to me.

 

[Stumpyman]

I see a lot of people correlate less sleep with being driven and hard-working, sometimes even more dedicated than others. I've met quite a few people who actually brag that they work so hard and only get 3-4 hours of sleep a night.

I don't know, man. I'm pretty proud of my 7-7.5 hours every night, including before exams. No MCAT but 3.9 GPA.

 

[Annabell Lee]

I see a lot of people correlate less sleep with being driven and hard-working, sometimes even more dedicated than others. I've met quite a few people who actually brag that they work so hard and only get 3-4 hours of sleep a night.

I don't know, man. I'm pretty proud of my 7-7.5 hours every night, including before exams. No MCAT but 3.9 GPA.

Yeah I don't really get that. You should be proud. I'm jealous.

 

[Neutropix]

7-8 hours, 4.0, no MCAT.

Sleep, exercise, and nutrition are imperative.

 

[Stumpyman]

Yeah I don't really get that. You should be proud. I'm jealous.

Yeah I definitely realize it's necessary for some people to sleep <5 hours/night. I meant to target my post more towards the undergrads who, when it comes down to it, don't really *need* to function on such little sleep. I wouldn't hold it against anyone, but if you can sleep more, I'd definitely take it over trying to squeeze an extra couple hours of studying in right before an exam.

 

[LSD-25]

Not enough is the only right answer.

 

[Stagg737]

~6-6.5/night as a med student. Ideally I try to get 7, but it takes me longer to get to sleep than I'd like. I'll add that I know numerous med students that get around 4-5 hours per night, but they also regularly take naps. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Ah my bad. I was being semi-sarcastic in my first post because I thought this was a joke thread. I've worked with some of the authors to this study and it gets brought up somewhat facetiously every time sleep duration is discussed in a clinical case. I tried to edit my last post so my response did not get stuck in the quotes section.

If you actually worked with the authors of the paper, I'd be curious to know if they took naps into account in that study or any later ones. It asks people how many hours they sleep per night, which makes me assume they didn't measure any sleep occurring during the day since they never mention it...