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Laity I've been giving a lot of thought to the career path I should follow. I'd love to be a physician--it has been my dream since I was a little boy, however I am having some issues that might preclude me from achieving this goal.
I've always been a heavier sleeper, but I started sleeping with the lights on a couple of years ago because it made me a lighter sleeper. Over time, this has made me an even heavier sleeper than I was before. I am unable to wake up to my alarm and routinely turn it off in my sleep or sleep straight through several alarms that I set for myself. Additionally, I seem to have developed parasomnias as a result. I seem to exhibit something along the lines of confusional arousal when someone attempts to wake me and don't wake up. Typically I open my eyes, say mean things and can get a bit violent sometimes. This is not at all part of my personality and I never remember anything about these events when I wake up.
I feel as if I've practically become a slave to sleep, and say and do things in my sleep that scare me because I can't control them. It's as if I have an alter ego who is not me, and that is frightening. I also basically pass out every night when I am even slightly tired. I can't control it. I legitimately pass out.
These issues have been going on for a couple of years now and is becoming a bigger issue.
My question here is: with this issue, should I even attempt to go into becoming an MD or should I seriously reconsider my career path?
I know that certain specialties dint allow for much sleeping time, especially if you want to be involved with your family (and I do), and during residency/fellowship the hours put in can be brutal. I've tried to talk to my aunt about this who is a physician and she tells me not to worry about it because I can always go into a specialty like dermatology where there aren't that many emergencies, but that doesn't make me feel better.
I'm not looking for a diagnosis, though if you think it would be helpful for me to see a sleep specialist, please let me know. I'm just telling the full story so I can have someone comment on my situation.
I still have time to change my life plan and go into something else with more predictable working hours. Pharmacy looks moderately appealing to me, as does going into research.
Do you think that my sleep issues warrant a long brainstorming session regarding whether I am fit to become a physician?
Should I do a long self-reflection to see whether this is the only career that will make me happy and if it's not the case, explore careers that are still demanding but that I'm less likely to be unfit for due to my sleep issues?
I feel like this is something that would hold me back a lot. Have you seen other people experience these issues? How did they deal with it?
Anytime one has a health condition that might affect a career choice, seeing a physician about it is a good idea. Otherwise, assuming no obvious cure, we'll see what others have to say. Remember, SDN is not for giving medical advice.
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