Anyone else need a lot of sleep to function properly

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justskipee

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I need atleast 9 hours to make it through the day without feeling lethargic and yawning all over the place. I have also found that I am much funnier when I'm well rested. How is it possible that some of my friends claim to need only 6 hours, they must be walking zombies (maybe they just don't know what being fully rested feels like). How much do you sleep? Anyone else concerned about not getting enough sleep 3rd/4th year in medical school, residency?

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justskipee said:
I need atleast 9 hours to make it through the day without feeling lethargic and yawning all over the place. I have also found that I am much funnier when I'm well rested. How is it possible that some of my friends claim to need only 6 hours, they must be walking zombies (maybe they just don't know what being fully rested feels like). How much do you sleep? Anyone else concerned about not getting enough sleep 3rd/4th year in medical school, residency?

honestly, i used to sleep 5-7 hours a night and felt great. after i graduated from undergrad, i started getting 8 and sometimes even 9 hours of sleep a night, and i really don't feel more rested. in fact, i feel more tired because i've become too accustomed to the extra sleep. i definitely feel like anything over 8 hours is excessive sleep for me. but regardless, the body adapts to change and after an adjustment period, you get used to whatever sleep patterns you put yourself through.
 
justskipee said:
I need atleast 9 hours to make it through the day without feeling lethargic and yawning all over the place. I have also found that I am much funnier when I'm well rested. How is it possible that some of my friends claim to need only 6 hours, they must be walking zombies (maybe they just don't know what being fully rested feels like). How much do you sleep? Anyone else concerned about not getting enough sleep 3rd/4th year in medical school, residency?

great thread. 8-9 hours is solid for me. i can get by with 6 hours for a few nights in a row. once i dip down to 4 hours a night, i start feeling sick. if i only get 2 hours of sleep i am perfectly wired the next day and incredibly delirious, which comes off as funny to other people. after an all nighter i'm money til about 4 the next day. then i crash and burn.
-mota
 
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hahahaha yes... I -need- 8-9 hours... in order to study properly or function. some of my friends use provigil / modafinil to be superhuman (two are now MS1 at WashU MSTP and Cornell MSTP)... I looked it up on pubmed, and it looks really promising, but who knows. I'm really scared though, because I'm not a productive studier on just a few hours of sleep... perhaps this is something that can be conditioned? I mean, I can study, it's just sub-optimal. I find it better to study 2 hours, sleep 8, than study 4 and sleep 6. maybe I'm just needlessly justifying...
 
anon-y-mouse said:
hahahaha yes... I -need- 8-9 hours... in order to study properly or function. some of my friends use provigil / modafinil to be superhuman (two are now MS1 at WashU MSTP and Cornell MSTP)... I looked it up on pubmed, and it looks really promising, but who knows. I'm really scared though, because I'm not a productive studier on just a few hours of sleep... perhaps this is something that can be conditioned? I mean, I can study, it's just sub-optimal. I find it better to study 2 hours, sleep 8, than study 4 and sleep 6. maybe I'm just needlessly justifying...

what is modafinil?
-mota
 
"Modafinil is a mood-brightening and memory-enhancing psychostimulant which enhances wakefulness and vigilance."

it's mainly indicated in narcoleptics, shift workers, and people who experience a lot of jet lag... there are few to no side effects, and it can actually help one's cognitive performance, in addition to resetting your circadian clock.
 
DaMota said:
what is modafinil?
-mota

I can't believe med students are using drugs like modafinil. That is crazy, there have to be side effects, its made for people with narcolepsy. geez.

I found this:

http://www.modafinil.com/ www.provigil.com
they are the same drug

What is PROVIGIL, and what does it do?

PROVIGIL is a medication to treat excessive sleepiness caused by certain sleep disorders. These sleep disorders are narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), and shift work sleep disorder (SWSD).
 
I sleep 2 hours a day....20 minutes every 4 hours...works for me! With 22 hours of awake time I can do a lot.
 
anon-y-mouse said:
"Modafinil is a mood-brightening and memory-enhancing psychostimulant which enhances wakefulness and vigilance."

it's mainly indicated in narcoleptics, shift workers, and people who experience a lot of jet lag... there are few to no side effects, and it can actually help one's cognitive performance, in addition to resetting your circadian clock.

sounds great. where can i get some?
-mota
 
mbadoc said:
I sleep 2 hours a day....20 minutes every 4 hours...works for me! With 22 hours of awake time I can do a lot.

Kramer does that (polyphasic sleep) in a Seinfeld episode, its really funny.
 
i'd be happy with 7.5-8 hrs/night. i can't sleep much more than that on the weekends, and on weekdays, it's more like 6.5-7hrs.
 
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im a solid 5.5 hour guy. down at 2, up at 7:30. if i get much more than 7, i might as well just stay in bed, otherwise ill drag ass all day.
 
i've been doing bed at 12-1, up at 5 for surgery. on clinic days i'll get 6-7 hrs. the hard part is getting up and going. it's fine once i get to work and am overwhelmed with stuff to do.
 
I need at least 8 hours, or when I'm in peak condition about 6
 
the only thing of mine that needs 8 hours per night is my skin!! they weren't kidding when they came up w/ the idea of beauty rest
 
yourmom25 said:
i've been doing bed at 12-1, up at 5 for surgery. on clinic days i'll get 6-7 hrs. the hard part is getting up and going. it's fine once i get to work and am overwhelmed with stuff to do.
I'm the same way: 6-7 hours at least. Cutting it back to 4-5 hours makes me weird and reduces my memory. I'm a little worried about long nights in med school. Luckily I was told that at Baylor they try to avoid making 3rd and 4th years stay up all night during rotations. My student interviewer said the only time he got no sleep was during OB/GYN rotation.
 
I have worked in sleep for a few years now and you cannot compare yourself to others. If you feel sleepy then sleep if you can. My sleep is all over the place but I've helped hundreds get a better nights rest so its a small sacrifice. I've met a lady with a 32 hours circadiam clock who slept like 11 hours and stayed up for 21 and has done that for the past 9 years.
 
I usually need at least 7 a night for routine sleep.

With crunch time, however: (test, etc..) Somehow if I only sleep 4 or so I am not as tired as if I only sleep 2 or 6 hours.. I am sure it has to do with interrupting (or not interrupting) my REM sleep cycles.
 
It's about 7-9 hours for me. The days on which I work out, I like to get 9. Not going to be able to do that in med school, eh?

In med school I wanted to set my schedule to something like a three hour nap when I get home, and a four hour night sleep. Maybe even four and four. That usually works well for me.
 
i need a lot, my powerful brain uses up lots of fuel. anything less than 10 hours leaves me unsatisfied. if somebody made a deal to me to get 8 hours every night of my life and never take any naps, i would refuse. probably same with even 9. but i think number of hours of sleep per week is more meaningful than hours/night, as college students have a high standard deviation when it comes to time spent sleeping in contiguous blocks, what with tests and partying and all

eh, eventually science will find a way to limit or eliminate the need for sleep
 
if i get less than 5 for a 2-3 nights in a row i usually get sick. anyone overcome this? i normally sleep 8-9 hours but i hope that once i start training my body to get less (7h), then only sleeping for a few hours once in a while wont mess me up too bad.
 
sweet, my first post is a success. speaking of sleep, its nap time. Can someone talk about sleep and residency, med school.
 
Asleep at 11, up at 6. I can usually get by with about 5-6 hours during the weekdays, but i usually wind up sleeping in on the weekends...which i don't really mind.
 
I personally never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death. Haha.
 
ok that's great that people are getting 4-5.5 hrs sleep, but what's your secret? are you tired during the day? do you have any trouble getting out of bed in the morning? do you think you'd do better if you had more sleep, or is it a diminishing returs thing?

---

justskip - the 'label' usage for modafinil is narcolepsy but the off-label use is everything else... it works remarkably well, one of my neuro professors gave it two thumbs up (in the way he could, haha)... he loves ambien as well... purely from a "these drugs work extremely well, but are relatively harmless" perpective.
 
Minion677 said:
if i get less than 5 for a 2-3 nights in a row i usually get sick. anyone overcome this? i normally sleep 8-9 hours but i hope that once i start training my body to get less (7h), then only sleeping for a few hours once in a while wont mess me up too bad.
i hear you on the sickness thing, its why im very careful not to push my sleep limits too much especially in winter
 
Shredder said:
eh, eventually science will find a way to limit or eliminate the need for sleep

But eventually they'll find a way to limit or eliminate the need for doctors, so I guess it's a race against time.

Some people need 9 hours. Some people need 6. JFK was quite happy with four. It's just one of those physical attributes that are different from person to person, and you just have to accept it. Like some people will always be more attractive than you. Or smarter than you. Or richer . . . great, now I'm depressed.
 
rsfarrell said:
But eventually they'll find a way to limit or eliminate the need for doctors, so I guess it's a race against time.
i agree. and i think medicine is an odd profession in that repeat business indicates failure. it would be great for society if doctors were eliminated and could devote their resources elsewhere

supposedly trump averages 4. genetic edge maybe, who knows
 
anon-y-mouse said:
ok that's great that people are getting 4-5.5 hrs sleep, but what's your secret? are you tired during the day? do you have any trouble getting out of bed in the morning? do you think you'd do better if you had more sleep, or is it a diminishing returs thing?

I always have trouble getting out of bed...no matter if i get 4 hours or 10 hours. My secret to staying awake during the day=COFFEE. Coffee is excellent...one or two cups in the morning and I'm set. However, I totally suggest eating something with your coffee. If i dont have anything to eat with my coffee, I get really jittery and somewhat light-headed...its hard to concentrate and do things manually.
 
Awww. . . it's cute that people still get affected by caffeine!

Wow, that sounded far less patronizing in my head. . . my apologies.

What I mean is, I've been living off of tea since age 5 (british household) and coffee since age 12 (grew up in WA, home of the drive-through espresso stand) so I'm pretty much immune to caffeine effects by this point. Actually, I tell a lie. . . I get headaches when I DON'T have caffeine. I think this is a bad thing.

As far as sleep? The older I get the less I need, but I'm grumpy if it's not in a multiple of 90 minutes. Predictable sleep cycles at their best!
 
Have kids. I would kill for 8 hours of sleep.
 
Actually, I tell a lie. . . I get headaches when I DON'T have caffeine. I think this is a bad thing.

Yeah me too. I used to be able to focus so much from just a cup of coffee, but now I kind of depend on it.
 
I need 8 - definitely NOT a med school advantage.
 
seilienne said:
Awww. . . it's cute that people still get affected by caffeine!

Wow, that sounded far less patronizing in my head. . . my apologies.

What I mean is, I've been living off of tea since age 5 (british household) and coffee since age 12 (grew up in WA, home of the drive-through espresso stand) so I'm pretty much immune to caffeine effects by this point. Actually, I tell a lie. . . I get headaches when I DON'T have caffeine. I think this is a bad thing.

As far as sleep? The older I get the less I need, but I'm grumpy if it's not in a multiple of 90 minutes. Predictable sleep cycles at their best!

Don't get me wrong...i feel the same way. I'm really cranky and agitated if i don't have a cup of coffee (in addition to a little bit of lethargy). If i don't have it within 2 days, its headache tmie...even though I tend to get them at least once a week anyway (bad migraine headaches).

Usually coffee aint nothing to me, its just when i drink like 2 big cups (at least 16 oz) in the morning without anything in my stomach. Kind of like how taking shots on an empty stomach=drunk.....the same idea applies to me and coffee :D :D :D
 
I need like 9 hours of sleep, but I rarely get that many, so I'm always tired all the time. :( I'm also a "poor sleeper", it takes me forever to fall asleep, and I'm easily awakened by the slightest disturbance. Oh well, at least I'm difficult to assassinate.
 
i also need a good bit of sleep to function at my best. anything less than 7 and im dying.

why im like this is a question ive often asked, im more physically fit than the large majority of my peers (though excercise etc might put me at a greater need for rest) and i eat far healthier too. in an effort to lessen my great need of sleep time, ive come to find two things successful... one, try not to wake up to an alarm, this really takes some getting used to, but waking up naturally, preferably by sunlight, is absolutely reguvinating. also, the use of various natural remedies to encourage a deeper sleep, chamomile tea and lavender scented oils etc, tons more to try.
 
I can continously function all week with only around 5 hours a night. I can make it a couple of days (5) getting 2-3 hours. Then again i never mind getting 10 on weekend if i can. Its probally like everything else if you have to keep getting 4 hours sleep a night your body will probally start to adapt.

However, the 5 hour nights will disappearing shortly and replaced with more 8 hour nights.Mandatory 6 AM workouts never again they can go to hell and die. Cant wait 3 weeks left
 
I've been getting by on 3.5 to 4 hours of sleep per week for the last 6 months. I almost never ingest caffeine or take any sort of anti-narcolepsy drug. In the mid-afternoon or early evening, I usually take a 20 minute nap in my office or at the library. I also fast(17-19 hours) during most of my waking hours and have a hearty meal in the late evening.

It's what works best for me.
 
DaMota said:
sounds great. where can i get some?
-mota

Inquiring minds want to know.....
 
I'm not sure about the whole "adapting to getting less sleep" idea. On average, human bodies need 8-9 hours/night, just like we need enough food, air, water, etc. It seems like if you're a person who needs eight hours and you try to consistenty get by on 5, you're just "adapting" to feeling like crap.

I always heard that you know you're getting enough sleep when you can wake up without an alarm. Sigh, not quite there yet... :sleep: :oops:
 
BooMed said:
I always heard that you know you're getting enough sleep when you can wake up without an alarm. Sigh, not quite there yet... :sleep: :oops:
yeah, so the question should really be how much do you sleep in the absence of an alarm. for me about 10 hours...mmm mmm, its great

adapting to feeling like crap ha...yeah, i think my dad has done that. maybe ppl forget what its like to get a solid 10 straight hours
 
BooMed said:
I'm not sure about the whole "adapting to getting less sleep" idea. On average, human bodies need 8-9 hours/night, just like we need enough food, air, water, etc. It seems like if you're a person who needs eight hours and you try to consistenty get by on 5, you're just "adapting" to feeling like crap.

Most sleep research on healthy adults has shown that they do not adapt to partial or chronic sleep deprivation on average. As well, health care workers are no less susceptible to the ill effects of sleep deprivation. So I agree with you entirely.

However, as with any average there is variation. Some individuals need more and some need less.
 
Shredder said:
i agree. and i think medicine is an odd profession in that repeat business indicates failure. it would be great for society if doctors were eliminated and could devote their resources elsewhere

supposedly trump averages 4. genetic edge maybe, who knows

There's evidence that's shown you need the most sleep in your adolescent years and less and less as you age. For example, 50 year olds may only need 6-7 hours compared with 16 year old who need 8-10. I agree that it is a personal thing, but I'll bet that Donald Trump's age has something to do with it.

Personally, I sleep about 10 hours a night. Do I think that will hurt me in medical school? No. I'm sick of hearing about all this complaining that you need to be able to sleep 6 hours a night to be successful. From what I've seen, there's plenty of time in the day to get the stuff done that you need to.
 
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