Do people pull all-nighters in med school?

[Psycho Doctor]

Or do people think you're crazy if you do that? I got a few hours of sleep last night but I'm sure for gross anatomy i'll need at least one all-nighter, even if i try to keep up. 🙁

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[jonb12997]

I personally have never been one to stay up all night to study, I'm in bed by 11pm at the latest, especially if I have a test the next day... some of my classmates will be lucky to get 3 or 4 hours of sleep the night before a test... it all depends on your personal study skills.

 

[dakotaman]

Yes, it's hugely dependent on your study habits. If you study--without fail--on a daily basis (like 3-4 good hours and more on the weekend), I don't see that you'd need any all-nighters. However, if you study less often you might need to stay up most of the night to make sure you know the material thoroughly.

Some people are better at concentrating on zero sleep, so that's an important consideration. If you can't do well on a couple or no hours of sleep, I'd advise studying like a maniac on a daily basis! (Easier said than done, of course, but remember: you're in medical school! 😛)

Motivation is another aspect...when it's the night before and there's a scary test looming, I tend to be much more motivated in learning the material.

 

[thackl]

There's a few who do it here. They're pretty proud of their ways. Not for me though.

 

[Andrew_Doan]

I pulled all-nighters all the time before exams. It sucks learning that way... probably explains why I rarely got A's. 🙁

 

[fantasty]

I never did it during first year. But, during 2nd year, I found it hard to keep up with all of the classes (we only have pharm, micro, and path, but there are usually tests each week, not to mention small group path cases, micro lab, clinical practice class, etc). So, 2nd year, I did pull a few all nights. Usually, I finished every thing else for the week early, then pulled all nighters or little sleep nights Tues/Wed for a friday test. But, IMO, you really need to be well rested the day of the exam.

 

[MD2b06]

Never pulled all-nighters during the first two years. Routinely did 36-38 hr shifts w/o sleep during certain third year rotations though. Now that I'm a 4th year, my average shift is more along the lines of 3.6 hrs, if I choose to come in at all. 4th year is sweet!

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Never pulled all-nighters during the first two years. Routinely did 36-38 hr shifts w/o sleep during certain third year rotations though. Now that I'm a 4th year, my average shift is more along the lines of 3.6 hrs, if I choose to come in at all. 4th year is sweet!

huh? ius that the way it's supposed to be? Don't you get evaluated and then matched based on your clinical rotations? I keep hearing that is way more important than your grades. So don't they care if you just don't show up? 😕

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

If you need to pull all-nighters, then you are studying inefficiently.

Try to skip some classes so that you can have some extra time for self-study.

you NEED sleep. I've pulled a couple all-nighters, but I really hated it, because you end up being MORE tired, and you end up falling asleep anyway.

 

[IgweEmeka]

Never pulled all-nighters during the first two years. Routinely did 36-38 hr shifts w/o sleep during certain third year rotations though. Now that I'm a 4th year, my average shift is more along the lines of 3.6 hrs, if I choose to come in at all. 4th year is sweet!

nice.....I can't wait for 4th year

 

[Doctor&Geek]

I pulled all-nighters all the time before exams. It sucks learning that way... probably explains why I rarely got A's. 🙁

Wow - it's obvious you did horribly as a result. 😀

 

[velo]

Or do people think you're crazy if you do that? I got a few hours of sleep last night but I'm sure for gross anatomy i'll need at least one all-nighter, even if i try to keep up. 🙁

I've never done one and whatsmore I don't think they're that effective considering how important sleep is in consolodating memories. I think most people try not to fall behind to the degree that they feel like they need an all-nighter--and if they do get to 1-2am the night before an exam and feel unprepared, they're still probably better off with the sleep then they are with the semi-comatose study session

 

[quideam]

I've never pulled an all-nighter, but it's not at all uncommon for me (and most people I know) to only get 3-4 hours of sleep before an exam. But, I do know some people who pull all-nighters here and there.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I've never pulled an all-nighter, but it's not at all uncommon for me (and most people I know) to only get 3-4 hours of sleep before an exam. But, I do know some people who pull all-nighters here and there.

it had been my normal schedule in undergrad; i'm hoping to change that now...

 

[velo]

it had been my normal schedule in undergrad; i'm hoping to change that now...

It would be a good idea. I find that a few intense sessions right before an exam (ie cramming or the "all-nighter") is alright for spitting things back out on that exam, but pretty crappy for long-term retention. You'll retain things more easily (or, as the case may be, re-learn them more quickly) if you just study the material everyday, don't fall behind, and really use exam studying to hammer points home, not to learn things for the first time.

 

[sacrament]

I pulled an all-nighter before nearly every exam during 1st and 2nd years. I studied on a fairly regular basis and had no problem retaining the Big Concepts, and certainly could have done well on tests without the all-nighters, but I found that spending that last evening cramming the small bits of worthless, clinically irrelevant info into my brain immeasurably increased the odds I'd correctly answer those bizarre, random questions that had everybody pulling their hair out after the exam. For me it was definitely the difference between Near Honors and Honors, and, what the hell, it's only one night every few weeks. Big deal. I'm one of those people who has virtually no problems with concentration after an all-nighter, however, and in fact usually start to feel pretty invigorated after the sun comes up and I get my second wind--more awake than I usually feel after dragging my ass out of bed in the morning.

 

[TruTrooper]

Well, considering that I have been dealing with major cases of insomnia, I never actually pulled an all-nighter until I got to med school. It never seem to have bothered me much.

Right up until 2nd year, I always thought it was crucial to NOT look at any thing the day before the exam and just relax, drink beer, and listen to my GF plead with me to take her out for a night on the town since I wasn't doing any thing medical school related. But when that med school reading really started to pick up, my study partner and I didn't sleep the night before occasional exams. We would try to iron out as many concepts and mneumonics as we could.

Once we did it the first time, we had no problem pulling all-nighters whenever we felt that it was necessary.

 

[tupac_don]

Wow - it's obvious you did horribly as a result. 😀

Not really, I pull close to all nighters, I say sleep about 2-3hrs night before the test. It really helps to solidify the material. I find, with cafeine, adreanline you focus, really well. However, all nighters, no sleep whatsoever, that's only reserved if you have no choice. But I often use the night before to go over some nitty gritty details to maximize my score. I find that helps that I don't second guess myself. It works well, but true all nighters, that's a last resort. Although if I have only one exam, and I find I can do real well with another 6hrs of studing, I'll do it. Concentration I can maintain for 2 hrs during the test, than it's nap time.

 

[tupac_don]

I pulled an all-nighter before nearly every exam during 1st and 2nd years. I studied on a fairly regular basis and had no problem retaining the Big Concepts, and certainly could have done well on tests without the all-nighters, but I found that spending that last evening cramming the small bits of worthless, clinically irrelevant info into my brain immeasurably increased the odds I'd correctly answer those bizarre, random questions that had everybody pulling their hair out after the exam. For me it was definitely the difference between Near Honors and Honors, and, what the hell, it's only one night every few weeks. Big deal. I'm one of those people who has virtually no problems with concentration after an all-nighter, however, and in fact usually start to feel pretty invigorated after the sun comes up and I get my second wind--more awake than I usually feel after dragging my ass out of bed in the morning.

I like your strategy.

 

[NPursuit]

One REM cycle is 2.5 hours. Thus, I shoot for 2.5 hours minimum. I feel a lot better this way, think more lucidly, and then if I have other exams, I'll survive. All-nighters should only come as a last resort, as others have said. I prefer 8 hours, but man, it never seems to work out that way. 🙁

 

[getunconcsious]

One REM cycle is 2.5 hours. Thus, I shoot for 2.5 hours minimum. I feel a lot better this way, think more lucidly, and then if I have other exams, I'll survive. All-nighters should only come as a last resort, as others have said. I prefer 8 hours, but man, it never seems to work out that way. 🙁

I don't sleep much the night before an exam in a hard class mostly due to anxiety. So I figure if I'm going to be up anyways, might as well use that time to study. I did pull all-nighters for P-chem and O-chem in college but I think it makes a big difference in a positive way if you have at least a few hours of sleep, like 3-4.

 

[erin682]

I've never done an all nighter. If I'm really tired in an exam I just get bored and generally pissed off that I have to be there. Then I don't pay attention to the questions and make stupid mistakes. I will get up an hour to and hour and a half early and look over things that I've had trouble memorizing. That seems to work best for me. I definately get less sleep but no sleep doesn't work.

 

[Blade28]

Rarely.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

It would be a good idea. I find that a few intense sessions right before an exam (ie cramming or the "all-nighter") is alright for spitting things back out on that exam, but pretty crappy for long-term retention. You'll retain things more easily (or, as the case may be, re-learn them more quickly) if you just study the material everyday, don't fall behind, and really use exam studying to hammer points home, not to learn things for the first time.

well i do review every day but the sheer volume of stuff in gross anatomy, i think i'll need to pull a week of all-nighters before the exam just to get close to knowing everything 🙁

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I pulled an all-nighter before nearly every exam during 1st and 2nd years. I studied on a fairly regular basis and had no problem retaining the Big Concepts, and certainly could have done well on tests without the all-nighters, but I found that spending that last evening cramming the small bits of worthless, clinically irrelevant info into my brain immeasurably increased the odds I'd correctly answer those bizarre, random questions that had everybody pulling their hair out after the exam. For me it was definitely the difference between Near Honors and Honors, and, what the hell, it's only one night every few weeks. Big deal. I'm one of those people who has virtually no problems with concentration after an all-nighter, however, and in fact usually start to feel pretty invigorated after the sun comes up and I get my second wind--more awake than I usually feel after dragging my ass out of bed in the morning.

yea, i'm like that too for one all-nighter, but after two i'm ready to pass out. The one week of finals in my junior year when i got about 8 hours of sleep in a week, i was hallucinating and literally couldn't stand up. ok i learned my lesson that time 😳

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I personally have never been one to stay up all night to study, I'm in bed by 11pm at the latest, especially if I have a test the next day... some of my classmates will be lucky to get 3 or 4 hours of sleep the night before a test... it all depends on your personal study skills.

11 PM??? i can't remember the last time i was in bed at 11 PM. i guess it's only been when i'm in a hospital bed

 

[clayvessel]

i do regularly pull them but trying to cut the habit!

 

[ms1finally]

NOT ME! My bed time is between 11 and 12. I've only broken it once. I find I study much more effectively and I never fall asleep in class. Plus, the questions on our tests are kind of tricky - I would hate to take a test sleep deprived (although sometimes I get stressed out the night before and have trouble falling asleep/wake up early).

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

Shoot. I feel like a slacker. I've never pulled an all-nighter in my life, and now as a 2nd year, I try to get to bed before 10PM to get up to start my day at 6.

I'm happy, and passed my first year, so all is well. 🙂

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Shoot. I feel like a slacker. I've never pulled an all-nighter in my life, and now as a 2nd year, I try to get to bed before 10PM to get up to start my day at 6.

I'm happy, and passed my first year, so all is well. 🙂

wow, i'm jealous; i didn't know people realy got 8 hrs of sleep

 

[Napoleon1801]

All nighters have to be the worst study tactic ever. Not only are you tired and feel like crap the next day, you remember zilch about the subject both in the short term and long term. 👎

 

[omarsaleh66]

NOT ME! My bed time is between 11 and 12. I've only broken it once. I find I study much more effectively and I never fall asleep in class. Plus, the questions on our tests are kind of tricky - I would hate to take a test sleep deprived (although sometimes I get stressed out the night before and have trouble falling asleep/wake up early).

Hhaha I know what u mean, I had to take the USMLE without any sleep (too stressed out the night before). That was an 8 hr test!!! The same thing happened with the MCAT. and probably the same thing is gonna happen for step 2. Thank God for coffee and tylenol and adrenaline.

Pulling all nighters isnt worth it. I was pulling all nighter until 2nd year, i think as time goes on, u can manage ur time a little better. I think once u guys get the hang of first year or first semester, then u will be able to manage ur time better and not have to pull all nighters.

I used to complain all the time until 3rd year started. Then I got to see how hard residents have to work. They are on call every 4th night and they work all day, then admit like 12 patients thru the night and then the next morning they look fine and sometimes have to work straight until 1-2 b4 they go home. Doing that every 4th day sucks. I guess u just get more stamina to do that kind of stuff as medical training goes on.


holler

 

[sacrament]

All nighters have to be the worst study tactic ever. Not only are you tired and feel like crap the next day, you remember zilch about the subject both in the short term and long term. 👎

There is a population of people who like to say this, and it's sort of like a diabetic coming up to me and, without knowing whether or not I myself am also a diabetic, saying "DUDE, you have got to inject yourself with insulin. A few times a day, maybe. If you don't inject yourself with insulin, you're in for a world of hurt." No sane diabetic would do that, and yet sleep-ophiles seem to be unable to comprehend the possibility that human beings exist who can function in a perfectly acceptable manner without massive doses of sleep.

 

[velo]

There is a population of people who like to say this, and it's sort of like a diabetic coming up to me and, without knowing whether or not I myself am also a diabetic, saying "DUDE, you have got to inject yourself with insulin. A few times a day, maybe. If you don't inject yourself with insulin, you're in for a world of hurt." No sane diabetic would do that, and yet sleep-ophiles seem to be unable to comprehend the possibility that human beings exist who can function in a perfectly acceptable manner without massive doses of sleep.

To a degree...I mean, yeah, everyone needs differing amounts of sleep. But there's evidence to back up the claim that sleep deprivation negatively affects memory formation.

 

[sacrament]

To a degree...I mean, yeah, everyone needs differing amounts of sleep. But there's evidence to back up the claim that sleep deprivation negatively affects memory formation.

Does anybody out there really think they'll need or want to remember, five years or five months or five minutes down the road, the exact chemical diagram of the inert intermediate formed in step seventeen of the Bonkyfoo Base Cycle? The simple fact is that at most medical schools, 5-10% of any test is comprised of crazy fetish questions regarding intricate details of the professor's research interests that you shouldn't try to remember for more than a day at a time. These are the crammable factoids that a good all-nighter should concern itself with if you're really looking to beat the ass off of a test. Why should you bother spending hours upon hours, over a course of days to weeks, trying to permanently stuff that crap into your mind when it is a war you are destined to lose. Regardless of how much sleep you get, regardless of how vigilant you are about studying every day, a year from now you simply will not remember a vast portion of the minutiae that medical school involves. So why trouble yourself with it any more than is absolutely necessary? Study every day, but concentrate on stuff that you might actually want to know at same point (believe me, that'll still account for hours a day). As for the rest of it, I've found that, personally, an all-nighter before the exam is the optimal way to ensure temporary 100% recall without wasted effort.

Regardless, there are people out there who apparently are unable to function without sleep, which is why I don't go around claiming that everybody should always pull an all-nighter before a test because, well, just look how well it worked for me! And yet sleep-hungry people don't see any problem in suggesting that anybody who pulls an all-nighter is shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[logical44]

Or do people think you're crazy if you do that? I got a few hours of sleep last night but I'm sure for gross anatomy i'll need at least one all-nighter, even if i try to keep up. 🙁

It depends on your study habits.
But you will need to do that quite often and even before tests.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

There is a population of people who like to say this, and it's sort of like a diabetic coming up to me and, without knowing whether or not I myself am also a diabetic, saying "DUDE, you have got to inject yourself with insulin. A few times a day, maybe. If you don't inject yourself with insulin, you're in for a world of hurt." No sane diabetic would do that, and yet sleep-ophiles seem to be unable to comprehend the possibility that human beings exist who can function in a perfectly acceptable manner without massive doses of sleep.

well isn't that what they expect of us when we're on call? so the alll-nighters is our training.. 😀

 

[Psycho Doctor]

It depends on your study habits.
But you will need to do that quite often and even before tests.

for the most part, my study habits suck, but i'm trying to change that around. i'm actually more organized and have better time management in med school, but the volume of information here seems to put me back in the same hole. 😱

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

the #1 rule of time management in med school is to skip class.

nuff said.

 

[Napoleon1801]

Regardless, there are people out there who apparently are unable to function without sleep, which is why I don't go around claiming that everybody should always pull an all-nighter before a test because, well, just look how well it worked for me! And yet sleep-hungry people don't see any problem in suggesting that anybody who pulls an all-nighter is shooting themselves in the foot.

It's just not a healthy routine to follow. Biologically speaking, we all need sleep, but of course having the lovely gift of youth we have the ability to skimp. I think you seriously mess up your internal regulation by not keeping into routine. Later on in life these kind of things contribute to a slew of sleep disorders, anxiety, and stress which all lead to shorter and lower quality lifespans. The occasional all nighter is not going to lead to this, but without a good sleep routine it may not hurt now, but a lifetime of it is going to hurt later. I don't think there are such things as "non/sleep-hungry" people, because to me not sleeping is just as negatively health affecting as is alcohol or smoking.

Also, I don't think we need to memorize 100% of the crap we see in med school, but some of it is damn important. If you're my surgeon I want your @$$ to know your anatomy cold. If you're treating my gouty arthritis, I expect you to know about purine synthesis, salvage, and degradation pathways. The bottom line of this is that you ought to know your basics coming out of the first 2 years, its not something to blow off, b/c you're only going to see it again and again.

Periorbital ecchymosis just isn't sexy on a med student. 😴

 

[noncestvrai]

the #1 rule of time management in med school is to skip class.

nuff said.

I don't agree, since going to class decreases my study time a lot.

I have not done a real all-nighter in 1st year, but sometimes 2-3 hours of sleep before exams. Once though that kind of backfired, I had an exam from 8:30-12:00 then a practical at 6, I did not feel the best at that time I just wanted to go home and crash...

I learn better by reading the stuff "as you go", but I always endup using the last min-pressure environment to go over the top. I just learned today that I made Dean's Honour List! (top 10%)

noncestvrai

 

[Psycho Doctor]

the #1 rule of time management in med school is to skip class.

nuff said.

wow, you people really think class is that useless? certainly you don't mean classes like gross anatomy lab??? actually i learn quite a bit in class; i don't think that would work for me.

 

[sacrament]

It's just not a healthy routine to follow. Biologically speaking, we all need sleep, but of course having the lovely gift of youth we have the ability to skimp. I think you seriously mess up your internal regulation by not keeping into routine. Later on in life these kind of things contribute to a slew of sleep disorders, anxiety, and stress which all lead to shorter and lower quality lifespans. The occasional all nighter is not going to lead to this, but without a good sleep routine it may not hurt now, but a lifetime of it is going to hurt later. I don't think there are such things as "non/sleep-hungry" people, because to me not sleeping is just as negatively health affecting as is alcohol or smoking.

This started off my morning with a hearty belly laugh. You don't believe there are people who require less sleep than you. You're not buying it. Primarily because sleeping less than you leads to bipolar disorder, hair loss and possibly prolapsed rectum. You sound like a Jewish grandmother who thinks wearing a hat indoors will cause brain tumors.

Pulling one all-nighter every couple weeks is utterly benign, and if you truly believe otherwise then, brother, you are in the wrong profession because odds are you'll be pulling all-nighters way more frequently than that during clinical years, residency and possibly beyond.

Also, I don't think we need to memorize 100% of the crap we see in med school, but some of it is damn important. If you're my surgeon I want your @$$ to know your anatomy cold. If you're treating my gouty arthritis, I expect you to know about purine synthesis, salvage, and degradation pathways. The bottom line of this is that you ought to know your basics coming out of the first 2 years, its not something to blow off, b/c you're only going to see it again and again.

The whole point is that there is a large percentage of it you will never see again. Ever.

 

[closertofine]

I agree that there are people who can function well on much less than 8 hours of sleep, but unfortunately I don't seem to be one of them. Heck, I'm exhausted after 8 hours and two Diet Cokes (well, 10 hours yesterday including a nap...plus 4 Diet Cokes!). 🙁 I just don't get it...I want to be one of those non-sleep-needy people too!

 

[Andrew_Doan]

This started off my morning with a hearty belly laugh. You don't believe there are people who require less sleep than you. You're not buying it.

I agree with Sacrament. For example, I get tons more done than others because of my continual hypo-manic state. Just two days ago, I was working in the lab, spending time with family, and working on business at night with only 3 hours of sleep for 2-3 days. I usually average around 5-6 hours/night. Sometimes I need 8.

 

[erin682]

I agree that there are people who can function well on much less than 8 hours of sleep, but unfortunately I don't seem to be one of them. Heck, I'm exhausted after 8 hours and two Diet Cokes (well, 10 hours yesterday including a nap...plus 4 Diet Cokes!). 🙁 I just don't get it...I want to be one of those non-sleep-needy people too!

could be the diet cokes. Just a thought.

 

[raidermedic]

The closest I came to an all nighter was going to bed at 1 AM and waking up at 4 AM the next day to cram for an exam. And thats because I had goofed around the whole section instead of staying on top of things.
Some of my classmates wake up around 3AM and just reread all the notes before the exam. They do wind up getting all the little off the wall details sometimes asked, but I would rather get more sleep than get another 3 or 4 questions right.

 

[mdphd2b]

Pulled all-nighters in college. Once med school started, I tried to study until very late, but ultimately fell asleep around 3-4am.

On the clinical rotations I had so far I was sooooo tired, it never even occured to me to cram all night! That's when I learned how too much caffeine and not enough sleep causes a very unpleasant ringing in the ears! Has anyone ever gotten that? 😕

 

[sacrament]

On the clinical rotations I had so far I was sooooo tired, it never even occured to me to cram all night!

Oh lord no, I would never pull an intentional all-nighter during clinical rotations. Now it only happens when I'm on call.

 

[closertofine]

could be the diet cokes. Just a thought.

that they might be keeping me from sleeping well? I've thought about giving them up...but without them, I don't think I'd even make it to my first class. But I think I must not be sleeping very deeply if I wake up exhausted after a full night's sleep...so maybe I'll give caffeine withdrawal a try. 🙂