How much sleep do you have a day?

[James Sacket]

... since you've started med school

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[ar2388]

i think 5-6 is the usual number.. and im the kind of person who needs 8-10 to feel best lol.

 

[auburnO5]

It would be very easy to get 8+. I've never slept that much though.

 

[ar2388]

i like being a night owl... lol. and sleeping in late. so im trying to be a night owl so wakes up early..

 

[Guillemot]

Probably average around 8. First 2 years at least this is usually doable. It probably depends on the particular rotation in years 3, 4.

 

[amakhosidlo]

Depends on what I have in the morning. Class? f**k it. 8-9 hrs easy. Clinical stuff? Usually running on 6...

 

[engineeredout]

8 hours per day up until 2nd semester MS2, then down to 6 due to early morning board studying. (mandatory lecture = 7 hours per day pissed away learning absolutely nothing).

 

[genswim24]

I get 7 hours a night and that is the perfect amount for me. Whenever I sleep for 8 hrs + I feel like absolute garbage the next day.

I have done this throughout the first two years, start clinical rotations May 2nd so this may change.

 

[metallica81788]

Usually I go to bed around 11 or 11:30 and wake up at 6:30 or 7.

Weekends I can get at least 9 hours until close to the test.

Week of the test I probably get about 6, but it still works.

 

[sonofva]

i get around 8 hours every night since i stopped going to class.

 

[FutureMDSurgeon]

Ive averaged 4-5 hours a night this year

.... thats the price you pay to stay in the top 15% of class

 

[nogolfinsnow]

Ive averaged 4-5 hours a night this year

.... thats the price you pay to stay in the top 15% of class

That's the price you pay to be in the top 15%. Others will have the ability based on scheduling (i.e. non-mandatory lecture) or efficient study habits/time management skills that allow them to maintain high scores while sleeping a normal amount. Pre-meds, 1st, and 2nd years shouldn't think sleep-deprivation is required for success. My sleep deprivation occurred during 3rd year surgery clerkship and 4th year AI and ICU rotations simply based on # of hours spent in the hospital.

 

[FutureMDSurgeon]

That's the price you pay to be in the top 15%. Others will have the ability based on scheduling (i.e. non-mandatory lecture) or efficient study habits/time management skills that allow them to maintain high scores while sleeping a normal amount. Pre-meds, 1st, and 2nd years shouldn't think sleep-deprivation is required for success. My sleep deprivation occurred during 3rd year surgery clerkship and 4th year AI and ICU rotations simply based on # of hours spent in the hospital.

Well premeds should understand that at one point or another (M3, internship, residency) sleep deprivation will become a constant in their lives...They might as well start getting used to the idea now

 

[caseofthemndays]

Depends on what I have in the morning. Class? f**k it. 8-9 hrs easy. Clinical stuff? Usually running on 6...

This. Totally.

 

[Lokhtar]

Well premeds should understand that at one point or another (M3, internship, residency) sleep deprivation will become a constant in their lives...They might as well start getting used to the idea now

That....doesn't make sense. Why do it unless you have to? Everyone will die eventually, doesn't mean you should get used to the process by killing yourself now....

 

[da8s0859q]

Well premeds should understand that at one point or another (M3, internship, residency) sleep deprivation will become a constant in their lives...They might as well start getting used to the idea now

Oh good lord.

OP: About 8 hours, more or less depending on whether I'm actually tired. Non-mandatory lecture has spoiled me.

Will have a few early mornings in the near future -- group study for Step 1 which I'll be taking soon -- but other than that, unless you constantly have 8am mandatory classes, there's no reason why you can't get lots of sleep in the first two years unless you're hyperintense and just have, absolutely have, to be in the top few percent.

 

[bioteach]

Well premeds should understand that at one point or another (M3, internship, residency) sleep deprivation will become a constant in their lives...They might as well start getting used to the idea now

The only clerkship I didn't get as much sleep as I needed was during surgery. Even then it was about 6 hrs a night. Every other rotation I've done has been 7-8 hours. Even call isn't bad because you get a post-call day. I don't ever anticipate sleep deprivation being a constant in my life...but then I don't plan on going into surgery, either

 

[FutureMDSurgeon]

That....doesn't make sense. Why do it unless you have to? Everyone will die eventually, doesn't mean you should get used to the process by killing yourself now....

I think that that is a pretty bad analogy. Medicine is a stressful, demanding job that many times will force you to operate on limited sleep. If you can't deal with it now, then you shouldn't try dealing with it at all. Sorry to inject some reality into the discussion.

 

[Guillemot]

I think that that is a pretty bad analogy. Medicine is a stressful, demanding job that many times will force you to operate on limited sleep. If you can't deal with it now, then you shouldn't try dealing with it at all. Sorry to inject some reality into the discussion.

Are you sure you arent premed?

 

[bruinhd]

8+ hours and I'm doing pretty well academically through M1 and M2.

 

[MilkmanAl]

8+ for me.

 

[bruinhd]

I think that that is a pretty bad analogy. Medicine is a stressful, demanding job that many times will force you to operate on limited sleep. If you can't deal with it now, then you shouldn't try dealing with it at all. Sorry to inject some reality into the discussion.

I agree with Guillemot. I am not sure where your frame of reference is for "reality". Please stay away from my patients with your poor understanding of basic health needs such as sleep.

 

[FutureMDSurgeon]

You guys are gonna hate residency.
Bruinhd, don't worry about your patients, I won't go near them I swear.

 

[bruinhd]

You guys are gonna hate residency.
Bruinhd, don't worry about your patients, I won't go near them I swear.

There will obviously be days with call during residency where my sleep schedule will have to be adjusted, but I'm pretty sure my sleep schedule won't change. People have threatened me with the fact that I will have to make sacrifices since I got to medical school.

The attitude I've maintained for this career and for life frankly is that you can make time for anything as long as it is important to you. I take plenty of vacations, I watch a lot of TV, I hang out with my girlfriend a lot, and I still have time to accomplish what I need to in school. There are people in medical school and in this field with the mentality that they must work 16 hours a day, study 20 hours a day, and whatnot up until the moment they drop dead.

Well if that works for you, that's fine. Yes, there are doctors that work 16 hours a day. There are also some that work 6. There are many that work 9 like the typical stiff. The sacrifice on wage garnishes is always up to you.

If you put your career first, you can work all the time and never see your family. If your family is the type that is fine with that, then it will work.

Me, personally, I put my family first. I won't ever sacrifice my health (my sleep) nor time with loved ones just to put in more hours into a career for the sake of piling money somewhere.

So with all due respect, I will love residency just fine. I'll love my career. I always call my own shots and do what works for me. There will be days where I will have to reschedule things or move things around, but that is not the daily.

Ive averaged 4-5 hours a night this year .... thats the price you pay to stay in the top 15% of class

So now that you're approaching the end of your 1st year of medical school, you've not only figured out what it takes for EVERYONE to be in the top 15%, but also what residency is all about? I think you forgot to mention that your wisdom on these matters not only involves 4 hours of sleep but also a crystal ball.

 

[FutureMDSurgeon]

Bro, your post is flawed for one simple reason: You talk about residency as if you will be choosing how many hours you work. You will be working a ****load of hours and be sleeping very little. So if less than 8 hrs of sleep every night is a problem for you, then I beg to differ. You definitely will not love residency. Your alternative of course is matching into derm, so if that's the case, you better hit the books and lay off SDN for a while. Oh and I don't think its a secret that residents work unbelievably hard.

 

[bruinhd]

Bro, your post is flawed for one simple reason: You talk about residency as if you will be choosing how many hours you work. You will be working a ****load of hours and be sleeping very little. So if less than 8 hrs of sleep every night is a problem for you, then I beg to differ. You definitely will not love residency. Your alternative of course is matching into derm, so if that's the case, you better hit the books and lay off SDN for a while. Oh and I don't think its a secret that residents work unbelievably hard.

I think we are miscommunicating. Residents work more or less than 80 hours a week. If sleep is important to you, like it is to me, you will get your 8 hours. There may be the odd times where you won't, but not every MS1 sleeps 4 hours each night like you do. I got through MS1 just fine sleeping 8+ hours a night. I wasn't in the top 15% of my class, but I wasn't in the bottom portion either.

There's plenty of people that were in the top part of the class who had similar sleep schedules. I have one friend in the top 4 of our class, who doesn't study past 7pm each day because he has a family.

EDIT: I apologize for being mean in my earlier responses. I just didn't jive well with the way you were making your argument. I think I see where you are coming from.

 

[WDeagle]

MS1-2 i was at 6-8 sometimes 9 hours a night. MS3 is really rotation dependent but always much less than MS1-2. The big difference is that clinical medicine is pretty physically demanding. Pre-clinical years you pretty much are sitting most of your waking hours so your less tired from your day.

 

[fahimaz7]

Ive averaged 4-5 hours a night this year

.... thats the price you pay to stay in the top 15% of class

I'm in the top quintile of my class, and I laugh at this statement. It's hard work, but it isn't that hard. Just wait till 2nd year when it's all new material, and you actually have to put forth a lot of effort to stay in the top.

 

[da8s0859q]

I'm in the top quintile of my class, and I laugh at this statement. It's hard work, but it isn't that hard. Just wait till 2nd year when it's all new material, and you actually have to put forth a lot of effort to stay in the top.

Not to mention that he's telling all of us we're gonna hate residency even though he's an M1 and we just like sleep a little more than him. Interesting.

 

[medicalmatins]

It's so good to hear that most of you are getting 7-8 hours of sleep! I've discovered in college that sleep is absolutely vital for my staying sane and polite. This makes me very happy.

 

[FutureMDSurgeon]

I think we are miscommunicating. Residents work more or less than 80 hours a week. If sleep is important to you, like it is to me, you will get your 8 hours. There may be the odd times where you won't, but not every MS1 sleeps 4 hours each night like you do. I got through MS1 just fine sleeping 8+ hours a night. I wasn't in the top 15% of my class, but I wasn't in the bottom portion either.

There's plenty of people that were in the top part of the class who had similar sleep schedules. I have one friend in the top 4 of our class, who doesn't study past 7pm each day because he has a family.

EDIT: I apologize for being mean in my earlier responses. I just didn't jive well with the way you were making your argument. I think I see where you are coming from.

No problem dude. I think I phrased my argument a little vaguely. I'm just saying expect to lose some sleep at one point or another during your medical journey. Appreciate those 8+ hrs of sleep while you still can

 

[sanityonleave]

You guys are gonna hate residency.

Bro, your post is flawed for one simple reason: You talk about residency as if you will be choosing how many hours you work. You will be working a ****load of hours and be sleeping very little. So if less than 8 hrs of sleep every night is a problem for you, then I beg to differ. You definitely will not love residency. Your alternative of course is matching into derm, so if that's the case, you better hit the books and lay off SDN for a while. Oh and I don't think its a secret that residents work unbelievably hard.

Thank you for that splendid advice about residency, Mr. MS1. Do you have any other pearls of wisdom for us about residency from your long years of experience?

As an aside, I'm in the top 10-15% of my class and I sleep as much as I want. Usually 6-7. And I go out and *gasp* have a life too.

 

[FutureMDSurgeon]

Thank you for that splendid advice about residency, Mr. MS1. Do you have any other pearls of wisdom for us about residency from your long years of experience?

As an aside, I'm in the top 10-15% of my class and I sleep as much as I want. Usually 6-7. And I go out and *gasp* have a life too.

You're welcome on the advice. Yes I do got some pearls. Feel free to PM me anytime you need help on anything.

 

[fahimaz7]

You're welcome on the advice. Yes I do got some pearls. Feel free to PM me anytime you need help on anything.

Anyone doing an over/under for how many posts this guy will have before he gets the ban stick? Check out his posting history for a few good Lol's.

 

[tehdude]

9-10

 

[majahops]

I get around 8 hours. I usually go to sleep around 1 and wake up around 9. I'm a 2nd year, so not sure how this is going to work out next year with rotations. It's actually one of the things I've been most worried about, because I have a very, very hard time functioning on < 6 hours of sleep and a very hard time falling asleep before midnight, so, do the math. Surgery may not be pretty for me.

 

[Shadowmoses]

MS1 here. My living conditions (roomate mostly) mess with my sleep schedule which is a problem. If I get 7-8 hours I'm happy with that. anything less and i'll take an afternoon nap if I have the time.