question about working on fewer hours of sleep

[mommy2three]

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i just finished the big bad year 2.......and i am a 7-8 hour sleep gal a night preferably. i could operate on 5-6 hours but i was never happy camper afterwards.
i have a sneaky feeling that 7-8 hours of sleep in MS-3 will be a luxury 😉
i have 3 weeks before rotations start so if you all could offer any advice on how to get adjusted to operating on fewer hours of sleep from your experiences it would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Metfan2987]

Its not easy, but I have a history of some sleeping issues so for me it was pretty natural. If you ever have downtime where your residents are not around, go around searching for that perfect spot to nap. Then throughout the rotation if u ever feel reeeeally tired you'll have a go to spot!

 

[Oxer45]

i just finished the big bad year 2.......and i am a 7-8 hour sleep gal a night preferably. i could operate on 5-6 hours but i was never happy camper afterwards.
i have a sneaky feeling that 7-8 hours of sleep in MS-3 will be a luxury 😉
i have 3 weeks before rotations start so if you all could offer any advice on how to get adjusted to operating on fewer hours of sleep from your experiences it would be greatly appreciated!!

Your sleeping schedule will get screwed up cause of calls, night shifts, etc. You need to "reset" your sleeping schedule to the normal time every now and then: antihistamine helps.

 

[Green Grass]

If you're not on call, getting 7 hours of sleep really shouldn't be an issue. As a student physician, you will be required to take calls which necessitate overnight shifts - this is just a fact of your future life. You can't imagine how good you will sleep on your post-call day...it's amazing.

 

[hrandani]

Its not easy, but I have a history of some sleeping issues so for me it was pretty natural. If you ever have downtime where your residents are not around, go around searching for that perfect spot to nap. Then throughout the rotation if u ever feel reeeeally tired you'll have a go to spot!

Don't do this.

 

[Green Grass]

Don't do this.

Agreed. Terrible advice.

 

[45408]

Don't do this.

Feels good, man.

 

[QuizzicalApe]

Well, I mean, do it if you're on overnight call and the person you're with is okay with it, or if you've run out of damns to give. Best have a loud pager/phone, though.

Otherwise, just soldier on.

 

[partydoc]

Some rotations will give you a lot of down time. Instead of looking for a spot to nap, I would make sure to have something to read in your pocket (case files, pretest, etc.). That way you don't have to read as much when you get home and can use that extra time to sleep/ do whatever besides study.

Also, if you have a day off, make sure to get that extra sleep and fill some of that sleep debt.

 

[KnuxNole]

Don't do this.

For night call, that's good advice though. Especially since they usually let med students sleep after midnight and such. Then again, on call, are they really gonna call a lowly third year? I can see it now.


Patient is dying! Let's call the third year so he can take pictures and awe at the site!

 

[link2swim06]

i just finished the big bad year 2.......and i am a 7-8 hour sleep gal a night preferably. i could operate on 5-6 hours but i was never happy camper afterwards.
i have a sneaky feeling that 7-8 hours of sleep in MS-3 will be a luxury 😉
i have 3 weeks before rotations start so if you all could offer any advice on how to get adjusted to operating on fewer hours of sleep from your experiences it would be greatly appreciated!!

I haven't started 3rd year but have alot of experience w/ functioning on little sleep. I once took a test after a double all-nighter, but I digress...

From the beginning of second year to now I effectively changed my sleep cycle from 8 hours to closer to 5 so I could work a part-time job during M2 year. Eventually it feels somewhat "normal"... I'd say avoid caffeine as its never really a long term solution. If you suck it up for the first couple weeks it will become easier to tolerate.

 

[winkleweizen]

I think its definitley possible to get 7-8 hours most nights of third year (surgery and maybe OB it will be a bit more difficult). **** on psychiatry i could have slept 14 hours a day.

As far as night calls what I usually do if im doing an overnight. Get there at 7 am and leavea round 10 am or so the next morning. I would go home and take a 2 hour nap till 12 and then be ready to enjoy my day off. That way I wouldnt be super amped and stay up all night and then get my sleep schedule thrown off

 

[DrMediterranean]

For night call, that's good advice though. Especially since they usually let med students sleep after midnight and such. Then again, on call, are they really gonna call a lowly third year? I can see it now.


Patient is dying! Let's call the third year so he can take pictures and awe at the site!

Lol

 

[Metfan2987]

Agreed. Terrible advice.

I'm not of the misguided mindset on this board that says u have to be there every second of every day smoking the residents' poles to get a good eval. I napped plenty because i friggin wanted to, and got great evals. As long as ur not a *****.

Its good advice. Better to be refreshed on afternoon rounds than to be sluggish because you stayed up for 3 hours asking an intern if there is anything "u could help with"

 

[Law2Doc]

For night call, that's good advice though. Especially since they usually let med students sleep after midnight and such. Then again, on call, are they really gonna call a lowly third year? I can see it now.


Patient is dying! Let's call the third year so he can take pictures and awe at the site!

Yeah, most residents won't really care per se if you disappear, but don't expect them to be in a rush to page or find you either. You aren't there, you miss opportunities to see and do stuff. You miss too many opportunities, the residents aren't going to give the attending rave reviews. That's just the way it is. Face time during call sometimes is your only way to show interest.

 

[45408]

For night call, that's good advice though. Especially since they usually let med students sleep after midnight and such. Then again, on call, are they really gonna call a lowly third year? I can see it now.


Patient is dying! Let's call the third year so he can take pictures and awe at the site!

They will if you're the one carrying the consult pager! For trauma surgery (which also covered all the general surgery consults), the M3 on call carried the consult pager. Great experience, not much sleep.

 

[twentyone]

Wait- you have three kids and you're worried about losing sleep during third year? You'll be fine.

 

[Buzz Me]

Don't do this.

We residents know when the studs are sleeping!

 

[illegallysmooth]

I've wondered about this too. I used to have a horrible sleep schedule due to working overnights and having morning classes (that I skipped half the time). I didn't realize it at the time, but I was always tired and moody. Now I have a much more regular schedule and I'm much more focused (and happier in general). I really hope I can make it through the next few years without screwing that up completely.

 

[Law2Doc]

I've wondered about this too. I used to have a horrible sleep schedule due to working overnights and having morning classes (that I skipped half the time). I didn't realize it at the time, but I was always tired and moody. Now I have a much more regular schedule and I'm much more focused (and happier in general). I really hope I can make it through the next few years without screwing that up completely.

You might become moody as a resident. Nobody really cares, so long as you do the work at a high level, and don't go off on the wrong people.