Sleep and the notorious winter quarter at AZCOM

[12190]

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Hi,
I'm almost half way through my first year at AZCOM. Things have been pretty hectic for me so far and I feel like I'm still learning to balance my time in academics. I'm still trying to figure out how much I should be sleeping and how much studying I should be doing. I feel like that there are times where I'm just reading and not absorbing due to lack of sleep.

I also feel like I bounce around a lot in terms of my sleep. Some days I do 6 hours some 9 hours before exams, like 5 hours.

What is the minimum amount that is adequate for med students to function and absorb material? Does this vary from individual? I truly apologize if these questions seem elementary. I don't have much experience in this arena and my background isn't very science laden. My GPA in undergrad was good but my MCAT (verbal especially) was LOW. Which explains my slow thought processes. It just takes me time.

I want to get enough sleep to just keep me alert to an extent to which I will be able to function well. I have taken 2 exams in the past 2 days and I realized I made mistakes due to insufficient sleep (where I did not read the question right and new the right answer but put the wrong one). My thinking gets slower with lack of sleep but once I get back in January we will be doing many more frequent exams so I want to keep it reasonable.

Is it advisable to take naps? I'm the type that can be tired and go home for a nap but will just wrestle in the sheets for like 45 minutes to no avail.

What's everyones strategy in this regards?

Input would be really appreciated.

We took a Psychology class first quarter which was a joke and didn't really cover much of this information so I'm sure a lot of you guys are more experienced in this arena than I am.

Thanks in advance.

 

[CWALKERRUN]

You're sleep pattern is really determined by trial and error. You see what is the least amount of sleep you can get and still function all day and night. For first year its OK to take naps during the day if you need to. Sometimes a quick 25-30 minute nap (but no more) will help re-energize you even though you may not completely fall asleep. I certainly don't speak for everyone when I say there is no set amount of sleep that is recommended to function, but of course the more the better. Sometimes when I'm trying to study and I can't stay awake I won't fight it and will go ahead and sleep for 3 or 4 hours and wake up and start studying again, no matter the time of day. For instance, I've fallen asleep at 10:30pm because I couldn't stay awake and woken up at 2:00am to start studying again. Gauge how much you need to get done that day and plan your sleep around that. It's a huge juggling act so try different strategies, but get it figured out before 2nd year. Good luck.

 

[willen101383]

I pretty much never got any less than 9 hours of sleep any day during M1 and so far during M2.

 

[ChemMed]

For myself I usually get and need 6-7 hrs a night no matter what. I can do a whole week of 6 hrs a night but then on the weekend I'll catch up with 9-10 hrs. I find that I can focus with this type of sleep schedule and martian decent grades.

I know others who are functional with different levels so some of it is dependent on who you are, but generally getting a good nights rest helps you out.

 

[randomusername]

The rest of MS1 will definitely be rough at AZCOM (but hang in there!). What everybody needs regarding sleep is completely different. I hardly ever went to class (and still don't during MS2) because I'm one of those people who can function with less-sleep but strongly prefers to have more instead. Most weeks, a lot of people are able to manage to get by with a near-normal amount of sleep at night with some sort of nap during the day, and some weeks they might find themselves needing to do more of a pattern like CWalker mentioned (this is pretty much the way I primarily sleep when school's going on these days).

Ultimately, it just takes some experimenting for you to figure out what you can and can't handle and what you'd prefer to do.

 

[JohnCarterIIIDO]

Don't get down on yourself if you've had some issues with getting adjusted to med school, you said at one point you had "slow thought processes" ---- you were successful enough in your education thus far to get into med school, you are by no means slow

 

[burkemil]

You're in for a hard term. You will always feel mentally drained. It gets better in a year or two.

Sleep as much as you can- I am a person or routine, bed time was reasonable even if I didn't finish all the notes. Got up at a set time. --Its not the end of the world if you just need to sleep. We're students, not super-people. Also, some physical activity will help you fall asleep and feel physically tired- sometimes mental fatigue isn't enough.

As far as sleep- I think you'll get this in Neuro. Cycles are 1.5 hours on average. So if you feel rested after 5 hours of sleep, but not after 6hours, you're probably interrupting a sleep cycle. After some nights of paying attention, you can know not to set your alarm 6 hours later- 5 hours actually feels better! ... or go for 6.5 if you can 🙂

Hang in there- this is the worst part coming up, but you can do it!!! REALLY, you can!

 

[r90t]

I had at least 6-8 hours/night, before Monday morning tests. No need to be tired and inattentive during an examination. I

Internship and residency 5-6 hours/night. Call night were 0-4 hours/night.

Staff physician: 6 hours/night.

I think I was most rested during my med school years, however, I have adapted to functioning with a lesser amount of sleep, while maintaining my performance level out of necessity.

Figure out what works best for you. Enjoy your MS-1/2 years, as your only responsibility is to yourself. After that, you have a whole bunch of other people literally depending on y ou.