Sleep in Medical School

[All In]

I'm a pre-med in college right now with a 3.7 gpa and 33 MCAT about to apply to medical school but only problem is that I usually sleep 12-14 hours on a school night. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to do this in medical school because I start to fail tests if I get less than 12 hours of sleep. Does anyone have any knowledge about this because from what I hear people have trouble getting 12 hours of sleep? Also this is my fifth year in undergrad because I've taken 8-12 hours each semester so I don't get too stressed. I heard pathologists and radiologists aren't too sleep deprived so I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts. I'm actually really smart but I don't like to rush through studying or wake up early. I was thinking about doing a phd or md/phd instead of an MD also. Any suggestions or specialty suggestions? Also I don't have any extracurricular activities because I spend like 24/7 in my dorm or the library trying to study.

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[darkjedi]

you might want to get that checked out if you can't function with less than 12 hours of sleep, no one on SDN can or should help you with this

 

[muddyduck7]

I agree with darkjedi. Get that checked out. You will not be able to get through medical if you sleep that much. There is just too much to do - especially during clerkships.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

 

[whatwhy]

That amount of sleep is abnormal.

 

[pyrrion89]

And I thought I should be worried that I like having 9 hours a night of sleep... 6-8 seems normal, 9-10 seems luxurious, and 10-11 seems excessive (unless you ran a marathon the day before or something), and 11+ seems like a medical problem.

 

[BundleofHis]

Is this a joke?

 

[Renaissance Man]

I really doubt you are being serious but 12-14 hours of sleep while only taking 12 "hours" of class isn't going to cut it during medical school, much less residency.

 

[All In]

Alright let's say that I go to sleep by 10pm and wake up at 8am and go by on 10 hours of sleep for medical school and career. Is this possible? I'm being completely honest here because I could probably get through on 10 hours of sleep. On rare occasions I could get by on less but not everyday. Truly though, is this possible especially if I choose a specialty where I'm not on call? I'd like to find out now so I can do something else if that's not possible.

 

[nemo123]

Is it just me or did someone else make the same exact thread a couple days ago?...

Take it for what you will, but I met a med student at one of my interviews who was a third year and told me that at the time, she was sleeping at 9 PM to get up at 3 AM to go to the clinic by 4 AM.

 

[muddyduck7]

You have to get through clerkships and residency...

 

[Doctor Strange]

Suspicious that this is another streampaw thread...

In any case, to make a long story short, there is no chance that you will be able to survive medical school if a priority of yours in sleeping at least ten hours a night. If you're a genius, you might be able to get away with it during pre-clinical years, but you will absolutely not be getting that much sleep on rotations, especially during surgery, on-call nights, and night floats.

 

[KnuxNole]

Over time, you'll learn to adjust with relatively less sleep. It might be hard at first, but if you try to fall asleep and wake up at the same time everyday, you can make your body work through it.

Remember, you cannot cut the curriculum short in medical school because you'll feel stressed.

 

[rolliespring]

Dude, you should probably see a doctor....

 

[Pacna]

Try sleeping for 6 hours a night for a month. You'll get used to it.

(after you see a doctor)

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Don't worry, just take 8-12 credit hours when you get to medical school so you don't get too stressed. Problem solved.

 

[CarlosDanger]

Try this: sleep for 8 hours, wake up, and have 2 cups of coffee.

Report back.

 

[cde]

I'm a pre-med in college right now with a 3.7 gpa and 33 MCAT about to apply to medical school but only problem is that I usually sleep 12-14 hours on a school night. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to do this in medical school because I start to fail tests if I get less than 12 hours of sleep. Does anyone have any knowledge about this because from what I hear people have trouble getting 12 hours of sleep? Also this is my fifth year in undergrad because I've taken 8-12 hours each semester so I don't get too stressed. I heard pathologists and radiologists aren't too sleep deprived so I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts. I'm actually really smart but I don't like to rush through studying or wake up early. I was thinking about doing a phd or md/phd instead of an MD also. Any suggestions or specialty suggestions? Also I don't have any extracurricular activities because I spend like 24/7 in my dorm or the library trying to study.

During my second year of med school I was pregnant so instead of all nighters and cramming I kept a rigid schedule of studying until 10pm EVERY night 7 days a week. Slept until 8am classes (this was before video taped lectures). My only 4.0 semester and I eventually made AOA. Sleep is essential. You will learn to stay up 24 -36 hours and function but regular sleep is critical.

 

[Ja3ger]

4/10

 

[medschoolmyname]

:troll:
B.S. 12 hours? Dont get me wrong I love the opportunity to get some extra sleep, but when I say extra Im talking an extra 1 hour or two from the normal 7 hours I usually get. If you really are being honest you need to see a doctor. That amount of sleep in a consistent fashion is unhealthy and can be a sign of some health problem like heart disease.

 

[mcloaf]

4/10

Generous.

 

[Ja3ger]

Generous.

(S)he did dupe a fair number of people.

 

[Pasmal]

What's sleep?

 

[broski123]

Is this is a troll?

 

[All In]

I wish I was trolling. My adviser for undergrad always thinks I'm trolling when I ask a question too.

 

[touchpause13]

You should see your PCP about this. Needing that much sleep seems abnormal to me

 

[StephanieZ]

Not gonna lie, if I could get away with it I'd probably sleep 10+ hours a night too.

 

[Itsmine]

No, this is not another streampaw thread, unless someone is copying streampaw, which is not very nice or original. Anyway, I understand you OP, I also need a lot of sleep, otherwise I just feel too depressed and unable to function. The 5 year plan is a good idea, it is exactly what I am doing. I am also considering MD/PhD, however, not because of any sleep factors. MD/PhD will not let you "sleep more" in medical school, because you still get to take the rigorous med school classes. Oh by the way, there is another thread on here made a short while ago about someone needing more sleep, so you should look into that. I think it is perfectly fine that you need that much sleep, you just have to find a way to deal with it by spreading out your time. Congrats on that MCAT score, that's a good score. A 3.7 GPA is also pretty good, keep it up. Needing that much sleep is fine if you don't have any other sleep problems (if you don't wake up at night, and if you feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning, and if you don't snore). Human bodies are different, to each their own. If you need that much sleep, don't let others get in the way and bully you. Don't listen to those who tell you "oh yeah you can train yourself to sleep less" or "it will get better with time". Because it won't. Just know yourself, and be realistic with yourself. You can still do medicine, it just requires a little bit of sacrifice! Good luck OP

 

[Doctor Strange]

No, this is not another streampaw thread, unless someone is copying streampaw, which is not very nice or original. Anyway, I understand you OP, I also need a lot of sleep, otherwise I just feel too depressed and unable to function. The 5 year plan is a good idea, it is exactly what I am doing. I am also considering MD/PhD, however, not because of any sleep factors. MD/PhD will not let you "sleep more" in medical school, because you still get to take the rigorous med school classes. Oh by the way, there is another thread on here made a short while ago about someone needing more sleep, so you should look into that. I think it is perfectly fine that you need that much sleep, you just have to find a way to deal with it by spreading out your time. Congrats on that MCAT score, that's a good score. A 3.7 GPA is also pretty good, keep it up. Needing that much sleep is fine if you don't have any other sleep problems (if you don't wake up at night, and if you feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning, and if you don't snore). Human bodies are different, to each their own. If you need that much sleep, don't let others get in the way and bully you. Don't listen to those who tell you "oh yeah you can train yourself to sleep less" or "it will get better with time". Because it won't. Just know yourself, and be realistic with yourself. You can still do medicine, it just requires a little bit of sacrifice! Good luck OP

My streampaw sense is tingling.

 

[mcloaf]

My streampaw sense is tingling.

My Streampaw alarm exploded.

 

[BlueLabel]

My streampaw sense is tingling.

She's on to account #2 I guess

 

[mcloaf]

She's on to account #2 I guess

I think this is like #4.

 

[darkjedi]

No, this is not another streampaw thread, unless someone is copying streampaw, which is not very nice or original. Anyway, I understand you OP, I also need a lot of sleep, otherwise I just feel too depressed and unable to function. The 5 year plan is a good idea, it is exactly what I am doing. I am also considering MD/PhD, however, not because of any sleep factors. MD/PhD will not let you "sleep more" in medical school, because you still get to take the rigorous med school classes. Oh by the way, there is another thread on here made a short while ago about someone needing more sleep, so you should look into that. I think it is perfectly fine that you need that much sleep, you just have to find a way to deal with it by spreading out your time. Congrats on that MCAT score, that's a good score. A 3.7 GPA is also pretty good, keep it up. Needing that much sleep is fine if you don't have any other sleep problems (if you don't wake up at night, and if you feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning, and if you don't snore). Human bodies are different, to each their own. If you need that much sleep, don't let others get in the way and bully you. Don't listen to those who tell you "oh yeah you can train yourself to sleep less" or "it will get better with time". Because it won't. Just know yourself, and be realistic with yourself. You can still do medicine, it just requires a little bit of sacrifice! Good luck OP

My streampaw sense is tingling.

My Streampaw alarm exploded.

 

[terp720]

I'm a pre-med in college right now with a 3.7 gpa and 33 MCAT about to apply to medical school but only problem is that I usually sleep 12-14 hours on a school night. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to do this in medical school because I start to fail tests if I get less than 12 hours of sleep. Does anyone have any knowledge about this because from what I hear people have trouble getting 12 hours of sleep? Also this is my fifth year in undergrad because I've taken 8-12 hours each semester so I don't get too stressed. I heard pathologists and radiologists aren't too sleep deprived so I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts. I'm actually really smart but I don't like to rush through studying or wake up early. I was thinking about doing a phd or md/phd instead of an MD also. Any suggestions or specialty suggestions? Also I don't have any extracurricular activities because I spend like 24/7 in my dorm or the library trying to study.

No, this is not another streampaw thread, unless someone is copying streampaw, which is not very nice or original. Anyway, I understand you OP, I also need a lot of sleep, otherwise I just feel too depressed and unable to function. The 5 year plan is a good idea, it is exactly what I am doing. I am also considering MD/PhD, however, not because of any sleep factors. MD/PhD will not let you "sleep more" in medical school, because you still get to take the rigorous med school classes. Oh by the way, there is another thread on here made a short while ago about someone needing more sleep, so you should look into that. I think it is perfectly fine that you need that much sleep, you just have to find a way to deal with it by spreading out your time. Congrats on that MCAT score, that's a good score. A 3.7 GPA is also pretty good, keep it up. Needing that much sleep is fine if you don't have any other sleep problems (if you don't wake up at night, and if you feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning, and if you don't snore). Human bodies are different, to each their own. If you need that much sleep, don't let others get in the way and bully you. Don't listen to those who tell you "oh yeah you can train yourself to sleep less" or "it will get better with time". Because it won't. Just know yourself, and be realistic with yourself. You can still do medicine, it just requires a little bit of sacrifice! Good luck OP

Plenty of people take 5 years to graduate... however, I think the concerning part is the 8-12 credits/semester and the lack of ECs. I don't know if it is different at your school OP, but anything under 12 credits is not considered a full-time student. I can imagine that adcoms will question whether you can handle the rigorous curriculum in medical school when you have only demonstrated an ability to handle up to 12 credits per semester. Also, with no ECs, how do you expect them to judge your commitment to medicine or that you know what you're pursuing.
Contrary to what streampaw/stormpelt/leafmoon/itsmine says, people are not trying to bully you out of medicine when they tell you that needing 12 hours of sleep is going to be a major issue when it comes to getting through medical school and residency. You both asked questions about whether your sleep patterns would be an issue, people gave you honest answers.

 

[Itsmine]

I wish I was trolling. My adviser for undergrad always thinks I'm trolling when I ask a question too.

Don't worry about it. Most people will not understand your need for sleep. You just have to know yourself, and guide yourself. It is difficult when you are not accepted by others, but don't worry about it! Be proud that you stand out. Not everyone is the same. Stop worrying about what other people think of you, and if anyone ever tells you to stop following your dreams unless you can live off of less sleep, never listen. Ever. That is the greatest mistake you will ever make in your life if you listen. Do what you want to do, and don't let anyone stop you. Don't let those 14 hours of sleep stop you! You can get into medical school and continue with your sleep schedule if you really try to be tricky about it and think about what you can do in the hours that you have. I have been reading through the streampaw thread since I am new (I am assuming streampaw was some kind of troll with multiple accounts, but he/she does ask some mind-throbbing questions which are super weird but kind of relative to some people), and he/she is in the exact same situation as you. Try looking up the streampaw threads on this forum by going back on the pages, although since I think? streampaw has multiple accounts like everyone is saying above, just try your best to look for threads that are relevant to you, and there is one on her/him needing 9.5 hours of sleep or something.

 

[Itsmine]

Plenty of people take 5 years to graduate... however, I think the concerning part is the 8-12 credits/semester and the lack of ECs. I don't know if it is different at your school OP, but anything under 12 credits is not considered a full-time student. I can imagine that adcoms will question whether you can handle the rigorous curriculum in medical school when you have only demonstrated an ability to handle up to 12 credits per semester. Also, with no ECs, how do you expect them to judge your commitment to medicine or that you know what you're pursuing.
Contrary to what streampaw/stormpelt/leafmoon/itsmine says, people are not trying to bully you out of medicine when they tell you that needing 12 hours of sleep is going to be a major issue when it comes to getting through medical school and residency. You both asked questions about whether your sleep patterns would be an issue, people gave you honest answers.

What if OP can't handle EC's PLUS a full load of classes? I think that if OP is taking 12 credit hours PLUS doing a lot of EC's, they should be fine. I understand OP, because for me, it is either a full class load with no EC's whatsoever (maybe just part time work), OR a part time class load with plenty of EC's.

 

[rohirette]

Well, if you doubled your workload, could you get that done while still sleeping 10 hours a night?

 

[tantacles]

Suspicious that this is another streampaw thread...

In any case, to make a long story short, there is no chance that you will be able to survive medical school if a priority of yours in sleeping at least ten hours a night. If you're a genius, you might be able to get away with it during pre-clinical years, but you will absolutely not be getting that much sleep on rotations, especially during surgery, on-call nights, and night floats.

This is probably the best post so far. The pre-clinical years are almost certainly manageable if you're getting 12 hours of sleep each night. Clinical years require you to function on much less sleep.

 

[terp720]

What if OP can't handle EC's PLUS a full load of classes? I think that if OP is taking 12 credit hours PLUS doing a lot of EC's, they should be fine. I understand OP, because for me, it is either a full class load with no EC's whatsoever (maybe just part time work), OR a part time class load with plenty of EC's.

look at the original post.. OP clearly states "Also I don't have any extracurricular activities because I spend like 24/7 in my dorm or the library trying to study."
We are not talking about your hypothetical situations, we are talking about the info OP gave us.

OP is currently only doing 8-12 credits and no ECs.

 

[Itsmine]

Oh. Well, in that case, OP, you need to get some EC's under your belt. No EC's=no medical school acceptance. What is your schedule like? If you are only spending 10 hours in school, then I'm assuming it's something like this:
getting up at 9am, class at 10am. class from 10-2 on mondays and wednedays and fridays.

 

[kyamh]

I'm a pre-med in college right now with a 3.7 gpa and 33 MCAT .....Also I don't have any extracurricular activities because I spend like 24/7 in my dorm or the library trying to study.

OP, if you spend 24/7 studying and your stats are 3.7/33 one of two things is true:

1. You do not know how to study effectively and will be unsuccessful in medical school due to your lack of good study skills and due to your lack of EC's. You can fix this but it will be hard and it will take time. You would also need to fix your lack of ECs asap.

2. Your study skills are fine but you really need all that time to learn the material. Your aptitude likely lies outside of science and typical schooling given the fact that you aren't pulling a 4.0 in college even though you study "24/7". A 3.7 is a great GPA....but not if that's the best you can do with nothing else on your plate (no EC's) and full time productive studying.

 

[darkjedi]

I have been reading through the streampaw thread since I am new (I am assuming streampaw was some kind of troll with multiple accounts, but he/she does ask some mind-throbbing questions which are super weird but kind of relative to some people), and he/she is in the exact same situation as you. Try looking up the streampaw threads on this forum by going back on the pages, although since I think? streampaw has multiple accounts like everyone is saying above, just try your best to look for threads that are relevant to you, and there is one on her/him needing 9.5 hours of sleep or something.

it must be fun to play poker with you

 

[Itsmine]

Not sure what you mean by that

 

[BlueLabel]

I have been reading through the streampaw thread since I am new (I am assuming streampaw was some kind of troll with multiple accounts, but he/she does ask some mind-throbbing questions which are super weird but kind of relative to some people), and he/she is in the exact same situation as you. Try looking up the streampaw threads on this forum by going back on the pages, although since I think? streampaw has multiple accounts like everyone is saying above, just try your best to look for threads that are relevant to you, and there is one on her/him needing 9.5 hours of sleep or something.

Why are you reading back through your own threads...? I'm confused.

Hey I have a trolling idea for you! Come back as streampaw and start a thread victoriously proclaiming how happy and accepted you are over at MomMD, then create another account posing as an older, attending MomMD member who's coming over here to straighten us out for criticizing you about your desire to have 6 kids at a rate of 2 kids per year while in residency or whatever it was.

Major lulz will ensue, I have little doubt.

 

[KnuxNole]

Read streampaw's posts to learn what kind of human not to be.

Also, 14 hrs of sleep a day is quite a lot for a healthy 20 something. The person who says to never listen to peoples advice is wrong. Unless you want to live life stingy and never, ever improve yourself.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Don't worry about it. Most people will not understand your need for sleep. You just have to know yourself, and guide yourself. It is difficult when you are not accepted by others, but don't worry about it! Be proud that you stand out. Not everyone is the same. Stop worrying about what other people think of you, and if anyone ever tells you to stop following your dreams unless you can live off of less sleep, never listen. Ever. That is the greatest mistake you will ever make in your life if you listen. Do what you want to do, and don't let anyone stop you. Don't let those 14 hours of sleep stop you! You can get into medical school and continue with your sleep schedule if you really try to be tricky about it and think about what you can do in the hours that you have. I have been reading through the streampaw thread since I am new (I am assuming streampaw was some kind of troll with multiple accounts, but he/she does ask some mind-throbbing questions which are super weird but kind of relative to some people), and he/she is in the exact same situation as you. Try looking up the streampaw threads on this forum by going back on the pages, although since I think? streampaw has multiple accounts like everyone is saying above, just try your best to look for threads that are relevant to you, and there is one on her/him needing 9.5 hours of sleep or something.

I'm glad someone is sticking up for OP. Good for you.

Here's my story: I require 18 hours of sleep a night plus 2 hours of playing GTA every day or else I start failing classes. I can't change and I don't think I should have to. I'm sick of people telling me that I can't be a doctor if I'm never awake. I'm actually very proud of myself for standing out and not being like these other losers who don't understand the value of hibernating most of the day. Okay, I just wanted to get that off my chest. I need to get back to bed now.

 

[sinombre]

...but he/she does ask some mind-throbbing questions which are super weird but kind of relative to some people

lol... dead give away.

 

[DrCharlemagne]

Yay! A puppet show!

 

[NontradCA]

Do you take anti-psychotic meds?

 

[BlueLabel]

I'm glad someone is sticking up for OP. Good for you.

Here's my story: I require 18 hours of sleep a night plus 2 hours of playing GTA every day or else I start failing classes. I can't change and I don't think I should have to. I'm sick of people telling me that I can't be a doctor if I'm never awake. I'm actually very proud of myself for standing out and not being like these other losers who don't understand the value of hibernating most of the day. Okay, I just wanted to get that off my chest. I need to get back to bed now.

So you're basically a cat with the remarkable ability to play Grand Theft Auto. You need a Youtube channel