2/10: 10 Things I Wish I Knew/Did Better in Medical School

Thing 2: Dear Medical Student, SLEEP!

When did exhaustion become a badge of honour in medicine?

How did having eye bags the size of oranges make it to the top ten signs that you are a hard-working human being? Overworked, maybe. Depressed, maybe. But diligent? In which world?

Mine, apparently.

I would wake up at ungodly hours to study Hutchison's or Bailey's, rush off to school and manage what happens there, spare some time to do extracurriculars and finally go back to my hostel. Most times we had group discussions until late into the night, and I would end up sleeping 4 hours- or less. Daily.

I remember one time we had a pharmacology exam in my 3rd year, and I felt ill-prepared. So I tried to transnight. I ended up "sleeping" for 1 hour before my end-of-year examination. Sounds wild until you have a whole semester's worth of work and you have no idea where to begin😫

I dislike the way the health ecosystem emphasises strain over rest and long work hours over strategic work. Where did we miss the mark?

People who do not sleep sufficiently are at high risk for stroke, obesity, hypertension and coronary heart disease. But many healthcare practitioners in clinical practice struggle with good sleep hygiene. In a cross-sectional study which assessed the prevalence and associated factors of poor sleep quality among nurses in various tertiary hospitals, almost 50% of nurses reported poor sleep (less than 5 hours a night). This study highlighted the complex bi-directional relationship between sleep and mental health dysfunctions as well as interpersonal strain.

A study done in 2022 highlighted the close tie between negative outcomes, including decreased cognitive performance, mood disturbances, among others and poor sleep habits during shift-work for healthcare providers.

So, who loses in the end?

This is definitely a complex topic which needs a vast discussion, but the science supports normal biological functioning: sufficient sleep.

I was overly ambitious as a medical student most of the time. Sometimes, poor planning had a lot to do with my poor sleeping patterns, but many times, there was this pressure to appear diligent or compete with the students who did (it seemed like) overnight group discussions almost daily. My sleep was the poor ram that was sacrificed on that altar.

Truth be told, an extra 3 hours of sleep would not have grossly affected my performance overall.

So, dear medical student. Do not be like me back then.

SLEEP!