Physicians and Sleep Deprivation go Hand in Hand
Being a physician is not necessarily the glamorous depiction often portrayed on television shows. In real life, physicians suffer from sleep deprivation in much the same way as the general public does. Like the general public, physicians tend to turn to caffeine based beverages to make it through the day.
A recent study conducted by Barbara Phillips, MD, FCCP, Chair of the ACCP Sleep Institute, revealed that physicians receives less amounts of daily sleep compared to the general public. However, their overall state of health was significantly better than the general public.
Physicians learn during the early stages of medical school that sleep is a dispensable function and something that can be made up for at a later date. Once out of school, the demands of the practice and on-call hours often interfere with sleep. Physicians report on average about 7.5 hours of sleep per night. Some awoke in the morning feeling refreshed and ready to face the day. Many however did not.
Sleep deprivation did not accompany other sleep complaints such as insomnia. Physicians did report missing out on several personal or family functions due to sleep deprivation issues.
Caffeine is often the first defense for physicians to counteract the effects of sleep deprivation. 93% of the study respondents admitted to drinking at least one caffeinated beverage during the course of a day. This is slightly higher than the 81% of general public members who admitted to the same thing. Of that 93%, many stated that caffeine was utilized out of habit and not out of need to stay awake.
In conclusion, the study found that physicians need to be more aware of personal sleep deprivation issues and treat them accordingly.
Source: American College of Chest Physicians
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I knew it! Physicians are a sleep-deprived people who have a difficult time understanding or empathizing with the sleep deprivation of others–as i discuss in my book “Insomniac,” written from the point of view of an insomniac who hasn’t found a lot of help from doctors. Check it out!