S/O finding time: sleep vs exercise wwyd?

Blessed55

I'm a 3rd year med student on surgery rotation now & I'll have long hours for the next few months. Plus throughout residency lol. Right now I'm up at 430 to leave by 5:15 & then sometimes not home until 8 pm. Right now I don't have to take call on weekends but that changes next month. I think I've done ok getting my workouts in but some weeks are more difficult. I have gotten up at 330 a few times to get a quick workout in at my 24 hour gym but many mornings thats hard when im up till 10 or 11. Last night I got home around 8, then went to my 930 soccer game, home at 1045 for dinner, then worked on a presentation till 1230. Therefore I got 4 hours of sleep but I got my exercise in and don't feel tired. However, isn't there more and more research out about the health benefits of getting a decent amount of sleep? Would it have been better for me health wise to not have gone to my game for example last night and got an extra 1.5 hours of sleep? I'm just trying to figure out the best way to balance things as I know my schedule will be hectic for awhile but working out is something I try to make a priority. Advice/articles on the topic? Thanks!

mr+ms

Once you have some minimum amount of activity in for the day (1/2 hour of brisk walking seems to be mentioned most frequently as least amount of effort for the most benefit) I'd go for the sleep, especially since you are probably under a fair amount of stress.

Everyone's different, but I handled sleep loss much better in my early 20's (or so I thought! I was also overweight then, depressed and having panic attacks on the regular). I think finishing school and having my sleep in better order was instrumental in losing 15 lbs without even trying and getting my head straight. In my 30's, a 4hr sleep loss kills my immune system. For example, if my kid is germy, it means automatic cold for me. Also, my brain barely functions after midnight.

If you enter "sleep deprivation" + one of these terms: "hormones," "metabolism," "weight loss," "insulin resistance" into google (or google scholar for more direct sources) a lot of interesting stuff comes up. 

aeroluv327

Yeah, it's a tough balance.  One thing that always worries me is that if I try to work out when I'm sleep deprived, I'm afraid I might get hurt because I'm not keeping proper form or whatever.  But if your body is used to running on very little sleep, maybe it's not affecting you the same way? And of course, the more active you are the better quality sleep you'll be getting.

I agree with pp that if you have in your minimum amount of physical activity (sounds like you are pretty active in general), then sleep should probably be the priority. 

Not sure if that helps, but good luck!

Joenali

I would just tell yourself, "I'm going to run (or whatever) for 15 minutes and see how I feel". If you feel good keep going, if you are still feeling crappy and tired, be done.

Blessed55

Joenali:

I would just tell yourself, "I'm going to run (or whatever) for 15 minutes and see how I feel". If you feel good keep going, if you are still feeling crappy and tired, be done.

The thing is I don't really feel tired. I just didn't know if in the long run it will affect my health in general to always choose working out over getting that extra hour or 2 of sleep when I'm only getting 4 to 6 hours 95% of the time. Being a night owl/running on little sleep seems to run in my family but I dont want the lack of sleep to catch up with me if I can help it.

RachelandEduardo

I don't have any great suggestions. My Husband is also a 3rd year med student and we had a similar conversation yesterday about what you outlined in your post. He struggles to fit excercise in because sleep wins out. It's a touch balance to reach. We are still trying to figure it out. Good luck to you!