School and Coffee
Mykala recently told me about a study she read that said 25% of med school students have suicidal thoughts during their four years of schooling. I would imagine this extends to most kinds of professional school, and I think it points to the ridiculous demands and pressures bearing down on students. The school breaks you down unless you do something to fight that erosion.
I am totally against coffee and caffeine as wake-up aids, and I know that at some point during school, the pressure will be such that I’ll start to consider drinking coffee, like many of my classmates. Or, like one of my classmates who says they only need 5 hours of sleep per night, sugar free Red Bull. So, if anyone finds me blogging about how great coffee is, you come over to my apartment and slap me in the face and tell me to sleep more. Sleep is absolutely, completely crucial, and I won’t let a silly thing like job training (even if it’s 4 years of job training) screw up my value system.
Care. Eat well. Enjoy music. Travel. Sleep.
Don’t let the Puritanical ideas that pervade American culture prevent you from listening to common sense: just go to bed!
Comments
Mykala
It was actually on NPR, but who’s keeping track these days…?
I completely agree with the sentiment of this post, though I don’t always follow its recommendation. :) Sleeping is by far a better option than caffeine jitters and the huge crash that follows. Yuck.
Shayla
How funny and relevant to my life. I just started drinking coffee… um… a week ago. I don’t think I can make it through second year without it, honestly.
That’s a disturbing statistic about med students (and I would almost guarantee that coincides with branches of medicine… like, um dentistry? and vet med?).
I also agree with your sentiment, though. Sleep is so good for you. I just sometimes wish there were more hours in the day.
PS We miss you guys.
Alexander Micek
There’s always sugar-free Redbull if either of you get tired of coffee! We’ll be down to Iowa… I’m not sure when, but we’ll be down there!
Nils
But I like staying up late and I enjoy a good cup of coffee! This demands a little sleep deprivation on my part, at least every now and then. Strict bedtimes are for old people!
PS Is the choice to not drink coffee for dental reasons, Alex? Caffeine avoidance?
Alexander Micek
Naw, it’s not related to any dental side-effects or even (surprisingly) a financial thing — it’s that I’m troubled by habitual reliance. For example, my favorite time to have a little coffee is on a well-rested Saturday afternoon if Mykala and I are bumming around doing some errands — it’s not a must-have, but it’s fun.
So: if I’m on vacation and I stay up really late and then have some early fun thing to do the next day (wow, a vacation sounds fun!)… coffee would be OK. On the other hand, if I’m grinding through the pitch black mornings of a difficult fall semester, I don’t want to be pawing around feeling half human until I get a cup. Does that make sense? Dependency = troublesome, occasional use = fun.
Not that relying on it is bad or evil… it says here that 57% of Americans drink coffee daily. So, don’t anyone think I’m upset with their drinking coffee!