From the Guidelines
Medical learners should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night to optimize long-term retention of new information, as this duration is associated with the best health outcomes and quality of life. When considering the amount of sleep required for learning new information, it's essential to focus on the overall sleep duration rather than the number of nights. The American Thoracic Society statement 1 emphasizes that good-quality sleep is critical for good health and overall quality of life, and that the amount of sleep needed varies significantly with age. While the statement does not specifically address the number of nights required for learning new information, it highlights the importance of adequate sleep quality and quantity for optimal health outcomes. Key points to consider include:
- Short sleep duration (<6 hours per 24-hour period) is associated with adverse outcomes, including mortality 1
- Long sleep duration (>9-10 hours per 24-hour period) may also be associated with adverse health outcomes 1
- The optimal sleep duration for adults is 7-9 hours per night, although individual variability exists 1 By prioritizing consistent, quality sleep and aiming for 7-9 hours per night, medical learners can optimize their ability to retain new information and perform at their best.
From the Research
Sleep Requirements for Medical Learners
The question of how many nights of sleep are required for new information to be learned long-term by medical learners is not directly addressed by the provided studies. However, we can look at the general sleep requirements for different age groups and their potential impact on learning.
- The National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations, as outlined in 2 and 3, suggest that:
- Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours
- Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
- Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
- Preschoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours
- School-aged children (6-13 years): 9-11 hours
- Teenagers (14-17 years): 8-10 hours
- Young adults (18-25 years): 7-9 hours
- Adults (26-64 years): 7-9 hours
- Older adults (65 years and over): 7-8 hours
- While these recommendations are for general health and well-being, they do not specifically address the sleep requirements for learning new information.
- A study on sleep disruptions and cognitive aging in older adults, 4, found that changes in 24-hour sleep-wake activity are associated with mild cognitive impairment and dementia risk, but does not provide information on sleep requirements for learning.
- The other studies, 5 and 6, are not relevant to the topic of sleep requirements for learning new information.
Limitations
There are no research papers provided that directly address the question of how many nights of sleep are required for new information to be learned long-term by medical learners. The available studies focus on general sleep recommendations, sleep disruptions, and cognitive aging, but do not provide specific guidance on sleep requirements for learning.