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Laura Vater: Sleep deprivation among doctors affects empathy
Feb 25, 2025, 09:11

Laura Vater: Sleep deprivation among doctors affects empathy

Laura Vater, Gastrointestinal Oncologist at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, shared a post on X:

“Sleep deprivation affects empathy:

MRI scans show that after a night of no sleep, people have far less activity in the empathy areas of the brain. Doctors low on sleep have been shown to have less empathy for a patient’s pain and are less likely to prescribe medication.

While this awareness is helpful, it doesn’t revive empathy. Only sleep can do this. Not a module. Not caffeine.

Only adequate rest can restore our capacity to be present with patients in moments of vulnerability and respond fully not only as doctors, but as fellow human beings.”

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