Laura Vater, Gastrointestinal Oncologist at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, shared a post on X:
“In my training, after a 28-hour call, I started my car. A terrible thought hit me:
I don’t care if I make it home alive.
It wasn’t just one sleepless night. It was months of fractured sleep, nonstop rushing, and bone-deep exhaustion.
My body felt heavy. My mind was blank.
Thankfully, the intrusive thoughts lifted with rest. With easier rotations. And later, with boundaries to protect my health and relationships.
Only 1 in 5 physicians seek mental health support.
Stigma keeps the rest silent. I bottled up my struggles, convinced I was weak for needing sleep and defective as a doctor.
Sleep deprivation doesn’t just make us tired. It hijacks our brain – fueling anxiety, depression, even suicidal thoughts. And in medicine, it’s treated as normal.
But the truth is: sleep loss kills doctors, and can put patients at risk too. Sleep is not optional for any of us.”
More posts featuring Laura Vater.