Elon Musk says his days of trying to sleep less and work more are over — at least, relatively speaking.
The CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter, who only last year referred to himself as “rather nocturnal,” has a history of attracting people who stay up all night and sleep under his desk to get work done. Now, he makes an effort to sleep at least six hours each night, he said in an interview with CNBC’s David Faber on Tuesday.
“I tried [to sleep] Less, but…even though I’m awake for more hours, I’m less accomplished,” Musk said. “And my brain pain level is just as bad if I get less than six hours.” [of sleep per night]. “
The ideal amount of sleep varies from person to person, but most adults ages 18 to 60 should sleep at least seven hours a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sleep deprivation is linked to heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity and depression, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The CDC also points out that staying awake for too long causes your body to mimic a drunken low.
Other business giants have noticed the importance of getting enough sleep in recent years. Bill Gates once boasted of a workaholic lifestyle, including no vacation time and a relative lack of friends and social life. He wrote in a blog in 2019 that he now sleeps at least seven hours.
“My staying up all night, combined with not getting eight hours of sleep, has taken its toll,” Gates wrote.
Jeff Bezos also said that he prioritized sleep while running Amazon. “Eight hours of sleep makes a huge difference for me, and I try really hard to make that a priority,” he told Thrive Global in 2016.
Experts say sleep is only part of the equation. Another variable: the amount of time you spend working.
Research shows that working more than 55 hours a week can increase your chances of heart disease and stroke. Excess workload can also get in the way of your relationships and job performance, psychologist Adam Borland told Cleveland Clinic’s Health Blog in 2021.
He said on Tuesday that Musk often works seven days a week and only takes “two or three” days off without really working a year. He added that he did not expect his employees to model this behaviour.
“I also don’t say [people] Musk said. “I work out seven days a week, but I don’t expect others to.”
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