The Sleeping Habits & Routines of 18 Successful People - Balance The Grind (2024)

FAQs

What are the sleep habits of the most successful people? ›

Also, remember that half of our list got at least 7 hours each night, including Tim Cook, Bill Gates, and Oprah Winfrey, so there are plenty of ultra-successful people who get plenty of rest. The likelihood is that you will be able to approach your work best when you're well rested.

He spends the first hour of his day reading user comments about Apple products, which he believes is crucial for focusing on the external factors important to the company. Cook manages to get around 7 hours of sleep every night, going to bed at about 9:30 PM.

Life Guru: Oprah Winfrey

The talk show host sleeps between 10 in the evening and 6 in the morning, logging eight hours of sleep. Creating a work-life balance, Oprah disengages from all her projects through meditation. In addition, the last thing she does before sleeping is journaling.

Martha Stewart, chair of Martha Stewart Omnimedia

She also has a TV show, radio show, and product lines in stores like Staples and Michaels. Stewart keeps an impressive schedule while running her business, and according to CNN Money, she sleeps less than four hours a night.

Zuckerberg also prioritises sleep and makes sure that he gets proper eight hours of sleep to recharge himself and prepare for the next day's challenges.

The Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter CEO, who referred to himself just last year as “fairly nocturnal,” has a history of pulling all-nighters and sleeping under his desk to get work done. Now, he makes an effort to sleep at least six hours per night, he said in an interview with CNBC's David Faber on Tuesday.

Jeff Bezos says he needs eight hours of sleep because it gives him more energy and puts him in a better mood. Block out distractions. You're better off snooping around in dreamland.

Elon Musk's routine includes waking up at 7 am after six hours of sleep. He breaks his day into five-minute slots. Musk also spends his workweek strategically between his companies.

Running one of the world's largest companies doesn't stop Jeff Bezos from getting his eight hours of sleep. While the Amazon founder says sometimes getting eight hours is impossible, he's very focused on it. Why? "I think better.

“This large study suggests that going to sleep between 10 and 11pm could be the sweet spot for most people to keep their heart healthy long-term. “However, it's important to remember that this study can only show an association and can't prove cause and effect.

Do high achievers sleep less? ›

Generally, high achievers tend to sleep less, Brager tells CNET. "If you look at US presidents, successful CEOs and military leaders, many report sleeping little but feeling fine and don't need stimulants to stay awake," she says. "Daily sleep needs fall along the bell curve like most physiological processes in nature.

You can figure out the best bedtime for your schedule based on when you have to wake up in the morning and counting backward by 7 hours (the recommended minimum per night for adults). For example, if you need to be up by 6 a.m., you should consider winding down before 11 p.m.

Thomas Edison (1847-1931), one of the most prolific inventors in history, was renowned for his tireless work ethic and unconventional sleeping habits. He reportedly slept only 3-4 hours at night, preferring to take short power naps throughout the day.

Albert Einstein, a household name that has inspired many a crazy hair day and who is most famous for his theory of General Relativity, was a huge fan of catching some Z's. He would sleep an average of 10 hours a night as well as taking daytime naps.

As the sun sets each day and it gets dark outside, you should ideally be winding down to go to sleep. But bingeing that TV show or scrolling through social media keeps you up past midnight instead of hitting the hay at a decent hour. A recent study suggests that going to sleep at 10 p.m. is the optimal time.

Not every successful person sleeps in short shifts. Many of today's entrepreneurs and personalities sleep somewhere between six and eight hours or more.