Elon Musk's Wonky Sleep Habits Are Back Under The Microscope

If the saying "You snooze, you lose" is correct, Elon Musk must be winning. Expected to become a trillionaire by 2035 according to CNN, Musk habitually spends just a few hours sleeping. (Side note: He might do his abbreviated dreaming on friends' couches, since he said in 2022 that he usually crashed at others' homes.)

Just how much time does Musk devote to rest? In an interview with podcaster Katie Miller (via X), he admitted that people have said they can tell how little he sleeps based on the timing of his tweets. But he doesn't need their input because he's used a sleep app that revealed it's just under six hours. To be fair, his former boss Donald Trump's sleep habits aren't doing his health any favors, either (via Business Insider). Both men fall short of the generally accepted sleep recommendation of at least seven hours nightly for an adult. 

While this sleeping behavior seems to work for Musk, he might be living in a constant state of sleep deprivation. This would make him (regrettably) normal, at least in the United States. Per the National Institutes of Health, one-third of all American adults walk around in a sleep-deficient state.

Chronic sleep deficiency can come at a hefty price. Studies have shown that without sufficient sleep, people may increase their risks of developing numerous diseases. A 2014 review in Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity found that consistently inadequate amounts of sleep were linked to conditions including diabetes, heart disease, and weight gain. Meanwhile, a 2023 review in Neurosciences (Riyadh) recognized a connection between sleep deprivation and brain performance. During his podcast interview, Musk mentioned that he didn't function as well cognitively when he got even less sleep than he considers to be normal. This implies that he may be tracking his sleep in some way to ensure he stays sharp. 

Losing sleep regularly can also worsen depression. In 2024, Musk announced that he takes the drug ketamine to stabilize his depressed moods (per CNN). Whether or not his depression is exacerbated by his limited sleep isn't known.

There's a possibility that Musk's quirky sleep habits might be completely normal for him, though. The Cleveland Clinic notes that up to 3% of people have short sleeper syndrome. That is, they require fewer than six hours of sleep per night. If that's the case, Musk can rest easy because short sleepers don't experience the same sleep deficiency health side effects as the rest of the population.