No, you shouldn’t follow Elon Musk’s sleep habits — here’s why

Following celebrity nighttime routines and recreating their sleep habits has always been popular. After all, if they can be highly successful and productive by following a strict sleep schedule, why can’t you?

Controversial billionaire Elon Musk is part of the so-called 'sleepless elite,' a cohort of high achievers who survive (and apparently thrive) on 4-6 hours of sleep.

But that doesn't mean the rest of us should aspire to getting by on minimal sleep in high stress environments. Sleep deprivation has both long and short term consequences, including impaired cognitive function and a heightened risk of poor cardiac health.

Ultimately, good sleep comes down to ensuring you have the right bedroom set up (cool, quiet and dark,) a consistent sleep schedule and a calming nighttime routine.

But that doesn’t work for everyone, so it’s understandable if you’re turning to the superstars for some pointers. But it shouldn’t be Musk.

Here, we break down Elon Musk’s sleep habits and explain why they’re probably not a recipe for high productivity and success. Instead, we’ll offer some of our top tips to achieve better sleep.

Elon Musk’s three worst sleep habits

1. Only getting 6 hours of sleep

"I’ve tried [to sleep] less, but... even though I’m awake more hours, I get less done," Elon Musk claimed in an interview with CNBC, explaining that "the brain pain level is bad if I get less than six hours."

While everyone is different and will require a different amount of sleep a night based on factors like their age, gender and health, it’s generally recommended that we aim for 7-9 hours of sleep a night.

Less than this, and you may start to experience symptoms of sleep deprivation like irritability, fatigue and memory loss.

So is 6 hours of sleep really enough? Not for most people. Studies have shown sleeping for 6 hours or less may lead to obesity, diabetes, anxiety, depression and more.

2. Going to bed after 1am

Recent analysis of Musk’s tweets have identified his ‘off time’ is between 3am and 10am and he admitted on the The Joe Rogan Experience podcast that he tends to work until 1-2am.

Everyone has varying chronotypes that mean they either naturally feel sleepy early in the evening or much later into the evening, the two most common being early birds and night owls.

If you’re getting 7 hours of sleep, then going to bed later shouldn’t matter, right? Wrong.

According to this study, a bedtime after 1am can have a negative impact on your mental health and result in less REM sleep, leading to reduced brain function.

3. Sleeping in the office

There are new rumours circulating that Elon Musk has been sleeping on the floor of his government department, which isn’t surprising considering he did the same at Tesla and X.

There’s also word that he’s moved sofa beds and sleep pods into the DOGE offices.

Talking about sleeping on the Tesla Factory floor in a video that surfaced recently, Musk claims “since the team could see me sleeping on the floor during shift change, they knew I was there, and that made a huge difference, they gave it their all.”

But mixing work and your sleep environment can have a damaging impact on your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

In fact, good sleep hygiene practice means only using your bedroom for sleep. By working in your bedroom, you break the association of your bed and room with relaxation and calm, making it more difficult for the brain to switch off at night.

Our tips for better sleep and productivity that actually work

Keep a consistent sleep schedule

A consistent sleep schedule works wonders for your internal body clock, also known as the circadian rhythm. This is the system that regulates your hormone levels and therefore energy levels.

By going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day, you help your body understand when it needs to be active and when it needs to rest. This is controlled by the release of melatonin (the sleepy hormone) and cortisol (the hormone that wakes you in the morning.)

Keeping your schedule the same even during the weekend will help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep throughout the night and feel more energized in the mornings.

Create a calming nighttime routine

After working a stressful day, you can’t expect to switch off immediately when you want to sleep. Instead, you need to help transition your brain and body to sleep mode with a calming nighttime routine.

Humans are creatures of habit, and repeating certain routines will signal to your body that it’s time to start winding down.

Start by avoiding screens half an hour to an hour before bed, and opt for calming activities that reduce stress, like reading.

Part of your nighttime routine could be quickly tidying your bedroom, as a clean, clutter free environment will help you relax and switch off for the night.

Practise good sleep hygiene

Good sleep hygiene is the pillar of a good night’s sleep. It refers to the habits you have during the day and evening that can have a positive or negative effect on your sleep.

For example, good sleep hygiene would be eating three balanced meals throughout the day, while poor sleep hygiene would be eating sugary snacks before bed.

Assess your own lifestyle to find out if anything you regularly do might be harming your sleep. This could include your work habits, diet, activity levels and more.