Elon Musk has worked nonstop for 3 months, sleeping just 3–4 hours a night — not for fame or money, but to build a better future. He carries massive dreams, asks for nothing, and keeps pushing forward. That’s why many back DOGE — not just a coin, but a symbol of freedom, innovation, and hope.There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Elon Musk is an extremely important figure in our culture today. In truth, that goes for people around the world because the projects he is into have implications for improving industry and the way we interact with technology for everyone, everywhere.
That unfortunately means that we are even concerned with his sleep habits. It borders on ridiculous for massive portions of the public to be worried about how a single entrepreneur is sleeping, but that is the world we live in. And that is how important this man is to the world.
Musk is working on developing solutions for an incredible number of different problems that people are facing in the United States, as well as the world, as a whole. So, when that kind of a person is not getting enough sleep, it’s mainstream news and a concern for people everywhere.
Elon Musk is Famous for Getting No Sleep
Elon Musk was already famous and probably always will be for one reason or another, but he has somehow now positioned himself to be a poster-child for sleep deprivation and its effects on workaholics.
Especially after a couple of Tweets that he sent out recently, on a couple of different occasions, it became clear to the world that Musk’s sleep might be becoming a problem for him. Here are the infamous Tweets that he sent out, setting off alarms for concerned parties who happened to see them:
“Ford & Tesla are the only 2 American car companies to avoid bankruptcy. I just got home from the factory. You think this in an option. It is not.”
That Tweet was actually Musk responding to Arianna Huffington, who had previously written an open letter to him that implored him (not in the nicest way possible) to get more sleep because it was necessary for him to stay in good health. You can read the full letter by following the link at the end of this post.
“Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.”
According to a UK publication in August of 2018, Musk explained that he wrote that Tweet in the car on the way to the airport. He noted that he posted it in “an attempt at transparency”, but his Tesla board members were completely freaked out by the Tweet and had to immediately run damage control with the media regarding this.
They apparently had no previous knowledge of his claim to take the company private, or the number, $420, that he came out with. Musk thereafter explained his reasoning for that number, which made perfect sense, but he had already successfully scared the hell out of his board. (Independent)
The point is that these odd Tweets have signaled to some people that the strange activity is a direct result of sleep deprivation; however, the controversy could very likely be a non-issue that has been amplified by the media to create a story. It’s up to you to decide how impactful the problem is, and it’s honestly none of our business to begin with.
Of course, lack of sleep can be harmful to any of us, but Elon Musk seems to be doing just fine, some unhealthy habits notwithstanding. As famous as this story is, it still hasn’t been definitively shown that Musk’s work is suffering from his sleep schedule.
Musk is Uncommonly Driven
To get to the point that Musk has reached in his career, you don’t get there without a certain drive and a unique talent. On top of all the crushing pressure you’re inevitably going to experience from the urgent need to make sure the companies you’re starting stay in the black, the stress of being a successful entrepreneur doesn’t stop there.
To be able to push through that relentless stress and pressure, you need to have a powerful drive and a strong, deep vision that makes it eventually all worthwhile. As you look into his commentary and lectures discussing what he’s working on and his passions, you see that he feels personally responsible for moving essential industries forward into the next generation.
Humility Brings Greater Success, and Greater Accountability
Normally, a person like that would develop some kind of a messiah complex or at least become very arrogant, but Musk seems to be pretty humble about what he does and just wants to improve our ways of life. There is a bit of a control freak side to him, which is pretty common with highly-octane entrepreneurs, as he feels that he needs to be present for every decision that is made to propel his companies forward.
That can certainly be forgiven, since he is clearly instrumental in creating the success that his companies are having. The point here is that Musk depriving himself of sleep to some degree because of his very strong motivation to bring his visions to fruition and complete his mission, which, though we understand what has been published about him in the media, is still only known to himself.
It is Musk’s belief that slowing his speed to sleep more is, “not an option”. To him, stopping or slowing down his current momentum and intensity is equal to giving up. It’s literally unacceptable to him.
Some People Don’t Need as Much Sleep
There is a very small percentage of the population who truly don’t require the same amount of sleep that everyone else does. In a study cited by an article last year, in 2018, they found that, “some people are built to survive on less sleep and will sleep just six hours, even in laboratory conditions”. Don’t get too excited because the people they’re referring to there apparently make up only 1% of the population.
There is this almost mythical gene (though it actually exists in reality) labeled, “BHLHE41” shared by the people we’re talking about here—those are the people who don’t have to get as much sleep as the rest of us. Getting the average amount of sleep every night can actually be unfavorable and potentially detrimental for the people who have this gene. (Business Insider)
Is This Sleep Thing Really Affecting Him?
The study shows, however, that it is, “incredibly rare”, so there’s not much chance that you have it, not to mention that Elon Musk probably doesn’t have it because he appears to be struggling with the consequences of his lack of sleep, which we’ll get into shortly. The fact remains that, mythical gene-holder or not, Musk might not actually need the standard amount of sleep that everyone seems to be imposing on him.
It really doesn’t seem to be very fun for him to get such little sleep, as he reveals in his New York Times interview (also linked at the end of this post); so, the logical conclusion about all of this hullabaloo over Elon Musk’s sleep habits is that people are nosy. He probably knows what he’s doing.
Elon Has His Own Way of Managing Sleep
When you’re in the midst of a low-sleep regimen, it tends to turn you all the way back around and, ironically, makes it difficult for you to finally get to sleep, which you so desperately need at that point. Musk admits that he sometimes takes an Ambien to fall asleep.
Now, you can interpret that any way you want to, but if you’ve ever taken Ambien, you know how weird of a drug it can be, especially if you’re already severely sleep-deprived. The drug was designed for people who have real issues with insomnia for specific reasons.
Unfortunately, though, prescription-happy doctors will usually be happy to give you Ambien if you’re having trouble sleeping at all, even if it’s not necessarily advisable for you to use a powerful sleep aid like this one. The Ambien that Musk is taking from time to time, to get some much-needed sleep, could very well be contributing to his odd Tweets and even be causing further sleep and mood issues for him.
