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Unless it's an emergency, I've ALWAYS prioritized sleep. It's just too important for health regardless of these latest findings. I'd call in to work if I didn't

Unless it's an emergency, I've ALWAYS prioritized sleep. It's just too important for health regardless of these latest findings. I'd call in to work if I didn't get a full nights rest in the past, it's not worth feeling like shit for the rest of the day. The culture of glamorizing working longer and harder till early hours of the mornings on zero sleep, has always been nonsense. Musk is notorious for bragging about this, and the dude is a rough looking 49.

decafninja 5y ago
I think Elon Musk looks his age, and looks pretty ok for a 49 year old. Granted he has money, and he's had hair transplants, but I've seen many late 40s early 50s people in much worse shape.
- maxerickson 5y ago
  He's approaching the Brimley/Cocoon Line.
  - benatkin 5y ago
    Passed the Wendt/Cheers Line two years after Tesla was founded and three years before he became CEO.
- mywittyname 5y ago
  He's had a lot of cosmetic...improvements. Plus he can afford personal chefs, trainers, doctors, stylists, etc.
- matwood 5y ago
  IME, the biggest predictor for people looking younger than their age is exercising and avoiding alcohol. I'm sure sleep is in there since people who do the other 2 normally also sleep ok.
  - burade 5y ago
    Sleep is in there, trust me. I'm 29 and look 40.
  - bradford 5y ago
    I'd add tobacco use and UV exposure to that list (anecdotal of course).
    - ethbr0 5y ago
      Constant stress seems the biggest ager. Intermittent stress (even at high levels), punctuated by periods of relexation, doesn't seem as bad. See: US presidents before-and-after vs corporate CEOs
  - paulpauper 5y ago
    i think genes are a bigger factor
    - matwood 5y ago
      I disagree. Genes play a role by setting a min/max kind of like guardrails, but there can be a wide gradient between that min/max. Even people with arguably 'great genes' look terrible if they abuse drugs, alcohol, or their body in other ways.
- teawrecks 5y ago
  Elon looked 50 when he was 30. It's definitely the money.
  - decafninja 5y ago
    Probably the hair transplants.
- paulpauper 5y ago
  those are alot of caveats though. excpet for blah blah blah blahb, yeah he looks good. Compared to his earlier pictures, it looks like he 'filled out' in terms of mody mass and skull growth. That sometimes happens when you take GH for long periods.
rubicon33 5y ago
Some people are willing to trade health for fortune and fame. There's been interviews with Musk where he describes being unable to turn his brain off. He's probably just leaning hard into the cards that life dealt him - a wildly productive brain that wants to go go go. I don't blame him for taking what he was dealt, and running with it.
- rednerrus 5y ago
  He's leaning hard into the stimulants...
  - tachyonbeam 5y ago
    People with amphetamine habits typically look very skinny and unhealthy because amphetamines suppress appetite. Same for cocaine, ritalin and all other dopaminergic stimulants. They can also have facial scabs because of obsessive picking/scratching, and tend to be very twitchy and hyper. He doesn't come off that way at all during interviews. My personal experience leads me to believe that there is no way Elon Musk could have been dosing stimulants for the last 10-20 years and look as good and as relatively calm as he does. You build a tolerance very quickly, and any edge that you thought the stimulants were giving you will fade away fast. Then, if you increase the dose, your life will spiral off the rails as you become more manic, impulsive and irrational (eg: gambling, sex, spending sprees, irritability, violence, paranoia). Just Google John McAfee if you want to see what this can look like. IMO Elon Musk just has lucky genetics and doesn't need much sleep, always has high energy. There are people who are fortunate to be born like that.
    - majoram 5y ago
      >My personal experience leads me to believe that there is no way Elon Musk could have been dosing stimulants for the last 10-20 years and look as good and as relatively calm as he does. Looks can be deceiving :P Years ago Elon was balding hard and now he has a full head of hair.
      - 5y ago
tinyhouse 5y ago
Well, many people don't sleep enough because they cannot. Insomnia is common in midlife.
- nradov 5y ago
  Most cases of insomnia in midlife are caused by lifestyle problems: lack of exercise, substance abuse, and obesity-induced apnea.
nradov 5y ago
I wonder if Elon Musk has the "short sleep" genes? https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2019/08/415261/after-10-year-search-scientists-find-second-short-sleep-gene https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2019/08/415261/after-10-year-searc...
crocsarecool 5y ago
Heck yes. When I first started in tech, I was all about the working into the wee hours. I wanted to be hardcore. I was listening to a podcast and someone mentioned what you just said, “A major culture problem in the tech industry is glamorizing lack of sleep.” Hearing that gave me the slap of reality I needed. Just because I’m present at the computer doesn’t mean I’m doing my best work. There would be times I was so tired, I’d open an application to do something then sit staring at it for a few moments because I couldn’t remember what I was going to do. Now, I evangelize sleep to all my friends and coworkers. Especially the younger ones. I want to break that cycle.

decafninja 5y ago

I think Elon Musk looks his age, and looks pretty ok for a 49 year old. Granted he has money, and he's had hair transplants, but I've seen many late 40s early 50s people in much worse shape.

maxerickson 5y ago
He's approaching the Brimley/Cocoon Line.
- benatkin 5y ago
  Passed the Wendt/Cheers Line two years after Tesla was founded and three years before he became CEO.
mywittyname 5y ago
He's had a lot of cosmetic...improvements. Plus he can afford personal chefs, trainers, doctors, stylists, etc.
matwood 5y ago
IME, the biggest predictor for people looking younger than their age is exercising and avoiding alcohol. I'm sure sleep is in there since people who do the other 2 normally also sleep ok.
- burade 5y ago
  Sleep is in there, trust me. I'm 29 and look 40.
- bradford 5y ago
  I'd add tobacco use and UV exposure to that list (anecdotal of course).
  - ethbr0 5y ago
    Constant stress seems the biggest ager. Intermittent stress (even at high levels), punctuated by periods of relexation, doesn't seem as bad. See: US presidents before-and-after vs corporate CEOs
- paulpauper 5y ago
  i think genes are a bigger factor
  - matwood 5y ago
    I disagree. Genes play a role by setting a min/max kind of like guardrails, but there can be a wide gradient between that min/max. Even people with arguably 'great genes' look terrible if they abuse drugs, alcohol, or their body in other ways.
teawrecks 5y ago
Elon looked 50 when he was 30. It's definitely the money.
- decafninja 5y ago
  Probably the hair transplants.
paulpauper 5y ago
those are alot of caveats though. excpet for blah blah blah blahb, yeah he looks good. Compared to his earlier pictures, it looks like he 'filled out' in terms of mody mass and skull growth. That sometimes happens when you take GH for long periods.

rubicon33 5y ago

Some people are willing to trade health for fortune and fame. There's been interviews with Musk where he describes being unable to turn his brain off. He's probably just leaning hard into the cards that life dealt him - a wildly productive brain that wants to go go go. I don't blame him for taking what he was dealt, and running with it.

rednerrus 5y ago
He's leaning hard into the stimulants...
- tachyonbeam 5y ago
  People with amphetamine habits typically look very skinny and unhealthy because amphetamines suppress appetite. Same for cocaine, ritalin and all other dopaminergic stimulants. They can also have facial scabs because of obsessive picking/scratching, and tend to be very twitchy and hyper. He doesn't come off that way at all during interviews. My personal experience leads me to believe that there is no way Elon Musk could have been dosing stimulants for the last 10-20 years and look as good and as relatively calm as he does. You build a tolerance very quickly, and any edge that you thought the stimulants were giving you will fade away fast. Then, if you increase the dose, your life will spiral off the rails as you become more manic, impulsive and irrational (eg: gambling, sex, spending sprees, irritability, violence, paranoia). Just Google John McAfee if you want to see what this can look like. IMO Elon Musk just has lucky genetics and doesn't need much sleep, always has high energy. There are people who are fortunate to be born like that.
  - majoram 5y ago
    >My personal experience leads me to believe that there is no way Elon Musk could have been dosing stimulants for the last 10-20 years and look as good and as relatively calm as he does. Looks can be deceiving :P Years ago Elon was balding hard and now he has a full head of hair.
    - 5y ago

tinyhouse 5y ago

Well, many people don't sleep enough because they cannot. Insomnia is common in midlife.

nradov 5y ago
Most cases of insomnia in midlife are caused by lifestyle problems: lack of exercise, substance abuse, and obesity-induced apnea.

nradov 5y ago

I wonder if Elon Musk has the "short sleep" genes? https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2019/08/415261/after-10-year-search-scientists-find-second-short-sleep-gene https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2019/08/415261/after-10-year-searc...

crocsarecool 5y ago

Heck yes. When I first started in tech, I was all about the working into the wee hours. I wanted to be hardcore. I was listening to a podcast and someone mentioned what you just said, “A major culture problem in the tech industry is glamorizing lack of sleep.” Hearing that gave me the slap of reality I needed. Just because I’m present at the computer doesn’t mean I’m doing my best work. There would be times I was so tired, I’d open an application to do something then sit staring at it for a few moments because I couldn’t remember what I was going to do. Now, I evangelize sleep to all my friends and coworkers. Especially the younger ones. I want to break that cycle.