5 ms·
Something there got me thinking... how much do guys at a startup actually sleep? Four hours?
by ptn 19y ago
Something there got me thinking... how much do guys at a startup actually sleep? Four hours?
- davidw 19y agoMore, hopefully. I don't think you can actually be productive if you're a complete zombie for extended periods of time.
- jsjenkins168 19y agoYou can sleep 4 hours each night if you take naps throughout the day. Not only does this increase your total awake hours, it also improves concentration and acuteness. If you are interested in studying sleep effectiveness, try to pick up a copy of Why We Nap by Claudio Stampi
- rms 19y agoUberman, anyone? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uberman%27s_sleep_schedule http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uberman%27s_sleep_schedule
- kn0thing 19y agoWe tried this and failed miserably. http://reddit.blogspot.com/2005/10/polyphasic-sleep-groggy-journey-toward.html http://reddit.blogspot.com/2005/10/polyphasic-sleep-groggy-j... My hat goes off to you for making it work. /impressed
- jsjenkins168 19y agoInteresting, and cool you tried it (sounds like Uberman if it was Steve Pavlina). If you feel inclined to try again feel free to email me, I might be able to offer some help.. You can compromise with an Everyman polyphasic schedule..
- carter 19y agoMmm...around 6 hours in average.
- breck 19y agoI slept 4 hours for about a month. It was a great thing to do--once. Now I know how little I can sleep and still function. I think one thing I've learned though more than anything is that startups take a long time and its better to work from 8-10 7 days a week for 2 years than to work 6-12 everyday for a few months. So I average about 6 hours a sleep a night now, and make sure to exercise everyday.
- Shooter 19y agoI sleep 8-10 hours per night, on average. I have bouts of insomnia, but my productivity drops significantly if I sleep less than 8 hours. I also start to have very odd - and dangerous - physical symptoms. Yes, I have a sleep disorder. For a period of time right before I was diagnosed, I actually slept 14-20 hours per day. As with most constraints, it has turned out to be an advantage in some ways. I focus on working smarter instead of harder, and I really value the hours I have to work with in each day. I have some employees that can accomplish more in one hour than other employees can accomplish in a month. A few hours each day can just be a rounding error if you are really conscious of productivity and smart about how you use your time. The idea that you can only sleep 3-4 hours per night if you want your startup to be successful is complete BS, and is part of the counterproductive macho aspect of startup culture. If you can get by on 4 hours of sleep, and aren't lying to yourself about your productivity and performance, then good for you...but such people are rare. I wish I didn't have a sleep disorder, of course, but I would still sleep 7-8 hours per night even if I didn't. Brains function best when they are well-rested.
- aaroneous 19y agoIf you don't mind sharing: which sleep disorder do you have?
- Shooter 19y agohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_24-hour_sleep-wake_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_24-hour_sleep-wake_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnea My symptoms are exacerbated by a couple other health issues, and the doctors have had difficulty establishing causal relationships. I use a CPAP for the apnea. I feel like I have jet lag if I miss a little sleep. If I miss a great deal of sleep, my symptoms worsen dramatically...I had a stroke when I was 30 after being sleep deprived for too long, for example. I was able to do all-nighters without a problem until I was a senior in college. Then, I worked night shift for seven years to make it easier to cope. The sleep issue was yet another motivator for starting my own company.