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Throughout history, influential figures have often been known to function on minimal sleep. Margaret Thatcher, the former UK Prime Minister, was a notable example, reportedly thriving on just four hours of rest each night. Similarly, several American presidents, including Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton, have been recognized for their ability to operate on limited sleep. Interestingly, Clinton has admitted that his most significant errors occurred during times of exhaustion.
This phenomenon is not confined to the political sphere. In the business world, the trend is echoed by individuals like Martha Stewart, the American billionaire who famously built her empire while sleeping as little as three hours a night. Likewise, tech moguls such as Twitter’s co-founder, Jack Dorsey, have openly discussed their scant sleeping habits.
In a groundbreaking political shift, Sanae Takaichi was elected in October as Japan’s Prime Minister, becoming the first woman to hold the office. A conservative politician, Takaichi has drawn inspiration from figures such as Thatcher, known for their rigorous work ethic and scant sleep.
However, the glorification of sleep deprivation raises critical questions. Scientific research clearly shows that a lack of rest can severely impact cognitive functions, impair decision-making capabilities, and lead to emotional instability. These are crucial factors in effective leadership, particularly for those in positions of power.
Given the potential consequences, it seems paradoxical that society often idolizes leaders who sacrifice sleep for productivity. This begs the question: why do we allow some of the world’s most critical decision-makers to set a precedent that normalizes insufficient rest?
Over time, this creates what’s known as a “sleep debt”.
Tips for getting a better night’s sleep. Source: SBS News
Even in the short term, a host of negative ramifications can start to accumulate. Risk of illness increases, problem-solving skills and memory functions diminish and reaction times drop.
Siobhan Banks, director of the Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre at the University of South Australia, says people who sleep very little at night may still be taking short naps throughout the day, which can “reset the clock a little bit”.
“Your biology is such that you will just start falling asleep, even if you’re standing up, even if you’re engaged in conversation, the drive for sleep is so strong that you will fall asleep,” Banks tells SBS News.
We hear about these extreme scenarios, and never about the fact that in a couple of weeks’ time, [they] get sick and have to sleep for nine hours, 10 days straight.
As a rule of thumb, most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night.
The acute dangers of insufficient sleep
It determined people generally experience a modest level of impairment after six or seven hours of sleep, but getting only four or five hours approximately doubles the risk of a crash.
Banks says the sleep schedules that some leaders follow simply “wouldn’t cut the mustard” in industries like aviation or healthcare, where fatigue regulations are enforced to prevent catastrophic errors.
Sleep deprivation as a ‘badge of honour’
Her message, and others like it, resonated widely. The 2000s and 2010s witnessed a wave of mainstream pushback against “sleep is for the weak” and workaholism. In 2019, the World Health Organization formally recognised burnout as an occupational phenomenon.
This is how your sleep needs change with age, according to the US-based National Sleep Foundation. Source: SBS News / Kenneth Macleod
The COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated this shift, driving a decline in employee engagement and increasing demand for more flexible working arrangements.
“We’ve moved away from this idea of leaders as infallible, superhuman people.”
We understand that leaders can make mistakes, and we like when leaders are vulnerable, and we like when leaders are humble, when they’re willing to admit that they’re wrong.
“But I would actually say it kind of makes you sound scary … that you might not be someone so reliable,” she says.
Modelling success and leadership differently
Jeff Bezos has said he prioritises getting eight hours, in part because “as a senior executive, you get paid to make a small number of high-quality decisions”.
“I’d be like, ‘Wow, those guys are so good’. I need to try harder, because sleep is laziness and unnecessary.”
Microsoft founder Bill Gates confessed in 2023 that he subscribed to unhealthy sleep narratives in his thirties and forties. Source: Getty / Bloomberg
According to leadership expert Eva, demonstrating poor sleep habits sends all the wrong messages in today’s environment.
