Samuel Okoruwa
The amount of sleep one should get in a day has been a matter of debate for some time now. It all began with a viral video of the talk show host, Steve Harvey.
In the video, he had a lot of things to say about getting rich, which he emphasized bluntly, “Success is not a comfortable procedure,” he said. “It is a very uncomfortable thing to attempt. You gotta get comfortable being uncomfortable if you wanna be successful.”
Touching on the issue of sleep, he said,
“Rich people don’t sleep eight hours a day! That’s a third of your life. It ain’t but 24 hours in a day. You cannot be sleeping eight hours a day. You can’t live in L.A. and wake up at 8 o’ clock in the morning. It’s 11 o ‘clock on the east coast. The stock market [has] been open two hours. They already making decisions about your life and your a-s was sleep.” He continued by quoting a bible verse, “The Bible says he who loves to sleep and the folding of hands—poverty will set upon you like a thief in the night.”
It didn’t take long for many people to start dragging the talk show host on Twitter, with some users writing
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This is irresponsible as hell from Steve Harvey. In your older age health is wealth. Successful people wake up early but also sleep early as well. Schedule your life around sleep, not the other way around.
— TASK the Ol' Nerdy Bastard. #StillWorthy (@UpToTASK) May 7, 2019
Black people, don’t let Steve Harvey hustle you into poor health. Get 8 hours of sleep. Let go of these clichéd ideas of “hustling” or “creativity”
— Uncle Zaddy (@deejaystyles) May 7, 2019
Others cited instances of extremely wealthy people to counter his claims:
Steve Harvey: rich people don’t get 8 hour of sleep
Two of the top five richest people in the world:
— Ti tonton (@_TakingFlight) May 7, 2019
Poor/Middle Class: I barely sleep because I’m stressed from working all the time.
Steve Harvey: You’re not rich because you sleep.
Forbes Magazine: One of the keys to Lebron James success is 12-HOURS OF SLEEP.https://t.co/Vni1SNL4UT
— M I C H A E L 🎬 (@MJL_Uncensored) May 8, 2019
Steve Harvey: rich people don’t get 8 hours of sleep
Diddy: pic.twitter.com/gtlMbMoUJB— Wall Of Comedy (@TheWallOfComedy) May 10, 2019
Despite these long-standing debates, one thing that remains true is that we all have different sleep patterns. While some folks can get on with their daily business with just 3-4 hours of sleep, others require the typical 8 hours of sleep.
This is evident in the lives of many ultra-wealthy billionaires who never shy away from talking about their sleeping habits. Here is what some of them had to say:
Warren Buffet
For Warren Buffet, sleep seems to be a priority. The serial businessman once said, “I will usually sleep eight hours a night, I have no desire to get to work at four in the morning.”
Donald Trump
The 45th president of the United States is famous for his 3-4 hour sleep schedule which he attributes to his success. “How does somebody that’s sleeping 12 and 14 hours a day compete with someone that’s sleeping three or four?” he asked in an interview.
Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo, is another entrepreneur who falls in the category of the “night owls”. She reportedly slept no longer than 4 hours per night while running PepsiCo.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk has revealed how he worked 120 hours a week to meet Telsa’s production demands. “There were times when I didn’t leave the factory for three or four days—days when I didn’t go outside,” he said.
Oprah Winfrey
Renowned media mogul, Oprah Winfrey, once revealed how she had to adjust her sleeping patterns to get more done. While speaking to Arrianna Huffington, she said, “The older I get, the more I realize that the real joy in achieving anything is the level of vibrancy and aliveness you can bring to it. You don’t want to miss out on life.”
Bill Gates
According to Bill Gates, his creativity depends on the amount of sleep he gets. “Even though it’s fun to stay up all night, if I have to be creative I need seven hours,” he remarked.
Do ypou agree with all these? Let’s hear your view in the comment box below. Thanks for reading.
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