Do any successful people wake up late?
Successful leaders who wake up late
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, wakes up around 8:00 a.m. He checks what's going in the world through Facebook while still in bed, then checks his messages on Whats App and Messenger. He said that it usually takes him only a few minutes to connect to the world.
In a five-year study of self-made millionaires, author Tom Corley found that almost 50 percent of them woke up at least three hours before their workday began.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX: 6 hours (1am — 7am) Tim Cook, CEO of Apple: 7 hours (9:30pm — 4:30am) Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft: 7 hours (12am — 7am) Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group: 5–6 hours (12–5/6am)
Often, people claim that the most successful people wake up early, and there are plenty of examples that support this, such as Jeff Bezos, Howard Schultz, Martha Stewart, Tim Cook, and Bob Iger, all millionaires who wake up before 5 a.m. (We wonder what mattresses they sleep on?)
The survey of 1,086 CEOs of U.S. companies on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list, published on Thursday, found that 64% wake up by 6 a.m., or earlier. Nearly 9 out of 10 of the CEOs surveyed rise no later than 7 a.m.
Many successful people wake up early so that they are able to use undisturbed time to do stuff for themselves. Waking up early is great for getting organized, strategic thinking, and planning. Additionally, getting to the office first means fewer distractions from colleagues.
7AM: Wake-up call
After a restful 7 hours, Bill awakes rearing to go. This was easy enough, as 7 hours is my personal ideal number of hours for sleep.
School-age children should go to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. Teens should try to go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. Adults should try to go to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m.
Back in 2012, I read in this very magazine that Michelle Obama wakes up at 4.30am every morning to workout with her husband, the lesser-known Barack Obama. I had two responses: “couple goals” and “ew”.
With various board meetings and no shortage of pressure, rest can be hard to find. CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk get under six hours of sleep each night.
How many hours do the rich sleep?
Successful entrepreneurs, including Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett, prioritise rest and swear by seven to eight hours of peaceful sleep.
For those of you who don't know what the 5 AM Club is, it's a concept popularised by Robin Sharma where you get up at 5 am in the morning to complete a set of 20/20/20s – 20 minutes in intense exercise, 20 minutes reflecting on your goals and 20 minutes learning a new skill.

Bill Gates
Now, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder gets at least seven hours of shut-eye, and wrote that all people need that much, “even if you've convinced yourself otherwise.”
Interviews conducted by The Guardian in 2013 found that all of the successful CEOs got out of bed immediately. There was no snoozing and no lazing around thinking about the day. They had emails to answer and the earlier that was done the better. So, an early start counts as anything from 3.30am to 5.45am.
Mornings. Warren Buffet is somewhat of an early riser, especially for a man of his age. His day starts at 6:45 am after getting at least eight hours of sleep each night. When Buffett gets up in the morning, he doesn't reach for the coffee pot.
Steve Jobs was like this — he told Time back in 1999 that he would wake up around 6 am to work until his kids got up.
According to data, most of us, however, have a tendency to wake sometime during the 7 o'clock hour. That includes the US which sits right in the middle of the pack with an average wake-up time of 7:20 AM. Here is a look at the average wake up times of countries around the .
Recently in an article in the Wall Street Journal, a journalist interviewed several billionaires and discovered that they all seem to find 4am as their "most productive time of day." If you want to learn why this will only work out for about 15 per cent of the population, keep reading.
A lark, early bird, morning person, or (in Scandinavian countries) an A-person, is a person who usually gets up early in the morning and goes to bed early in the evening. The term relates to the birds known as larks, which are known to sing before dawn.
Compared to those living near or below the poverty level, the rich sleep more too, according to a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Is 10pm to 4am enough sleep?
“There is no such thing as a “fixed or ideal time” to go to bed which will suit all individuals. It is generally advisable to fall asleep between 10 pm to midnight as for most people this is when the circadian rhythm is at a point that favours falling asleep.”
During the early waking moments of the morning, you can be fully alert and focused to due the brain chemistry at that time. You won't be overthinking and can naturally do the things you need to get off to as great start.
The hours between 1am and 3am are governed by the liver meridian. Emotionally it is associated with anger and physically associated with your shoulder. The hours between 3am and 5am are governed by the lung meridian.
In an August 2022 episode of FULL SEND PODCAST, however, Musk shares that he's now even more nocturnal than ever, sleeping at 3AM and waking up at 9 or 9:30AM. Just like before, this grants him a grand total of six (or six and a half) hours of sleep.
10 HOURS OF SLEEP AND ONE-SECOND NAPS
He reportedly slept for at least 10 hours per day – nearly one and a half times as much as the average American today (6.8 hours).
He says he likes getting around six to six-and-a-half hours of sleep per night. Sleeping in is not an option for him, saying it affects his performance more than if he sleeps less. After getting up, he showers, dresses, and enjoys a morning cup of coffee.
A structured morning routine cultivates success. Harvard Biologist Christoph Randler discovered that early risers are more proactive. They're also more likely to anticipate problems and minimize them efficiently, which leads to more success especially in the business world.
Age Range | Recommended Hours of Sleep (NSF) | Recommended Bedtime |
---|---|---|
7-11 months old | 12 to 16 hours | 6:00 pm - 7:30pm |
1-2 years old | 11- 14 hours | 6:00 pm -7:30pm |
3-5 years old | 10-13 hours | 7:15 pm - 8:30pm |
6-13 years old | 9-11 hours | 7:15p.m-9:00pm |
An overview of the data
Americans spend an average of 7 hours and 18 minutes in bed each night. They go to bed at 11:39 p.m., wake up at 7:09 a.m., spend 23.95 minutes snoring, have an average sleep quality of 74.2 percent, and rate their wake-up mood at 57 on a scale of 100.
“I wake up at 8:30 a.m or 9 a.m., but go to bed late. I'm a night owl,” Aniston says.
What time does Oprah wake up?
Mornings. Oprah Winfrey says that she rises at about 7:10 am. She says that her favorite place to wake up is surrounded by nature in her own Montecito, California home, which she refers to as the "Promised Land." While she may be awake early, she takes her time getting out of bed.
According to the site, Beyoncé typically wakes up at 6 a.m. to practice gratefulness. Again, I did not wake up in time for this. Look, if the sun is not up, I am not up. If this experiment has taught me anything, it's that I enjoy sunlight more than I thought.
He is a big believer in having an early night, and he's usually in bed by 10:30 pm.
Jeff Bezos has revealed his optimal sleep time in order to be the best he can at his job. The Amazon mogul's success is seen as the ultimate goal for entrepreneurs. "I get eight hours of sleep a night.
Other weird records
Previously, Peter Tripp held the first record at 201 hours and suffered from hallucinations for several days after. Between Peter and Randy, Honolulu DJ Tom Rounds made it to 260 hours. Randy tapped out at 264 hours, and slept for 14 hours straight after.
Almost without exception, successful people start their day early. Many say they get up between 5 am and 6 am. Rising early is particularly great for those who work from home or have small children, because they can accomplish work tasks without interruption.
so don't be afraid of an earlier bedtime. Find your child's “sleep sweet spot”, then stick to it – for babies younger than 12 weeks, bedtime should be around 9PM to 10PM. Babies older than 12 weeks do best with bedtime around 7PM to 8PM.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is so productive that it seems like he doesn't sleep. As it turns out, he doesn't. The actor and former WWE wrestling star told Variety that he gets just three to five hours a night. “The only thing that's regimented is I have to wake up before the sun gets up," he said.
It may not be compatible with a standard office job, but as these 18 people prove, waking up late can definitely be compatible with success.
Almost without exception, successful people start their day early. Many say they get up between 5 am and 6 am. Rising early is particularly great for those who work from home or have small children, because they can accomplish work tasks without interruption.
Is it healthy to wake up late?
People who go to bed late and wake up late can often experience health problems because their body clock does not align with the regular rhythms of modern society. However, a new study suggests that a few easy routine adjustments could go a long way for night owls.
By 5:30am, one in five are awake. The peak time for waking up is between 6 and 6:30am. Twenty-three percent of our sample rises in that half-hour, and this is the point when more than half of the nation's potential audience is now awake. Another 26% rise between 6:30 and 7:30 – and now most all respondents are awake.
Steve Jobs was also an early riser, starting his days around 6:00. Maybe Tim Cook fashioned his early morning routine after his former boss, Steve Jobs. Jobs told Time back in 1999 about how he started his days: "I'll wake up sixish and work a little before the kids get up.
Just look at Winston Churchill and the former president of the USA Barack Obama – both highly successful, ambitious and night owls. Other famous evening people include Prince, Christina Aguilera, Aaron Levie, just to name a few.
Other well-known night owls include Winston Churchill, Fran Lebowitz, Bob Dylan, Carl Jung, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Travolta, Prince, Christina Aguilera, and, believe it or not, Barack Obama. Some research even suggests that those who stay up late and sleep in regularly are smarter than those who don't.
Recently in an article in the Wall Street Journal, a journalist interviewed several billionaires and discovered that they all seem to find 4am as their "most productive time of day." If you want to learn why this will only work out for about 15 per cent of the population, keep reading.
According to research conducted by Northwestern Medicine in the US, and the University of Surrey in the UK, “night owls” have a 10 percent higher risk of dying sooner than “larks”. Out of almost half a million participants the study found 50,000 people were more likely to die over a six and a half year period.
The Best Time to Wake Up Depends on You
They're going to bed at 8 PM to get adequate sleep, or they're running on fewer hours than required. A 4 AM wake-up time will be good for you in the same way that an 8 AM wake-up time is. As long as you get enough restful sleep, you shouldn't worry about the best time to wake up.
"Most people hit their deepest sleep between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.," says WebMD sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, D, ABSM, "so it's very hard to wake up during that time."
Elon Musk says he is "fairly nocturnal" and only sleeps about 6 hours a day. He told The Full Send podcast he usually goes to bed about 3 a.m. and gets up around 9 a.m. The Tesla CEO says he has a "bad habit" of immediately checking his phone after waking up.
How early do most Americans wake up?
According to data, most of us, however, have a tendency to wake sometime during the 7 o'clock hour. That includes the US which sits right in the middle of the pack with an average wake-up time of 7:20 AM. Here is a look at the average wake up times of countries around the .