Good sleep is a very precious commodity which is treasured and, far too often, quite rare. If you’re rich, famous and successful, this is even more relevant.
When it comes to getting a good solid night’s sleep, some people will go to extreme lengths to ensure it goes ahead without disturbance or hindrance. But for others, sleep is not high on their list of priorities and can function on as little as a few hours per night.
Here is a quick look at 10 of the most unusual sleeping habits of the rich and famous:
The Sleep Habits of Rich and Successful People
Arianna Huffington
The Greek-American author and founder of The Huffington Post once suffered from exhaustion so severe that she collapsed and awoke in a pool of her own blood.
Eager to not let the incident repeat itself, Arianna Huffington established a strict bedtime routine which she sticks to like clockwork.
Arianna turns off all of her electronics and gadgets, placing them on charge outside of the bedroom. She then takes a hot bath with lavender oil and Epsom salts, before changing into special sleep clothes and reading until dozing off.
Winston Churchill
A British statesman, military officer and war-time Prime Minister, Winston Churchill was a biphasic sleeper and would take a two-hour nap each day at 5 pm, after drinking a whiskey and soda.
It was common for Winston Churchill to work throughout the night.
Because of his irregular sleeping pattern, it is rumored that he would hold meetings of the War Cabinet from his bathtub.
Churchill held his sleeping habits in high-esteem, commenting that they allowed him to get one and a half day’s work done in 24 hours.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Italian painter, sculptor and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci followed a polyphasic sleep process which he aptly named “The Da Vinci Sleep Schedule” which involved sleeping between 20 minutes and 2 hours per session, several times per day.
This unconventional sleep schedule definitely gave him more time during his days. But it could have also made it quite difficult to work on long-term projects which required more concentration.
Shaquille O’Neal
Retired American professional basketball player Shaquille O’Neal suffers from sleep apnea, meaning that his breathing periodically stops for a short period whilst he’s sleeping.
In severe cases, these breathing lapses can last up to ten seconds and occur several times throughout the night…
Scary!
Lyndon B. Johnson
The former President of the United States was known to split his day into two parts which enabled him to get more work done.
He typically woke up at around 6 am to 7 am and worked until 2 pm, before exercising and taking a quick 30-minute nap, after which he would wake up and work until the early hours of the morning.
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla – the Serbian-American inventor and physicist – followed an ‘Uberman’ sleep cycle which he claimed never allowed him to sleep for more than two hours per day.
As a child, Tesla would suffer from nightmares and perhaps this influenced his desire to sleep less. It is reported that once Tesla worked for more than 84 hours without any rest whatsoever.
Eminem
The American rapper puts tinfoil on his windows at night to stop any light seeping in. And is said to play white noise on his speakers and through the television, which helps him sleep better when traveling between different time zones.
Salvador Dali
Spanish painter, photographer and sculptor Salvador Dali would sit with a key in one hand placed above a metal plate.
As soon as Dali would fall asleep, the key would slip from his hand and clang against the metal plate, immediately waking him up.
Tell me about surreal sleeping habits!
These are just ten of our favorite unusual sleeping habits of the rich and famous. Throughout history, there have been many documented unusual sleeping habits and you can check out our infographic if you want to learn more.