Elon Musk reveals how much sleep he gets each night

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Elon Musk

REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

Elon Musk is one of the most accomplished tech leaders in the world. You'd think this guy never sleeps. But it turns out, he does in fact sleep!

In a Reddit AMA from 2015, the Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO said he sleeps "almost exactly 6 hours on average."

That's slightly below the average amount of daily sleep advised by the National Sleep Foundation, which recommends that adults over 18 get seven to nine hours of sleep each night to maintain a healthy weight and mood and to improve one's memory and athletic performance.

It's surprising the 45-year-old entrepreneur even manages six hours, considering he splits most of his days between his ambitious aerospace and automotive companies; he is also a major philanthropist and the chairman of the green-energy service company Solar City, and he sits on several advisory and engineering boards. For what it's worth, Musk has said that he's slept in Tesla's factories - even keeping a sleeping bag in a conference room next to where the manufacturing is done so he can better inspect vehicles as they come off the production line.

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If you're wondering how Musk can accomplish as much as he does on little sleep, there are plenty of known ways to function at optimal levels on just four hours of sleep. Business Insider even has a step-by-step guide (with charts!) to help gradually reduce your sleeping hours while also getting more out of your waking hours.