Myth: Geniuses sleep little

Myth

Geniuses sleep little!

Fact

When looking at Edison, Tesla, or Churchill it is easy to believe that cutting down on sleep does not seem to pose a problem in creative achievement. Those who try to work creatively in conditions of sleep deprivation will quickly discover though that fresh mind is by far more important than those 2-3 hours one can save by sleeping less. A less visible side effect of sleep deprivation is the negative impact on memory consolidation and creativity in the long term. Lack of sleep hampers remembering. It also prevents creative associations built during sleep. It is not true that geniuses sleep less. Einstein would work best if he got a solid nine hours of sleep. If a genius happens to sleep little, it has nothing to do with genius itself. Every brain should get ask much sleep as it asks for. For more see: How long should we sleep?

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