Bill Gates says he used to stay up all night to meet deadlines in his younger years, thought sleeping was lazy (2024)

New Delhi,UPDATED: Aug 8, 2023 16:42 IST

A lot of us don’t feel very productive at work when we haven’t had enough sleep the night before. There are enough studies on the internet today that highlight the importance of a good night’s sleep for both mental and physical wellbeing. However, some people think of it as a waste of time and almost take pride in not sleeping enough. And in his younger years, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates also felt the same.

In the first episode of his podcast titled Unconfuse Me, Gates said that he used to pull all-nighters during his initial years at Microsoft in order to meet tight deadlines. However now, the billionaire prefers to get around 7-8 hours of sleep at night. For the unversed, Gates lost his father to Alzheimer's in the year 2020.

Bill Gates on initial days at Microsoft

For the first episode of his podcast, Gates talked about Alzheimer's and maintaining brain health with Seth Rogan and Lauren Miller Rogan. He revealed that when he was in his 30s and 40s, he used to compete with his fellow Microsoft colleagues about who sleeps for the least amount of time. He also added that according to him back then, sleep was ‘unnecessary and laziness’.

However now, the billionaire is a changed person and tracks his daily sleep. He also tries getting around 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.

He also added that in order to take care of one’s brain health, getting a healthy amount of sleep is important since you are a teenager.

"Now what we know is that to maintain brain health, getting good sleep even back to teen years is super important. One of the most predictive factors of any dementia, including Alzheimer's, is whether you're getting good sleep," he said.

When Bill Gates talked about his sleeping habits

This isn’t the first time that Gates has admitted that his sleeping habits needed improvement. In a blog post in December 2019, Gates urged people to read a book titled ‘Why We Sleep’ by Matthew Walker.

“Everyone knows that a good night’s sleep is important—but what exactly counts as a good night’s sleep? And how do you make one happen? Walker has persuaded me to change my bedtime habits to up my chances. If your New Year’s resolution is to be healthier in 2020, his advice is a good place to start,” he had written back then.