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When Techcrunch correspondent Sarah Burr asked Arianna Huffington what advice she’d give to startup entrepreneurs, she had this to say: go to sleep.
The author and syndicated columnist revealed that sleep deprivation is the undoing of most startup founders.
In a phone interview with Burr, Arianna said, “There is this kind of founder myth that if you are a founder you can’t afford to get enough sleep. The truth is three-quarters of startups fail and if founders got more sleep they’d have a better chance of succeeding.” But sleep is the last thing that most busybodies have in mind when running a business.
Arianna insisted that anyone could squeeze in a few zzz’s no matter how busy life gets. And to prove her point, she is putting her $8 million Manhattan apartment on Air BnB. The impeccably furnished apartment features a hot bath, a massive bed and “luscious pillows” to help guests get some shut-eye.
Arianna is so committed to getting people to sleep that she had nap rooms at Huffington Post and AOL, two companies she founded. According to Arianna, most executives would collapse or suffer mental problems from lack of sleep. She noted that United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz and JP Morgan’s head of M&A Jimmy Lee are just two of the most prominent names in the business industry who suffered extreme sleep deprivation. She said there are successful executives who don’t sleep much, such as Jack Dorsey, Donald Trump, and Martha Stewart, but not everyone works well under pressure when sleep deprived.
She noted that United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz and JP Morgan’s head of M&A Jimmy Lee are just two of the most prominent names in the business industry who suffered extreme sleep deprivation. She said there are successful executives who don’t sleep much, such as Jack Dorsey, Donald Trump, and Martha Stewart, but not everyone works well under pressure when sleep deprived.
Getting enough sleep isn’t just about staying healthy. It also helps entrepreneurs make better decisions in business. Arianna herself collapse from exhaustion a few years back, leading her to live a life filled with afternoon naps.
“We now have the most amazing science that proves without doubt sleep deprivation affects every aspect of our health and our productivity,” Arianna said. To prove her point, she sleep-trained Uber executive Travis Kalanick. Arianna said avoiding caffeine after 2 PM and leaving your bedroom dark and quiet are secret to getting much-needed rest at night.