Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt: The 'real secret' to success is sleep

Eric Schmidt

The "sleepless executive" is a worshipped figure in America's workaholic culture, particularly the tech industry, but some executives are starting to try to dispel the idea.

For instance, Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt just joined the ranks of highly successful people advocating for sleep as a tried-and-true method for increased productivity.

While Schmidt doesn't go so far as to confess that he himself sleeps 7-9 hours every night, the amount of sleep an adult typically needs according to the National Sleep Foundation, he does say that it's simply not true that top execs ignore sleep.

"I have read stories about how the most successful people sleep less. The real secret is the most successful people have awareness of what their body needs and sleep whenever necessary," he writes in a post for Arianna Huffington's Thrive site.

He says that most people probably aren't treating sleep with the respect it deserves. "Most likely, you are not sleeping enough," he writes.

The tech industry is filled with stories about execs who don't sleep much, or who sleep under their desks so they can prioritize working harder.

Huffington has been on a mission to end this myth, particularly in her latest publication, Thrive and its sleep-oriented products like the $100 "Phone Bed." She's clearly starting to enlist other big names in tech to help spread the word: sleep is good for your body and your career.

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