Why Thomas Edison was (Dangerously) Wrong

In 1889 Thomas Edison told Scientific American that he slept only four hours a night.  In 1913, John Hubert Greusel wrote “When [Edison's employees] fell from sheer exhaustion he seemed to begrudge the brief hours they were sleeping.”

It appears that Edison's body/brain was wired for about half of the normal sleep need.  His choice.  And, by choice, those who worked for him attempted to do the same.

The following year, 1914, Edison said "There is really no reason why men should go to bed at all."  This is where I say Thomas Edison was dangerously wrong.  Research is very clear now that the vast majority (actually, almost everyone) needs 7-8+ hours of sleep to function well mentally and physically.

When folks don't get enough sleep, it not only impacts production and performance, it can be dangerous if they are dealing with equipment.

In fact, I sometimes wonder if Thomas Edison - or at least his employees - had slept more normal hours if the 1000 attempts to make a light bulb would have been 500?  We will never know.

So, how can getting enough sleep benefit you?  How to improve your ability to sleep well?  Watch this video and let me know how getting enough sleep helps you.