How much sleep do world leaders really get?

Running a country is not exactly a nine-to-five operation. There are late-night negotiations, early-morning briefings, emergencies that refuse to observe time zones and an endless line-up of meetings, speeches and travel.

But just how little sleep can a world leader get away with?

That question gained fresh attention after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made an extraordinary admission about her own routine: since taking office, there have been nights when she has got virtually no sleep at all.

Writing on X during a public holiday in July, Takaichi said she had finally managed five hours of uninterrupted sleep - something she regarded as a rarity. Her normal nightly total since becoming prime minister, she said, was between zero and three hours.

The disclosure sparked concern in Japan, where long working hours and deaths linked to overwork have been a national issue for decades. It also raises a wider question: are extreme working hours really evidence of stamina and dedication in political leaders, or can insufficient sleep become a liability when they are making decisions affecting millions of people?

So how much sleep have some of the world’s best-known political leaders said they get?

The figures below are based on statements by the leaders themselves or reports from established news organisations. They are not medical measurements, and sleeping patterns can change according to workload, travel, emergencies and circumstances.

Sanae Takaichi: Zero to three hours

Japan’s prime minister currently appears to occupy the extreme end of the political sleep spectrum.

Takaichi said in July that since becoming prime minister she normally gets between zero and three hours of sleep a night. She described managing five uninterrupted hours during a public holiday as “a blessing”.

Her comments, reported by AP, prompted concern in Japan and renewed discussion about the country’s culture of long working hours.

The issue has particular resonance because of Japan’s decades-long struggle with karoshi -- death linked to overwork.

Donald Trump: Four to five hours

US President Donald Trump has long described himself as a short sleeper.

In a 2017 interview with Fox News, Trump said he frequently slept for only four or five hours a night. AP reported at the time that Trump said he generally worked until midnight or 1am and was awake again at around 5am.

The routine was consistent with Trump’s long-standing public portrayal of himself as someone who requires relatively little sleep.

Narendra Modi: Three to four hours

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has publicly described himself as someone who sleeps considerably less than the amount normally recommended for adults.

During his 2019 interview with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, the conversation turned to Modi’s sleeping habits.

Modi said his body cycle was such that he generally slept for three to four hours, adding that he slept soundly during that time.

Emmanuel Macron: Three to four hours

French President Emmanuel Macron has also been reported to operate on remarkably little sleep, although the figure comes from earlier in his presidency rather than a recent disclosure.

The Financial Times reported in 2018 that Macron was sleeping only three or four hours a night amid an intense working schedule. Reports from the period portrayed him as a person who continued working and communicating with aides late into the evening.

Barack Obama: About five hours

Former US president Barack Obama was another well-known White House night owl.

The New York Times reported in 2016 that Obama generally slept about five hours a night. After having dinner with his family, he would often spend several more hours working alone late at night, reading briefing papers, writing and preparing for the following day.

The quiet nighttime hours reportedly gave Obama an opportunity to work with fewer interruptions after the frenetic activity of the presidential day had subsided.

Angela Merkel: A few hours during intense periods

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel had a memorable way of describing her ability to cope temporarily with insufficient sleep: she compared herself to a camel.

Reuters reported Merkel saying she could manage for several days on only a few hours of sleep provided she subsequently had an opportunity to catch up.

Her “sleep camel” description is important because Merkel did not portray herself as someone who permanently required almost no sleep. Rather, she suggested she could accumulate a sleep deficit during periods of intense work and recover when circumstances allowed.

This is a 1980 file photo showing British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher earned the title ‘Iron Lady’ for her hard line against communism.

This is a 1980 file photo showing British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher earned the title ‘Iron Lady’ for her hard line against communism.

Margaret Thatcher: About four hours

Long before smartphones, round-the-clock news and today’s constantly connected political world, Margaret Thatcher helped create the image of the political leader who seemed barely to need sleep.

The former British prime minister was famously associated with sleeping about four hours a night -- and in this case, the claim came from Thatcher herself.

In a 1989 interview with The Sun, preserved in the Margaret Thatcher Foundation archive, Thatcher said: “These days I find it very difficult actually to sleep more than four hours.”

Her former press secretary, Sir Bernard Ingham, also subsequently described Thatcher as someone who slept for around four hours a night.

Is less sleep really an advantage?

The political fascination with leaders who sleep for only a few hours reflects a wider tendency to associate sleeping less with stamina, productivity and commitment.

But sleep specialists offer a more complicated picture.

A small number of people appear naturally able to function well on unusually little sleep, with research suggesting that genetics can play a role in so-called natural short sleepers. They are, however, considered unusual.

For most adults, regularly getting too little sleep is not regarded as an advantage. The CDC recommends at least seven hours for adults aged 18 to 60 and says sufficient sleep helps improve attention and memory, among other health benefits.

For people entrusted with decisions that can affect millions, the important question may not simply be how long they can stay awake.

It is how clearly they can think while doing so.