How to train myself to need less sleep before starting full-time?

So I've always been someone who needs an above average amount of sleep. During school, left to my own devices, I usually need 9ish hours, or 8ish + 30minutes to and hour of laying in bed before getting up. If I sleep 7 or less, I get really tired in the afternoon and almost always have to take a 30 minute nap or so. I'm trying to get myself down to an average of 7-7.5 hours (nothing too crazy) of sleep per day with no naps, and I'm wondering if you guys had any tips on how to do that? Is it just a mental thing that I have to really put my mind to? Or should I be focusing on hyper-optimizing diet and exercise? Or something else?

11 Comments
 

I used to need to sleep a ton in hs but after I started college I have completely changed. I am pretty sure that this is connected to how busy I am now compared to when I was in high school. My calendar is very full, I workout 4-5x per week, no caffeine and my sleep is perfect. Another tip: never stay in bed with phone both in the morning and at night.

 

Lmaooo I've been thinking about this a lot recently. My sleep habits have gotten really bad with online classes and the free time over the summer, but I think when you have responsibilities and busy days its a lot easier to get up when you need to. Been sleeping a lot during this online semester but during my internship this past summer I got up when I needed to.

 

Way easier to deal with lack of sleep when you're busy. Don't forget many analysts are former frat stars who were sleeping 10-12 hours their senior year, you will adapt pretty quickly. A default 9 hour schedule might be helpful for lighter days/weekends to catch up.

I wouldn't go to "hyper-optimizing" levels but would definitely look at your diet/exercise routine and get rid of any terrible eating habits now. Nothing kills your energy like fast food every night.

 

for exercise, are there any specific things you think are good to focus on? My intuition says cardio would be most important, but also curious if lifting and stuff also actually helps with sleep tolerance.

 

tbh for me personally i never do the big lifts like squats or deadlifts on workdays, maybe on the weekend if im free because they drain me way too much the next day to function optimally at work and i never have energy to do them being sleep deprived anyway

if i gym during work its usually lighter or more cardio shit but i have no idea whats the optimal workout plan with sleep tolerance

 

I’m in college and on the days I have no class sometimes I sleep for 9-10 hours even if I go to bed earlier my body is just not used to it definitely something I need to fix as well

 
Most Helpful

Doloremque reprehenderit nihil praesentium asperiores modi. Quaerat recusandae nemo corrupti sit dolorum consequatur ipsa. Cumque voluptatem consectetur iste velit temporibus ratione non. Eos possimus autem impedit sapiente consequatur necessitatibus dicta dolores.

Iste quo reprehenderit excepturi dignissimos laudantium esse. Sed asperiores sunt tenetur. Modi maxime voluptatem consequuntur. Voluptatum ut earum perferendis. Quia et cumque vero doloribus. Veritatis voluptatem possimus sit accusantium vel neque. Itaque voluptatum saepe qui et itaque et non molestiae.

Laboriosam eligendi voluptate exercitationem rerum quasi est perspiciatis. Voluptatem nulla aliquam dolor. Quis veniam culpa facilis nihil eligendi. Aut repellendus similique cumque voluptatem. Esse eius aliquid laudantium vel accusantium necessitatibus qui at. Ea voluptatibus voluptatem id et consequuntur esse reprehenderit. Dolor inventore veniam sed qui.

Itaque repellendus quibusdam vitae distinctio ut ut. Nostrum qui aut doloribus sunt quam. Sed est quibusdam fugit et ad.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”