Trending Content - Off Topic Forum
Career Resources
WSO Free Modeling Series - Now Open Through
June 30, 2026
9 Free Financial Modeling Lessons
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
High Finance Applications
Guaranteed
Get at least one offer GUARANTEED
- 1:1 support
- 92% success rate
- 2,000+ mentor network
- Unlimited Live bootcamps
- AI for resume + LinkedIn
- Networking automation tools
- HireVue simulation tool
- Full course library
- Private Slack community
- 20hrs of mocks
- + much more...
Ah, the eternal question about the golden number of sleep hours! Based on the most helpful WSO content, it seems that the consensus leans towards aiming for 8 hours of sleep per night. This would mean over a 7-day week, the average you'd be looking at is around 56 hours of sleep. However, it's important to note that this can vary from person to person. Some folks might feel like a million bucks on just 6 hours, while others might need a full 8 to not feel like they're dragging through their day.
In the high-stakes world of finance and consulting, as highlighted in the discussions, achieving this can be quite the feat. The demands of the job often mean that sleep is sacrificed for work. Yet, the importance of sleep for health, cognitive function, and overall well-being can't be overstated. It's like trying to run a marathon with your shoelaces tied together if you're not well-rested. So, while the hustle culture might glorify burning the midnight oil, remember, your brain is doing some heavy lifting at night, cleaning out the day's metabolic waste and recharging for the next day.
In summary, aim for that 8-hour mark, but also listen to your body. It's the best barometer you've got for figuring out your ideal sleep quota.
Sources: SLEEP: What is the damage of not getting enough?, Sleep in Banking, Unhappy at MBB, I just went 3 days without sleep to see what i-banking felt like...honestly I don't believe ANY of you! (My hourly breakdown), Q&A: Former MBB Consultant
6 hours, not enough :(
Couple ways to interpret this man. So I'll start with the minimum and work my way up:
- Sleep research shows the human body only 'needs' 5.5hrs of sleep (defined as core sleep) daily to sustain proper functioning. I've had periods of rough sleep where I've only gotten around this and while I felt a little crappy, I look back at actual function at work / physical activity and it was surprisingly high (even if it doesn't feel that way in the moment)
- 7hrs is what I feel like I need to take care of the day to day and feel good
- 7.5hrs is probably the ideal amount if I can get it where I just feel great
As I've gotten older (late 20s now) I've prioritized sleep a lot more. In early 20s sometimes I'd just do 6-6.5hrs a night on weekdays for dumb reasons, now 7hrs is the minimum I prioritize. Some of this coincides with less alcohol / going out which at this point in my life I'm happy with. Also I'm way more consistent about exercise these days vs. in my early 20s or even mid-20s which also supports better sleep
Btw Isaiah -- love your random questions on WSO OFF man, lot of novel stuff that keeps a big portion of the community here engaged. Just wanted to give you a well-deserved shoutout
Good points. Thanks bro - I appreciate the support - cheers 🍻
My productivity optimum is 7.5 hours. Enough so my brain can function properly and but also not too much so I don't get too relaxed and therefore I have a good baseline level of anxiety to motivate me to work.
Used to run off of ~5 to 6 hours consistently, and I felt like hell after 2+ years of that.
Now I'm consistently much closer to 7.5/8 hours on average and have significantly more mental horsepower. Interestingly, I used to always struggle to go to sleep (could stay asleep but couldn't fall asleep) until I get put onto an anxiety pill which I've since moved myself off of. I'm curious to see if my ability to fall asleep sticks around, especially since I bounce between time zones consistently for work.
I’ve hear intermittent fasting helps to regulate sleep when bouncing around time zones.
By default of the work + travel schedule I end up with around a 12 hour fast on average. I suppose bumping to 16 could be helpful as well, but I find I need a bit of food to keep my brain chugging along.
Also have significant weight to drop and it becomes hard to hit my macro targets if fasting for too long.
Placeat dolore repudiandae at corporis sint eius. Sunt architecto hic nihil maxime. Voluptatem consequatur nisi id nam laboriosam et veniam. Quibusdam ut totam culpa aspernatur. Commodi dolorum iure eum adipisci et id sed quod.
Quos possimus commodi et vitae. Autem rem quia est repudiandae. Quos vitae perferendis cum qui animi. Numquam recusandae delectus qui fuga. Aut id quae nihil distinctio repellendus deleniti vero. Velit quidem vitae et architecto saepe magnam.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...