Arianna Huffington: 'It Really Makes No Sense' to Think You Can Sleep Less and Get More Done After a dramatic breakdown that was the result of burnout, the media mogul did deep research on why sleep matters and ultimately wrote the book, 'The Sleep Revolution.'

By Catherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

There are never enough hours in the day to get everything done, especially for overscheduled, ambitious BIZ Experiencess. One common way to try to manufacture time in the 24-hour cycle is to cut down on shuteye. If you sleep less, then you are awake for more hours, ergo, you get more done, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

"It really makes no sense to think that we are going to be more productive if we give up on sleep," says Arianna Huffington, the media mogul who founded the Huffington Post, during an interview with BIZ Experiences.

Related: Arianna Huffington: 'Sleep Deprivation Is the New Smoking'

Huffington, now 65, collapsed from total complete burnout, breaking her cheekbone and coming to in a pool of her own blood. She was forced to change her ways and in the process, Huffington educated herself about the science of sleep and wrote a book detailing her findings, The Sleep Revolution (Harmony, April 2016). In addition, she is also the author of 15 books and is the 70th most powerful woman in the world, according to Forbes's most recent ranking.

"We used to think that when we go to sleep it is like putting the car in the garage and turning the ignition key off, but in fact, not at all. This is actually a time of frenetic activity for the brain," Huffington says. "There is a connection between sleep deprivation and just about every disease."

Related: Arianna Huffington's Dramatic Lesson After 'Coming to in a Pool of Blood and Realizing Nobody Had Shot Me'

To hear about what actually happens in our brains when we sleep, watch the video above.
Catherine Clifford

Senior BIZ Experiencesship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior BIZ Experiencesship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at BIZ Experiences.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Science & Technology

OpenAI's Latest Move Is a Game Changer — Here's How Smart Solopreneurs Are Turning It Into Profit

OpenAI's latest AI tool acts like a full-time assistant, helping solopreneurs save time, find leads and grow their business without hiring.

Social Media

How To Start a Youtube Channel: Step-by-Step Guide

YouTube can be a valuable way to grow your audience. If you're ready to create content, read more about starting a business YouTube Channel.

Business Solutions

Boost Team Productivity and Security With Windows 11 Pro, Now $15 for Life

Ideal for BIZ Experiencess and small-business owners who are looking to streamline their PC setup.

Science & Technology

AI Isn't Plug-and-Play — You Need a Strategy. Here's Your Guide to Building One.

Don't just "add AI" — build a strategy. This guide helps founders avoid common pitfalls and create a step-by-step roadmap to harness real value from AI.

Starting a Business

I Built a $20 Million Company by Age 22 While Still in College. Here's How I Did It and What I Learned Along the Way.

Wealth-building in your early twenties isn't about playing it safe; it's about exploiting the one time in life when having nothing to lose gives you everything to gain.