4-5 hours of sleep is definitely not enough. 6 hours is a recommended minimum in nearly every related study I've ever seen. Even though it might not look like a problem immediately, but it's a serious burden on your body (heart, especially) and on the long it will take it's toll (heart attacks in 30' are common as never before). Get some sleep.
>Anyone who actually has been burnt out will know it happens after many months or even a year or more of tireless work.
Now it sounds like you're trying to brag. Granted, I tend to agree with you—the only caveat being, it's very possible to burn out on shorter timescales.
For example: last year I did 10 contiguous 20-hour workdays. Despite the fact I've never been more productive in my life, my brain was largely mush by the 10th day. Ended up burned out for weeks after. (Now it sounds like I'm trying to brag.)
This trying to brag thing becomes a race to the bottom quickly. You should be allowed to talk about things you did which may in fact be seen in a positive light.
My usual routine is up at 6, leave home at 6:15, at work by 7, work til 6pm, sport from 6:30 to 9pm, home at 10pm, dinner with my partner til 11pm, then together we work/do admin/surfing/etc. Bed is ideally 1am, though usually 1:15. So long as I get 4.5 hours sleep I am fine. Less that 4 and I feel noticeably less sharp the next day. At weekends, I will sleep 1-2 hours longer.
In a previous HN comment thread, people doubted I actually do this for more than short bursts. However my friends and colleagues know it is absolutely true: I started working like this when I was 20, and am now 47.
In my case, the genetic connection is narcolepsy, i.e. excessive sleepiness. At night, I fall asleep in typically a minute. Sleep lab tests show I hit REM sleep in several minutes. 90 minutes is normal. So my 4.5 hours is equivalent to 6 hours for 'normal' people.
For me tiredness is related to activity level, not hours awake. I deliberately go for high-pressure jobs (investment banking tech) and high-complexity active hobbies (flamenco dancing). Otherwise I would sleep all day.
Good point. I was accepting other studies as general guidance. I had overlooked the importance of genetics.
For readers that do not click through to read the study or Wikipedia page the conclusion of the study can be summarized as:
> There are a number of mutations of BHLHE41. Mutations reduce total sleep while maintaining NREM sleep and provide resistance to the effects of sleep loss.
