Napoleon Bonaparte was famous for sleeping very little and claimed to need only 3 to 4 hours of sleep per night, though his actual pattern was more complex with short naps during the day. Contemporary accounts from his secretaries including Bourrienne and Meneval describe him as working late into the night, often until 2 or 3 AM dictating letters and reviewing military reports, then waking at around 6 or 7 AM, giving him about 4 to 5 hours of nighttime sleep. However, he frequently took short catnaps during the day, sometimes falling asleep for 15 to 30 minutes on a couch or even on the ground during campaigns, which helped him function. During active military campaigns, he could go for days with almost no sleep, staying awake for 36 to 48 hours during battles like Austerlitz or Jena, then collapsing afterward. He famously said that different subjects could be arranged in his mind like drawers in a cabinet and he could close one and open another, allowing him to rest mentally. His valet Constant reported that Napoleon would often wake in the middle of the night to work. This short sleep habit contributed to his reputation for superhuman energy and work ethic, with estimates that he handled over 100 dispatches a day. Later in life, particularly on Saint Helena, he slept more due to declining health and stomach illness, often 6 to 7 hours plus daytime rest.
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