Ive read many times that prince slept only 2 hrs a night and hardly ever ate how much of this is actually true? surely he couldnt of done all his live shows without enough calories his body would have cannabalised itself. I remember reading mick jagger burns about 3000 calories just mincing up and down for a couple of hrs but i know he has a very balanced diet to give him fuel the only other way you could do it is through drugs but from all I know I dont think prince was ever into speed. Now on the other hand the sleep thing maybe true Ive read of many famous people who accomplished a great many things on virtually no sleep.

lonelyalien said:

Ive read many times that prince slept only 2 hrs a night and hardly ever ate how much of this is actually true? surely he couldnt of done all his live shows without enough calories his body would have cannabalised itself. I remember reading mick jagger burns about 3000 calories just mincing up and down for a couple of hrs but i know he has a very balanced diet to give him fuel the only other way you could do it is through drugs but from all I know I dont think prince was ever into speed. Now on the other hand the sleep thing maybe true Ive read of many famous people who accomplished a great many things on virtually no sleep.

One of the weirdest things about Prince is that he NEVER seemed to drink water on stage. Even during his manic, constant dancing and spinning 80s-90s years...

soladeo1 said:

lonelyalien said:

Ive read many times that prince slept only 2 hrs a night and hardly ever ate how much of this is actually true? surely he couldnt of done all his live shows without enough calories his body would have cannabalised itself. I remember reading mick jagger burns about 3000 calories just mincing up and down for a couple of hrs but i know he has a very balanced diet to give him fuel the only other way you could do it is through drugs but from all I know I dont think prince was ever into speed. Now on the other hand the sleep thing maybe true Ive read of many famous people who accomplished a great many things on virtually no sleep.

One of the weirdest things about Prince is that he NEVER seemed to drink water on stage. Even during his manic, constant dancing and spinning 80s-90s years...

First to the OP: stop with this nonsense. It's trolling.

To Soladeo: I swear I saw him drink water once perhaps on one of the Welcome 2 show or something with the symbol stage. It was in more recent years. But yeah, I don't really recall seeing any band member take a swig like that.

TrivialPursuit said:

soladeo1 said:

One of the weirdest things about Prince is that he NEVER seemed to drink water on stage. Even during his manic, constant dancing and spinning 80s-90s years...

First to the OP: stop with this nonsense. It's trolling.

To Soladeo: I swear I saw him drink water once perhaps on one of the Welcome 2 show or something with the symbol stage. It was in more recent years. But yeah, I don't really recall seeing any band member take a swig like that.

Trolling??

lonelyalien said:

PRNelson said:

He drinks a bottle of water on the beautiful experience show. Think* it is during the performance of NOW

Yes, during "Now" ("before we say goodnight y'all, let's make a toast y'all"

But it's not a bottle.

It's a cup.

Genetics: http://www.bbc.com/future...ely-sleeps

databank said:

Genetics: http://www.bbc.com/future...ely-sleeps

Thanks for the link.

There may be a degree of exaggeration in some of these reports, and I’ve read things that seemed to suggest that he would work into the early hours and show up again around mid-day, which could imply slightly more sleep than a couple of hours. It may have varied somewhat. As databank points out, it’s also possible that he was genetically gifted with the ability to function on barely any sleep.

It’s surprising how idiosyncratic our sleeping patterns can become once we’re free from the 9-5 rhythms of society. Some people function better during the early part of the day, others are essentially nocturnal, which was Prince’s natural inclination by all accounts.

My own sleeping patterns are somewhat odd. I’m usually working until 4 or 5am, rising again early afternoon. If I’m slightly obsessed with what I’m doing, I’ll frequently go 2 days without sleep, catch 4 or 5 hours, and then repeat. After a week or so I’ll invariably crash and sleep for a whole day, so I do need to sleep eventually. I had a day job once… hated it - I just couldn't stick to those rigid sleeping patterns.

[Edited 6/8/18 8:59am]

fen said:

There may be a degree of exaggeration in some of these reports, and I’ve read things that seemed to suggest that he would work into the early hours and show up again around mid-day, which could imply slightly more sleep than a couple of hours. It may have varied somewhat. As databank points out, it’s also possible that he was genetically gifted with the ability to function on barely any sleep.

It’s surprising how idiosyncratic our sleeping patterns can become once we’re free from the 9-5 rhythms of society. Some people function better during the early part of the day, others are essentially nocturnal, which was Prince’s natural inclination by all accounts.

My own sleeping patterns are somewhat odd. I’m usually working until 4 or 5am, rising again early afternoon. If I’m slightly obsessed with what I’m doing, I’ll frequently go 2 days without sleep, catch 4 or 5 hours, and then repeat. After a week or so I’ll invariably crash and sleep for a whole day, so I do need to sleep eventually. I had a day job once… hated it - I just couldn't stick to those rigid sleeping patterns.

[Edited 6/8/18 8:59am]

It's a bit off-topic because not about Prince but thank you for pointing out that not everyone is capable of functioning on the same sleep cycle. Based on what I've read, people like us have something called delayed circadian rhythm and/or circadian rhythm disorder, the former being a sleep cycle that does not fit the "10PM to 6AM" pace, the former being difficulties to have any regular sleep cycle at all. The doctors' answer to that: get a job that allows you to sleep when you need to.

.

Consequences of not respecting one's sleep cycle can be disastrous to one's mental and physical health. I myself normally sleep from about 3AM to 11AM, with occasional periods when focusing on a job (at home) can make me go on sleepless marathons like you then sleep for 18 hours in a row. My health has been nearly ruined by having an 8AM to 5PM job for 18 months back in 2011-2012, and right now the mere fact that I have a job that forces me to wake-up at 6:20AM twice a week is enough to ruin my whole sleeping cycle: my brain simply doesn't know anymore when to sleep, I suffer from a constant state of sleep deprivation and it's having more and more consequences on my health, not to mention my mental health. Luckily, I have been able to work at my own pace for the greater part of my life and I now realize I must find a way to do so again ASAP, or I probably won't live that old.

.

Unfortunately, society is often judgemental about this and it's not easy to explain that you are not lazy but that you would rather work from noon to 9PM than from 8AM to 5PM. Most people simply do not realize that this is not a tantrum but a medical condition, and that not respecting one's natural sleep cycle can lead to illness and depression.

fen said:

There may be a degree of exaggeration in some of these reports, and I’ve read things that seemed to suggest that he would work into the early hours and show up again around mid-day, which could imply slightly more sleep than a couple of hours. It may have varied somewhat. As databank points out, it’s also possible that he was genetically gifted with the ability to function on barely any sleep.

It’s surprising how idiosyncratic our sleeping patterns can become once we’re free from the 9-5 rhythms of society. Some people function better during the early part of the day, others are essentially nocturnal, which was Prince’s natural inclination by all accounts.

My own sleeping patterns are somewhat odd. I’m usually working until 4 or 5am, rising again early afternoon. If I’m slightly obsessed with what I’m doing, I’ll frequently go 2 days without sleep, catch 4 or 5 hours, and then repeat. After a week or so I’ll invariably crash and sleep for a whole day, so I do need to sleep eventually. I had a day job once… hated it - I just couldn't stick to those rigid sleeping patterns.

[Edited 6/8/18 8:59am]

Curiously... what do you do? (for a living/work)

Also, only opinion RE: Prince's sleeping patterns. He was probably on Stevie Wonder hours... which I operate best on..... essentially up at 12-2pm, afternoon review, exercise, activities, evening tiring time, Max out second wind from about 9pm-4/5am.

I'd only read about his sleep in a comment from an ELton John thing...about how when Elton John was waking up, Prince was coming in...(staying at the same hotel or somethin)

2045RadicalMattZ said:

fen said:

There may be a degree of exaggeration in some of these reports, and I’ve read things that seemed to suggest that he would work into the early hours and show up again around mid-day, which could imply slightly more sleep than a couple of hours. It may have varied somewhat. As databank points out, it’s also possible that he was genetically gifted with the ability to function on barely any sleep.

It’s surprising how idiosyncratic our sleeping patterns can become once we’re free from the 9-5 rhythms of society. Some people function better during the early part of the day, others are essentially nocturnal, which was Prince’s natural inclination by all accounts.

My own sleeping patterns are somewhat odd. I’m usually working until 4 or 5am, rising again early afternoon. If I’m slightly obsessed with what I’m doing, I’ll frequently go 2 days without sleep, catch 4 or 5 hours, and then repeat. After a week or so I’ll invariably crash and sleep for a whole day, so I do need to sleep eventually. I had a day job once… hated it - I just couldn't stick to those rigid sleeping patterns.

[Edited 6/8/18 8:59am]

Curiously... what do you do? (for a living/work)

Currently I'm a French and English teacher in a Chinese university. The workload isn't huge but the morning classes are the problem. I had 2 mornings this semester, I may have up to 4 next semester. I could work more than I do and be more efficient if all classes began at 2PM.

I used to work in the cultural field and/or being a full-time writer back when i was in France up until 2010. It involved either working from home or at late hours, and was perfect for me.

Ever since, teaching has been a problem because of working hours (the 2011-2012 gig was teaching English in KG in Cambodia the whole day, and like I said nearly killed me). Since I can't really make a living writing and it'd be hard to get back into cultural jobs after so many years out of that field (not to mention that I'd have to go back to France and I don't feel ready to do that yet), I'm considering becoming a proofreader and/or translator on the long run, so I can work from home and at my own pace, and remain abroad at the same time. But it's just wishful thinking for now, I have to think about it and see what my options are.

.

@Fen: what do you do that allows you to work so freely?

.

[Edited 6/8/18 9:33am]

I think if your being creative and doing something you love it can give you a huge amount of energy just from the joy of creating and seeing the results I think this definitely applies to prince.

rogifan said:

He probably didn’t get as much sleep as he should of but there wasn’t anything special about his makeup. Eventually not getting enough sleep will catch up with anybody.

Sleep deprivation is one of the most effective forms of torture. And yes, everyone does not have the same circadian rhythm.

databank said:

It's a bit off-topic because not about Prince but thank you for pointing out that not everyone is capable of functioning on the same sleep cycle. Based on what I've read, people like us have something called delayed circadian rhythm and/or circadian rhythm disorder, the former being a sleep cycle that does not fit the "10PM to 6AM" pace, the former being difficulties to have any regular sleep cycle at all. The doctors' answer to that: get a job that allows you to sleep when you need to.

.

Consequences of not respecting one's sleep cycle can be disastrous to one's mental and physical health. I myself normally sleep from about 3AM to 11AM, with occasional periods when focusing on a job (at home) can make me go on sleepless marathons like you then sleep for 18 hours in a row. My health has been nearly ruined by having an 8AM to 5PM job for 18 months back in 2011-2012, and right now the mere fact that I have a job that forces me to wake-up at 6:20AM twice a week is enough to ruin my whole sleeping cycle: my brain simply doesn't know anymore when to sleep, I suffer from a constant state of sleep deprivation and it's having more and more consequences on my health, not to mention my mental health. Luckily, I have been able to work at my own pace for the greater part of my life and I now realize I must find a way to do so again ASAP, or I probably won't live that old.

.

Unfortunately, society is often judgemental about this and it's not easy to explain that you are not lazy but that you would rather work from noon to 9PM than from 8AM to 5PM. Most people simply do not realize that this is not a tantrum but a medical condition, and that not respecting one's natural sleep cycle can lead to illness and depression.

Yes, I don’t want to stray too far off topic, but to be honest I’m deeply wary of labelling such things a “disorder” - it’s what society always does when a behaviour strays too far from the norm (and "order" and productivity is so very important ). It can certainly cause difficulties in terms of integration but that doesn’t mean that it’s fundamentally a pathology. Of course, society, by its nature, cannot be organised around the exceptions. That’s one of the things that I admire about Prince and other successful artists – they manage to forge a life in which they can live entirely on their own terms, regardless of their idiosyncrasies (whatever their root).

As for what I do, I make a semblance of a living as a freelance designer and web developer. I live modestly and it pays well enough when I have work, so apart from the odd meeting my time is my own and I have plenty spare to do the things that I really want to be doing. I struggle during quiet periods and sometimes find myself living hand-to-mouth, but as Nietzsche said: “He who possesses little is so much the less possessed. Blessed be moderate poverty!”. I'd love to be 100% free from it all (who wouldn't? ), but I'm not there yet.

[Edited 6/8/18 12:56pm]

2045RadicalMattZ said:

Curiously... what do you do? (for a living/work)

Hi 2045RadicalMattZ - see above.

lonelyalien said:

Ive read many times that prince slept only 2 hrs a night and hardly ever ate how much of this is actually true? surely he couldnt of done all his live shows without enough calories his body would have cannabalised itself. I remember reading mick jagger burns about 3000 calories just mincing up and down for a couple of hrs but i know he has a very balanced diet to give him fuel the only other way you could do it is through drugs but from all I know I dont think prince was ever into speed. Now on the other hand the sleep thing maybe true Ive read of many famous people who accomplished a great many things on virtually no sleep.

after he died, there were a couple myths about his food/drink intake that were blown, he was said to enjoy sweets, vascillate in his dietary habits between vegetarian and at least eating chicken and fish. He also supposedly didn't drink coffee in the eighties (probably true) but it has been said that he was a regular at a minnesota coffee shop. In the eighties, they used to say he didn't eat, patti labelle said it on the arsenio show to, I don't believe it, most of the time he looked pretty healthy, and particularly, during the purple rain-parade eras, he was pretty buff. I think the eating myths were just a bite (no pun) off of MJ who actually did starve himself down to the point that he looked like a different man between Off The Wall and Thriller, actually reportedly weighing 105 pounds, which appeared to be true during the thriller era. Both P and MJ seemed to have some kind of synchronicity regarding a lot of their habits. Maybe one thought the other had some good ideas as far as image or something.

soladeo1 said:

lonelyalien said:

Ive read many times that prince slept only 2 hrs a night and hardly ever ate how much of this is actually true? surely he couldnt of done all his live shows without enough calories his body would have cannabalised itself. I remember reading mick jagger burns about 3000 calories just mincing up and down for a couple of hrs but i know he has a very balanced diet to give him fuel the only other way you could do it is through drugs but from all I know I dont think prince was ever into speed. Now on the other hand the sleep thing maybe true Ive read of many famous people who accomplished a great many things on virtually no sleep.

One of the weirdest things about Prince is that he NEVER seemed to drink water on stage. Even during his manic, constant dancing and spinning 80s-90s years...

I always assumed he did it during his many costume changes.