Do some people need less sleep?

In my busy corporate routine, I tried to survive on 5 hours of sleep to save time, but my productivity went down drastically. Scientifically, a very small percentage of people have a gene that allows them to function on less sleep, but for 99% of us, it is just sleep deprivation. Track your focus levels during the day; if you feel sluggish without caffeine, you need more sleep.

My teenage son always claimed he only needed 5 hours of sleep and would stay up late studying or on his phone. But we noticed he was becoming highly irritable and losing concentration in school. We strictly enforced a 7.5-hour sleep routine, and his mood and focus have improved so much. Kids and young adults definitely need proper sleep, even if they claim otherwise.

I sleep for about 5 hours and feel completely active the next day, but then I read articles saying this is slowly damaging my heart. Does anyone else here naturally sleep very little without feeling tired, or should I be worried and force myself to sleep more? It is making me quite anxious.

It is so frustrating when everyone tells you to sleep 8 hours but your body just wakes up after 5 hours and you are left feeling guilty and broken. I used to cry thinking something was wrong with my brain because I couldn't sleep more. I have finally learned to accept my body's natural rhythm, but it took a lot of mental struggle to stop worrying about it.

Please be very careful with this. I ignored my low sleep requirement for years until I suffered from severe hypertension and heart palpitations. Sometimes, not needing sleep is actually a sign of chronic stress or an underlying thyroid issue. It is highly recommended to consult a doctor and get a basic health checkup done instead of assuming your body is fine with less rest.