Evie Summers
Being the President of the United States is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and it's no surprise that many presidents have had sleep issues. John F. Kennedy, for instance, took secobarbital and amobarbital to help him sleep, while George H.W. Bush took the sleeping pill Halcion until it was reported to cause hallucinations and short-term memory loss. More recently, there were speculations about Joe Biden's alleged use of Ambien, a sleep medication that may cause confusion and cognitive issues, during his 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump. Trump himself is said to be a short sleeper, averaging four to five hours of sleep per night. He also takes Ambien to help him rest on flights, along with a handful of other medications.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Presidents taking sleep medication | John F. Kennedy, George H.W. Bush, Donald Trump |
| Drugs taken | Secobarbital, amobarbital (Amytal), Ambien, Xanax, Halcion |
| Reasons for taking sleep medication | Jet lag, stress, snoring, sleep apnea |
| Sleep habits | Short sleep duration, daytime naps, separate bedrooms |
| Issues with sleep medication | Misuse by staff, side effects, addiction |
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What You'll Learn
Presidents taking medication to help them sleep
Being the President of the United States is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, so it is understandable that some presidents have had trouble sleeping. John F. Kennedy, for example, took secobarbital and amobarbital to help him sleep. Amobarbital, also known as Amytal, is one of the more common "truth serum" drugs. Kennedy also reportedly had hypersomnia, which caused him to fall asleep unexpectedly, sometimes in mid-conversation.
President George H.W. Bush took the controversial sleeping pill Halcion to combat jet lag during a trip to Asia. Halcion has been banned in several countries due to side effects such as hallucinations and short-term memory loss. Bush stopped taking the medication after these side effects became known.
Donald Trump is reported to sleep only four to five hours per night, and sometimes less. On overseas trips, Trump has been prescribed the sleep aid Ambien to help him rest.
Other presidents who have reportedly taken naps during the day to make up for a lack of sleep at night include Clinton, Reagan, LBJ, and JFK.
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Sleep disorders among presidents
Sleep Disorders
John F. Kennedy, for example, is said to have had hypersomnia, which caused him to fall asleep unexpectedly, sometimes even mid-conversation. Kennedy took secobarbital and amobarbital to help him sleep. Amobarbital, also known as Amytal, is one of the more common "truth serum" drugs. William Taft, the 27th president, is widely believed to have had sleep apnea. Taft frequently fell asleep during meetings and was a heavy snorer, both of which are signs of sleep apnea. Other presidents who may have suffered from sleep apnea include Grover Cleveland, the second heaviest president, and Franklin Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt was also a heavy snorer, but there is little evidence that he had sleep apnea. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, suffered from chronic insomnia and often took late-night walks when he couldn't sleep.
Short Sleepers
Some presidents have been known to function with very little sleep. For instance, President Obama reportedly slept around 5 hours a night, going to bed past midnight and waking up at 7 am. Similarly, President Trump is said to be a short sleeper, claiming to sleep 4 to 5 hours per night, and sometimes less when he's busy. Ronald Reagan, JFK, and Bill Clinton napped daily, with Reagan even scheduling his naps to occur at the same time each day.
Long Sleepers
On the other hand, some presidents have been known to sleep a lot. Calvin Coolidge slept for 11 hours a night, and his afternoon naps sometimes extended his total daily sleep to 14 hours. This excessive sleep may have been related to undiagnosed depression following the death of his son.
Other Sleep Habits
Some presidents have had unique sleep habits. George Washington, for instance, embodied the "early to bed, early to rise" mentality, heading to bed around 9 pm but finding waking up early "irksome." President Truman also woke up early, often at 5:30 or 6:30 am, and started his day with a shot of bourbon and a glass of orange juice. Ronald Reagan scheduled his daily naps, and President George W. Bush maintained a strict sleep schedule, going to bed at 9 pm and waking up at 6 am every day.
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Presidents taking medication for other reasons
Being the President of the United States is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, so it is understandable that some presidents have had trouble sleeping. John F. Kennedy, for example, took secobarbital and amobarbital to help him sleep. Amobarbital, also known as Amytal, is one of the more common "truth serum" drugs. Kennedy also reportedly had hypersomnia, which caused him to fall asleep unexpectedly, sometimes mid-conversation.
Other presidents have also had their sleep habits scrutinized. William Taft, the 27th president, is widely believed to have had sleep apnea. Taft was known to frequently fall asleep during meetings and was a heavy snorer—two signs of sleep apnea. He weighed 340 pounds while in office, and obesity is one of the risk factors for sleep apnea.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland, and Herbert Hoover were also heavy snorers. Additionally, there are reports that some presidents took naps during the day to make up for lost sleep at night. These presidents include Clinton, Reagan, LBJ, and JFK.
Some presidents have also taken medication for reasons other than sleep. Donald Trump, for example, takes statins, aspirin, and drugs for skin and hair conditions. Trump takes Crestor for high cholesterol, aspirin to prevent heart attacks, antibiotics to treat skin rosacea, Propecia for baldness, and Ambien to help him rest on flights. George H.W. Bush also took the controversial sleeping pill Halcion to cope with jet lag while in Japan. However, he stopped taking it after it was reported to cause hallucinations and short-term memory loss.
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Presidents' sleep habits
Being the President of the United States is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, so it is understandable if the individual holding that position has some sleepless nights. While some presidents have been short sleepers, others have been insomniacs, and some have even resorted to medication to help them sleep.
John F. Kennedy, for example, took secobarbital and amobarbital to help him sleep. He also reportedly had hypersomnia, which caused him to fall asleep unexpectedly, sometimes in mid-conversation. Kennedy was also a napper, taking up to two-hour-long naps after lunch, followed by a hot bath to soothe his chronic back pain. Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were also nappers, with Reagan even scheduling his naps for the same time each day.
Some presidents have been known to snore, including John Adams, Martin van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes, Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, William Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt. Taft is also widely believed to have had sleep apnea, falling asleep frequently during meetings and snoring heavily.
Abraham Lincoln was an insomniac, often taking late-night walks when he couldn't sleep. He maintained a fairly regular bedtime routine, aiming for a bedtime of around 10 or 11 pm and waking up at 7 am.
President Obama was a notorious night owl, often sending off late-night emails to his staff. He reportedly slept around five hours a night, going to bed well past midnight and waking up at 7 am.
Calvin Coolidge, on the other hand, was known for his unusually long sleep habits, clocking in around 11 hours of sleep a night. He joked that he "couldn't mess anything up if he was asleep."
More recently, President Trump has been reported to sleep around four to five hours per night, sometimes less if he's busy. He and his wife Melania are also reported to sleep in separate bedrooms.
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Presidents' views on sleep medication
Being the President of the United States is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, so it is understandable if the individual holding that position has some sleepless nights. Several presidents have been known to take naps during the day to compensate for a lack of sleep at night. These include Clinton, Reagan, LBJ, and JFK.
John F. Kennedy, for instance, took secobarbital and amobarbital to help him sleep. He was also reported to have hypersomnia, which caused him to fall asleep unexpectedly, sometimes in mid-conversation. Similarly, George H.W. Bush took the controversial sleeping pill Halcion, which has been banned in several countries due to side effects like hallucinations and short-term memory loss. Bush used the drug to fight jet lag during a trip to Asia.
Donald Trump is reported to sleep only four to five hours per night, and sometimes less. He takes Ambien to help him rest on flights. Under Trump, the White House Medical Unit was accused of handing out prescription medications to staffers like "candy", including powerful stimulants and sedatives such as Xanax.
While it is not known whether Barack Obama took sleep medication, he reportedly aged significantly during his time in office due to a lack of sleep. Obama also did not use an alarm clock in the White House.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the President can take sleeping medication. Several US presidents have been known to take medication to help them sleep.
John F. Kennedy took secobarbital and amobarbital to help him sleep. Amobarbital is also known as "truth serum". Kennedy also had hypersomnia, which caused him to fall asleep suddenly. President George H.W. Bush took the controversial sleeping pill Halcion, which has been banned in several countries due to side effects like hallucinations and short-term memory loss.
William Taft, the 27th president, is believed to have had sleep apnea. He frequently fell asleep during meetings and was a heavy snorer, both signs of sleep apnea. Other presidents suspected of having sleep apnea include Grover Cleveland and Franklin Roosevelt.
Former President Donald Trump is said to be a short sleeper, reportedly sleeping only four to five hours a night. He is also known to take Ambien to help him rest on flights.
Being the President is a busy and stressful job, so it's unlikely that they get a full night's sleep regularly. Many presidents are reported to take naps during the day when their schedule allows.
