In his 50s, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, Elon Musk, is known for maintaining a nearly impossible work schedule. Given his immense workload, the secret to not only surviving but also constantly making revolutionary decisions is always a topic of interest.

In a rare conversation focused on health and longevity, Musk shared 5 crucial pieces of health and lifestyle advice for people hitting 50, focusing on maintaining peak performance and extending longevity. Musk’s advice is not based on common trends, but rather on the principle of maximizing energy and output efficiency.

1. Don’t Drink Excessive Coffee to Fight Energy Dips

Musk believes that using excessive coffee (or caffeine) to counteract afternoon fatigue is a sign of a failed personal operating system. “You are using caffeine to compensate for poor sleep quality or a terrible diet,” he noted.

Musk’s advice: Eliminate refined sugars and white carbohydrates from your diet after age 50. These foods cause abrupt glucose spikes and drops, leading to an energy crash mid-day, forcing you to seek caffeine, creating a toxic cycle.

2. Don’t Engage in Context Switching

For Musk, the greatest enemy of productivity is “context switching” (shifting between different tasks too often).

As you enter your 50s, mental recovery is slower. Constantly replying to emails, attending meetings, solving Tesla issues, and then immediately switching to xAI issues drains cognitive energy wastefully. Musk emphasized: “Create large blocks of time, dedicate yourself to solving one major technical problem for at least four continuous hours. Don’t let anything interrupt.”

3. Don’t Pursue Long, Drawn-Out Cardio Sessions

While exercise is important, Musk argues that spending hours on long, low-intensity cardio sessions is a waste of time and can wear down joints.

Instead, those over 50 should focus on short, high-intensity resistance training. The goal is to maintain muscle mass, the most critical factor for longevity and physical function. Musk believes that 20 minutes of smart, intense training is more effective than two hours of relaxed cycling.

4. Don’t Chase 8 Hours of Sleep If the Quality is Lacking

Musk is not obsessed with the total number of hours but with the quality of sleep. He warns: “The worst thing you can do is lie in bed for 8 hours but only achieve 4 hours of deep sleep.”

The advice is to stop chasing the 8-hour number and instead use sleep tracking technology to maximize REM and deep sleep time. Quality sleep, even if only 6 hours, is far more effective than 8 hours of restless sleep.

5. Don’t Ignore the Risks of Chronic Stress

Finally, Musk warns against ignoring the cumulative effect of chronic stress. Although Musk’s job is full of pressure, he stresses the importance of having a clear stress release valve.

Without an outlet, chronic stress increases cortisol, accelerates the aging process, and impairs decision-making ability. For those with schedules like Musk’s, building an effective personal operating system past the age of 50 is the key to survival and growth.