I've found that no matter how much I sleep it doesn't affect what people usually report. Last night I was lucky if I had 5 and with 8h+ I feel the same, I do the same.
Yeah, I've had the same experience, I will say I'm slightly more productive at work, but am I about to give up an hour or two of rare leisure time every day to be more productive for my employer when my current performance isn't an issue? No thanks.
Have you tried doing it over a long period of time? I found that my mood and general well-being only started to improve a week after consistently sleeping 8 hours. The effect wasn't instant, and in fact, when I sleep 8 hours after a few days of only sleeping a few hours, I notice that I wake up feeling horrible and very tired
My sweet spot is around ~7 hours. Less than 6.5 and more than 8 makes me feel the same, but if I manage to sleep around 7, it's completely a different story.
I was drinking 2L/day at my peak, while I was sleeping 6 hours a day (Ph.D. corrections). It gives you awakeness, but the not the concentration of a well rested mind.
Nothing replaces sleep, since your brain flushes its toxins through your spine to be expelled from your body.
Sleep is underrated and deprivation of it kills you slowly.
I work way better with half a mug of coffee (a Starbucks tall) and proper sleep than two Ventis and not enough sleep.