What Happens when you Put your Mac to Sleep?

Mac Sleep Modes Explained: Hibernate Vs Sleep Vs Standby

Putting a Mac into sleep mode leaves its RAM powered on, which allows the Mac to wake up and get back to work very quickly. Normally, a Mac automatically goes to sleep after a certain period of inactivity between one minute and three hours.

Should I Put my Mac to Sleep or Shut it Down?

When put to sleep your Mac will use a reduced amount of energy and can be woken a lot quicker than the time it takes to power up a Mac thats been turned off. A good rule of thumb is that if youre only going to be away from your Mac for an hour or two or even overnight, letting it sleep is probably the best method.

Is it Better to Put Computer on Sleep or Shutdown?

In situations where you just need to quickly take a break, sleep (or hybrid sleep) is your way to go. If you don't feel like saving all your work but you need to go away for a while, hibernation is your best option. Every once in a while it's wise to completely shutdown your computer to keep it fresh.