A 'sleep coach' says bad sleep impacts performance more than diet or exercise, and reveals how to combat it
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- Entrepreneurs, athletes, and high performers badly need adequate sleep.
- Good sleep may be more important than diet or exercise, according to sleep coach Floris Wouterson.
- Here are five tips the coach gave Insider to become a "super-sleeper."
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
"He's a wonderfully creative person, but he shouldn't be getting very little sleep," Richard Branson once said, referring to Elon Musk's late-night tweeting escapades.
Branson isn't the only one who thinks Musk could benefit from similar advice.
"Entrepreneurs, athletes, and other high performers desperately need good sleep," Floris Wouterson told Insider, claiming that sleep is even more important than eating or exercising well.
Author of the book "Superslapen," Wouterson is the first self-proclaimed "sleep performance coach" in Europe.
"Although, that's not exactly hard, considering I came up with the term myself," he told Insider. "I've been researching everything I could find on optimal sleep for years."
He then started coaching, with athletes and top managers claiming to benefit greatly from Wouterson's approach. Wouterson, based in Flanders, Belgium, comes from an entrepreneurial family himself and since 2002, his wife has set up a number of sleeping comfort stores.
Over the past sixteen years, Wouterson spoke to thousands of customers and became increasingly intrigued by sleep, as he too had struggled with poor sleep for a period of time.
According to Wouterson, the consequences of bad sleep are hugely underestimated. "Fatigue, irritability, loss of concentration, forgetfulness... it works against you in your work as well as in your relationships. The risk of injuries or accidents also increases by 40%."
The long-term effects of bad sleep can also be severe - depression and burn-out can take hold if you don't relax. Here are the five tips Wouterson gave Insider to become a super-sleeper.
1. Forget the "eight hours of sleep is a must" myth
According to Wouterson, this rigid notion that you must sleep for eight hours can actually cause sleep stress.
"If you think you should sleep eight hours every night, it can work against you," said the expert. Lying awake and staying in bed because you have to reach eight hours in bed is illogical according to Wouterson.
You have to find your own sleep rhythm, go to sleep at a fixed time, and get up at a fixed time as much as possible. "Don't stay lying down - it's a misconception that sleep will come naturally."
2. Don't believe stories about super-short sleep
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Stories about CEOs or politicians who only need a few hours of sleep make them sound tough, but according to Wouterson, only a small percentage of people can genuinely cope with little sleep.
It's possible to train to temporarily sleep less, he said. Wouterson coached Sanne Haarhuis, a pilot in hot-air balloon competitions, to regulate her sleeping pattern and endure heavy, multi-day races with a minimum of sleep. Wouterson also sees top athletes who can quickly refuel with napping.
"You can recharge your batteries with a 12-minute power nap for two hours," said the sleep expert however, you have to wake up in time before you sink into a very deep sleep.
According to Wouterson, you can achieve this by, for example, holding a bunch of keys in your hand while taking a short nap. "As soon as you sink too deeply, your hand relaxes, the keys fall to the ground and you're awake again."
3. Small steps bring about big changes
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Wouterson is convinced there isn't just one quick fix to sleep better; there are several areas that demand your attention.
"80% of the five main sleeping problems are learned," he said. You can achieve an enormous amount by taking small steps to alter your diet, exercise, and sleep routine, for example.
But self-examination, looking at your own attitude to sleep, is perhaps most important according to Wouterson.
4. Eat well and take a break from your phone
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Eating and resting your head are two things that require extra attention when it comes to ensuring a good night's sleep.
Wouterson said to choose healthy food and to be careful with carbohydrates, sugar, and alcohol, adding: "A good night's sleep starts on your plate."
Letting your mind drift is one thing but, of course, brooding and pondering won't help if you want to sleep - negative media reports about "the state of affairs in the world" can keep you feeling worrisome, tossing and turning.
Wouterson advises you to focus on your own circle of influence - what are some challenges in your life you can influence yourself? Focus mainly on those things and try not to keep worrying too much about problems you can't do much about.
A media diet can bring peace - make sure to put your smartphone away in the evening, a few hours before you go to sleep.
5. Employers should see their employees' sleep as an investment
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Keep going, slog away, work through lunch, soldier on, stay an extra hour - it may seem logical to squeeze as much as you can out of your employees but it's actually counterproductive, according to Wouterson.
Businesses may see a drastic improvement in the performance of their employees when they've slept better. The number of mistakes decreases, while better decisions will take the company further.
"As an employer, you don't exactly want to be in your employees' bedrooms, but offering sleep training or sleeping facilities can actually be a good investment," said Wouterson.
According to the sleep performance coach, this is already a common phenomenon in Japan.
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