I am a sleep neuroscientist, adjunct professor at IE Business School in Madrid, lecturer at St. Gallen and IMD Business Schools, keynote speaker, and internationally recognized authority on sleep. I have been named by Thrive Global as one of the top 5 sleep experts in the world. I advise corporations around the globe on sleep, performance, and well-being. I support CEOs and decision-makers worldwide to help them get the best out of themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

I began my career in sleep during my Master of Neurosciences degree, studying the effect of sleep on cognitive performance at the Netherlands Institute of Neurosciences and Harvard Medical School. I studied the effect of sleep on the brain and performance as a Fulbright scholar during my Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley before making a switch to a corporate career at McKinsey & Company as a management consultant.

Now, I design science-based corporate sleep programs including sleep assessments and I host workshops and webinars. I have shown a great impact on every corporate client: reducing sleep debt by 53%, decreasing stress by 25%, and improving productivity by 20%. Separately, I also support companies as a boardroom advisor, educating their workforce on sleep and creating science-based sleep content for product and marketing purposes (videos, blogs, and podcasts).

My work on has been featured in HBR, the McKinsey Quarterly, The Wall Street Journal, TIME magazine, The Atlantic, Forbes, BBC, and many others. I regularly appear in the media: talk shows, news & radio shows. I hosted a Max Masterclass on prime-time tv and online videos for the Huffington Post with millions of viewers.

I am a wife, mother of 2, and passionate about finding ways to improve sleep and performance through small tweaks in our lifestyle, such as exercise, nutrition, light exposure, and relaxation techniques. 

I am based in Lucerne, Switzerland but work with companies across the globe.

Contact for inquiries: info@elsvanderhelm.com

Japan’s new prime minister says she sleeps just 2–4 hours a night. And yes, I have some thoughts about that.

In my October newsletter, I wrote about something many still underestimate:

👉 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 “𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞-𝐭𝐨-𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞” 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕-𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩.

So when PM Sanae Takaichi not only shared she “gets by” on minimal sleep, but also called her team into the office at 3 a.m. to prepare for a 9 a.m. budget hearing, it made me wonder:

Is this what modern leadership should look like?

Sure, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 she just doesn't need much sleep. And yes, genetically short sleepers 𝘥𝘰 exist. But they’re incredibly rare.

And given that even she admitted her body “might be suffering,” it’s far more likely she needs more.

Of course, she might 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 like she’s coping, but it's very unlikely that she’s actually maintaining sharp judgment, emotional stability, decision quality, physical health, or strong relationships.

Decades of research show that tired humans are not always great at noticing their own impairment. People routinely think they’re functioning fine long after objective performance has dropped.

And even so, the impact doesn’t stop with the leader.

A 3 a.m. meeting doesn’t show dedication—it shows a systems problem. The whole team arrives cognitively compromised, guaranteeing a 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 9 a.m. meeting, not a better one.

This is how personal sleep habits can become cultural norms.

Terrible norms.

What we need instead is 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩.

Leaders who not only know 𝘸𝘩𝘺 and 𝘩𝘰𝘸 to sleep well themselves, but also know 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 on sleep.

Leaders who set rhythms and expectations that support performance, decision quality, and well-being, rather than undermine them.

The Thatcher-era ideal of the sleepless leader isn’t heroic. It’s outdated.

The future belongs to leaders who understand their biology. And lead accordingly.

Do any great examples come to mind for you?

Dr Els van der Helm

I'll be brutally honest here: Sometimes LinkedIn feels like an 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 time and energy suck.

But then something happens that reminds me why I show up here.

This month, Favikon ranked me #1 worldwide in Sleep Medicine on LinkedIn.

And while I’m not exactly sure what the algorithm uses to rank us, I take it as encouragement!

Also, this report on 50 niche topics shows just how much LinkedIn has become a platform for non-traditional business topics.

Such as sleep.

Yet, as I often say, sleep is 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 to performance.

And therefore fundamental to business.

Not just for individuals, but for teams, business units, and entire organizations.

I take the fact that I am even on this list is as a sign that the hunger for science-based knowledge about sleep is growing fast.

And that’s a good thing.

👊 Maybe now we’re finally gaining enough momentum to truly change workplaces.

Thank you to everyone who reads, comments, and shares my posts and newsletters here. You’re helping make sleep part of the workplace conversation.

PS: My next newsletter is coming out soon! This time about 𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩. (If you’re curious how that glass of wine affects recovery, you can sign up through the link in my profile.)

Dr. Els van der Helm is a neuroscientist, adjunct professor at IE Business School, has been named one of the top 5 sleep experts in the world* and now advises corporations around sleep, performance and wellbeing. She supports CEOs and decision makers worldwide to help them get the best out of themselves, their team members, and their organization. 

She hosts keynotes, workshops, webinars, Sleep & Wellbeing Months, in combination with science-based assessments. Separately she also supports players in the sleep and wellbeing space as a boardroom advisor, educating their workforce on sleep and assisting in the creation of science-based sleep content for product and marketing purposes. 
 
Els began her career in sleep during her Masters in Neurosciences (VU Amsterdam) studying the effect of sleep on cognitive performance at the Netherlands Institute of Neurosciences and Harvard Medical School. She also holds a summa cum laude Masters in Clinical Neuropsychology (University of Amsterdam).

Els then went on to study the effect of sleep on the brain and performance as a Fulbright scholar during her PhD in Psychology at UC Berkeley before working at McKinsey & Company as a management consultant. 

Her work on has been featured in HBR, the McKinsey Quarterly, The Wall Street Journal, TIME magazine, The Atlantic, Forbes, BBC, and many others. She regularly appears in the media: talk shows, news & radio shows. She hosted a Max Masterclass on prime time tv and online videos for the Huffington Post with millions of viewers.

Els is a mother of 2, a strong advocate of taking care of yourself (not just through sleep, but also exercise, nutrition, meditation, retreats, therapy, silence, whatever works for you).

She is currently based in Lucerne Switzerland but works with companies across the globe.

Contact for inquiries: info@elsvanderhelm.com 

*selected as one of the top 5 sleep experts in the world by Arianna Huffington’s company Thrive Global.

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞:
I have a sleep disorder.

I wasn’t sure whether to share this. 
I mean: a sleep expert with a sleep disorder?! 
The irony isn’t lost on me.

But it felt important to open up about it now, as so many people live with it unknowingly.

It deserves far more attention, as it is often overlooked in doctors’ offices.
Many doctors will come across it: GPs, neurologists, gynecologists, oncologists, hematologists, and even psychiatrists.
All of them could help diagnose and treat it.

It’s common—so common that we should all know about it.
Not just for ourselves, but to recognize it in the people around us.

Any guesses which sleep disorder I’m talking about?

I’ll share the answer (and my own story) in my next newsletter, 
along with what the science says about this surprisingly treatable cause of poor sleep.

Stay tuned…

“𝘈 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳?” 🫨

That was my first thought too. But here it is: 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐬 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞 (RLS).

I debated whether to share this. 

But given how many people live with it unknowingly—or get brushed off when they try to seek help—I knew I had to.

RLS is surprisingly common, often misdiagnosed, and very treatable. Yet many doctors still don’t ask the right questions. 

In a poll I ran last week, 26% of you said you suffer from restless sleep. Some of you may be living with RLS without knowing it.

In this week’s newsletter, I’m finally sharing my full story.

I also explain what we know about RLS: the role of iron, dopamine, and even genetics (it runs in my family). 

Plus, I’ve created a 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 you can take to your doctor if you suspect you or someone you love might have it.

👇 Read the newsletter + get access to the cheat sheet here:

Hey there, During my first pregnancy, I spent countless nights exhausted but unable to fall asleep—I just couldn’t keep my legs still. It drove me nut

Open article: Restless Sleep – Could Iron Be the Missing Link? by Dr Els van der Helm • 6 min read

Restless Sleep – Could Iron Be the Missing Link?

🍷𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 (𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲)?
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate!

As we’re heading into the holiday season, most people find themselves drinking more alcohol again.

What we often forget? 
👉 How we pay a price in terms of our sleep.
Yes, alcohol helps you fall asleep faster, but it wrecks your sleep quality. 

The morning after, you’ll wake groggier, even if you “slept” for 8 hours.

Once I started noticing this (especially seeing my heart rate and HRV changes with a sleep tracker), I began skipping alcohol more often. 

I just like waking up clear-headed too much! ☺

So whether you’re toasting with wine or sparkling water today, I hope you sleep well tonight.

And if you’re curious: I’m putting together a newsletter that dives deeper into how alcohol affects sleep (and how to mitigate the damage).

Let me know if there are specific questions you’d like me to cover!

taplio

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