Sleep Intelligence - by Els Van Der Helm (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Discover how sleep fuels sharper thinking, emotional resilience, and effective leadership in this groundbreaking guide from Els van der Helm, PhD--sleep neuroscientist, executive advisor, and founder of a leading sleep and performance consultancy--who shows that sleep isn't passive rest, but a critical driver of performance.

In high-pressure environments, sleep is often the first thing to go. Long hours are treated as commitment. Pushing through is expected. But the cost builds, often in ways we don't immediately see. We get distracted, make poor decisions, feel on edge, and miss important signals. Most advice about sleep focuses on doing more: more hours, better habits, stricter routines. But sleep isn't just a habit to optimize. It's a system to understand.

Blending cutting-edge research with real-world stories and interviews--from global executives to frontline professionals--Dr. van der Helm reframes sleep as a hidden driver of performance and leadership. She offers a clear, practical approach for improving performance--without adding pressure or complexity.

Through practical, science-backed strategies, readers will learn how to:

• Identify their chronotype and align their schedule with peak performance windows
• Use chronotherapy to align work, energy, and recovery across the day
• Understand how REM sleep supports emotional control, creativity, and decision-making--and how to protect it
• Master the author's six-principle framework: QQCCRR (Quantity, Quality, Chronotype, Consistency, Routines, and Resilience)
• Use strategic napping to recover faster and sustain high performance
• Navigate periods of poor sleep, reducing the impact of bad nights and building long-term resilience

Beyond individual habits, readers will learn how to rethink the way work and life are structured, introducing a practical framework for becoming a "sleep leader" and shaping environments that make sustained performance possible, at work and at home.

Perfect for leaders, ambitious professionals, and anyone operating in high-demand environments, Sleep Intelligence delivers actionable insights to boost energy, focus, and performance.

About the Author

Els van der Helm, PhD is a sleep neuroscientist and boardroom advisor who works with global organizations to improve performance through sleep. She conducted her research at the Netherlands Institute for Neurosciences and at Harvard Medical School, where she studied the effect of sleep on cognitive performance. As a Fulbright scholar, she also studied the impact of sleep on the brain and performance while pursuing her PhD in psychology at UC Berkeley, before becoming a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.

Van der Helm's work has been covered in The Wall Street Journal, 60 Minutes, Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, Forbes, and Wired. She is a frequent keynote speaker for organizations such as Novartis, Booking.com, Meta, L'Oreal, and PwC.