The Sleep Secret That Experts Prioritize

And Why You Should Too

By World Sleep Society Staff

leep is one of the three pillars of good health, along with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

The world’s leading sleep experts have hectic daily agendas, often directing a sleep center or university department while also conducting and publishing research and managing personal lives. In a time when business leaders are proudly proclaiming they only sleep a few hours per night, what are leading sleep experts doing? Are they only sleeping four hours a night to get ahead?

World Sleep Society interviewed five internationally renowned sleep experts who all understand that success does not have to come at the price of sleep deprivation. The real secret?

Make time in a busy life for adequate sleep.

Liborio Parrino, MD (Italy)

“Sleep is a non-negotiable condition that warrants wellness and prevents diseases” states Dr. Parrino, an Associate Professor of Neurology at Parma University, Italy. “Unfortunately, sleep is generally considered a time-wasting duty by many.”

Dr. Parrino began his sleep career by studying the recovery of sleep in comatose patients. Thirty-five years later, his current sleep research centers around the overlap between insomnia and sleep apnea syndrome. Dr. Parrino is industrious and successful. But does he make time for sleep? “In accordance with the recommended indications, I try to respect the range of 7–8 hours of sleep per night,” he relays. “No matter the content of my day, after 9:00pm, I start to slow down in order to welcome sleep in a relaxed and peaceful background.”

Clete Kushida, MD, PhD (United States)

Dr. Kushida of Stanford University researches treatment effectiveness for patients with obstructive sleep apnea, as well as new therapies for sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and narcolepsy. Dr. Kushida states, “I average 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night and I do this by consistently setting a standard sleep routine, and going to bed and waking up about the same time." Sleep is so important — not only for health, but also for maintaining optimal alertness in job performance, particularly in occupations where public safety is at risk.

Maree Barnes, MBBS (Australia)

“On an individual level,” begins Dr. Barnes of the Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Hospital in Melbourne, “sleep is essential to good physical, emotional and psychological health. On a societal level, inadequate or poor sleep is a significant financial cost to our community.” Sleep disorders cost the Australian economy more than $5.1 billion each year in healthcare and indirect costs. Reduction in life quality caused by sleep disorders in Australia has a further cost equivalent of $31.4 billion per year.

“Personally,” Dr. Barnes explains, “I try to average 8 hours sleep each night. There are some nights when this is not possible, so I sleep in when I can. I don’t nap during the day. I make this possible in two ways,” she continued. “Firstly, by making sure I have at least 8 hours reserved every night, and secondly, by ensuring my bedtime behaviors promote good sleep.” Dr. Barnes creates the right sleep environment by making sure the bedroom is dark, quiet and comfortable, avoiding caffeine, alcohol or exercise for at least one hour prior to bed, and leaving electronics out of the bedroom.

"We must all remember," Dr. Barnes adds, "that without adequate sleep, we are at risk of accidents on the road, at work and in the home, as well as cardiovascular and metabolic illnesses.”

Charles Samuels, MD (Canada)

Dr. Samuels is the Medical Director of the Centre for Sleep and Human Performance as well as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Cummings School of Medicine, University of Calgary. “The general public needs to know that sleep is important, has a purpose and we should all make it a priority,” Dr. Samuels declares. “I aim for an 8-hour window at night, usually from 11:00pm to 7:00am,” he says of his sleeping habits. “If I have to get up early, napping is a key part of my strategy. If I get 6 hours of sleep, I nap during the day for 15–20 minutes.”

But Dr. Samuels wasn’t always able to balance his schedule around sleep. During prolonged work hours as a rural physician, sleep debt impacted his behavior with his young family, his performance as a physician and almost cost him his life. “Two incidents cemented why sleep should be priority number one in my health,” Dr. Samuels relays. “First, while on-call, I rolled my car in the middle of winter while driving to the emergency room from my house at midnight. I was clearly not fit to drive, and I was very lucky. Another more dramatic incident occurred one summer night driving home from the emergency department around 2:00am. I drove by my house, continuing on a country road and ended up at the shore of a lake, having fallen asleep driving. I woke up scared to death. I had no idea where I was, and it took me an hour to find my house.”

After these incidences, Dr. Samuels began researching the science of sleep. He also learned how to organize his day and night around sleep. When following his routine, he has the energy to work, train, and enjoy the weekends.

Nesreen Elsayed Morsy, MD (Egypt)

“When I was starting a pulmonology career eleven years ago,” begins Dr. Nesreen Elsayed Morsy of Mansoura University in Egypt, “sleep medicine was a mysterious area to me. I was excited to explore it. Especially in Egypt, it was a new field in the medical practice.” Currently, Dr. Morsy is researching the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and venous thromboembolic diseases (blood clots, veins and circulation). “Although daily I have a lot to do, I am eager to have 6 to 7 sleep hours for workdays, and increase it to 9 hours on weekends,” Dr. Morsy states. “I am careful to get enough continuous sleep in a suitable place.”

Dr. Morsy believes more individuals should be aware of how optimal sleep is important for the body’s health. “Our sleep period is a time of growth hormone release and body repair, essential for learning and memory,” she describes. “Sleep loss can impair immune response, increase hunger, elevate cardiovascular diseases mortality and impair neurocognitive performance. We must all place sleep at the highest of importance.”

The professionals in this article represent the many leaders belonging to World Sleep Society’s membership, committed to advancing sleep medicine and research worldwide. For more information visit worldsleepsociety.org.