Did you know there is a waste management system for your brain?  Essentially it is responsible for carrying fresh fluids into and waste fluids out of your brain. This happens mostly during sleep. So, what then if you don't get enough sleep?  While I do not have the answer to that question, I can tell you how I feel when I don't get good quality sleep. And I'm sure your story would be similar. Groggy. Lethargic. Foggy. Irritable. You know the drill.    I have lucked out on my fair share of sleep in my lifetime. I've also had my sleep cycles interrupted far too many times. Having a young child with epilepsy means I never really switch off, simply because a seizure can happen without warning. I’ve slept in hospital passages, on the floor in hospital rooms, and prior to Zoe being born, I even slept in back up studios between radio shows. This sleep I speak of was never restorative. And I know now how much of an impact this added to my burnout. Dr. Els van der Helm is a sleep neuroscientist and joins me on this episode from her home office in Switzerland. Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global named Dr. van der Helm one of the top 5 sleep experts in the world. Els, she said I can call her by her first name, is very much focused on helping us improve our day to day performance by improving the sleep of business leaders and their teams. Because keeping it together is so much harder than we ever thought it would be, I really hope this episode of Some Assembly Required gives you insight into how your brain works when you're not thinking about it. Get in touch with my guest by connecting on social media - LinkedIn + Instagram  Or visit Dr. Els van der Helm's website for more information.  Original music by Josh Prinsloo. Production by Sean Loots. Send me a voice message with Speakpipe.com by clicking here