How well a sleep expert is sleeping ?

How well does a sleep expert actually sleep? Dr. Alfred Wiater gives us a very personal insight into his sleeping habits, reveals his most important sleep tip and explains why even the best sleep expert sometimes sleeps badly.

Table of contents

1. Our expert: sleep medicine specialist Dr. Alfred Wiater
2. How well do you sleep as a sleep expert?
3. Tips & Interesting Facts about Children's Sleep

1. Our expert: sleep medicine specialist Dr. Alfred Wiater

Our sleep depends on many different factors and even as an expert in the field, you are not immune to a bad night. Dr. med. Alfred Wiater is smartsleep-Expert for sleep medicine and health. As a pediatrician and former chairman of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (DGSM), he has more than 35 years of experience in the field of sleep and is also very familiar with sleep disorders. Nevertheless, even he is not immune to having a bad night's sleep. In our podcast He told us what helped him to get enough rest and what his most important tip is for a restful sleep. We'll give you an overview of the most interesting answers here.

2. How well do you sleep as a sleep expert?

[An interview with Dr. Alfred Wiater]

You have over 35 years of experience in the areas of children's sleep, sleep medicine and sleep research. How well do you and your children really sleep?

It is really a misjudgment to think that if you know everything about sleep in theory, you can put it into practice. Yes, our children all slept badly and we were annoyed by it. But maybe that also contributed to me realizing some important connections and recommendations afterwards, even if my own children were not able to benefit from it.

And what about your own sleep?

My personal sleeping habits were very variable. In the 40 years that I worked in the clinic, I slept pretty badly. I was awake more often because I was thinking about the problems that I had taken home with me or what problems awaited me the next day. That was a significantly higher level of stress.

In the first few years after I left the clinic, I kept having nightmares about what I had experienced in the clinic. That really preoccupied me. After I started to take it easy, my sleep got much better. Apparently. Because then I kept having external sleep disturbances because my wife kept nudging me because I snore. Then my sleeping habits weren't as restful either.

Were you able to solve this problem?

My wife worked very hard and very persistently to get me to get it checked out. That was done and it turned out that I had a serious sleep apnea had or still have - with over 30 breathing pauses of up to two minutes during the night and significant drops in oxygen levels. In retrospect, that explained why my blood pressure was so high and I was so tired during the day. So much between what you know in theory and what you can put into practice for yourself. I am now well looked after therapeutically and use a so-called CPAP device to support my breathing while I sleep. Since then, my sleep has been very restful and I feel fit.

So what has helped you get better sleep?

I am very happy that, with the support of my wife, I have found the right way to get a restful sleep. Snoring is such a taboo subject. Nobody likes to admit that they snore. However, as people get older, just as many women snore as men. It is a very common phenomenon and you just have to find out whether it is harmless or something more serious.

How many hours do you sleep per night?

I have a fixed rhythm. I usually sleep from 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. and treat myself to a power nap of about 20 minutes every day. That's ideal for me.

Would you call the power nap a secret weapon?

Absolutely! But as an extra portion of sleep and not to compensate for a bad night's sleep. It has been proven that a short nap in the afternoon not only regenerates us physically, but also mentally and that we are mentally fitter again in the afternoon.

How to achieve the perfect power nap, you can here read.

Which chronotype or sleep type are you?

I am a moderately early riser, more of an early riser.

Do you have a specific evening routine?

No, I am in the fortunate position of being able to relax completely and do not need any aids such as reading or listening to chill-out music. I usually fall asleep within 15 minutes.

Do you have a favorite sleep tip that you would like to share?

Yes, I have. Namely: Preparing for sleep begins with getting upIt is very important that we use the natural morning light early in the morning. The natural morning light has a very high proportion of blue light and this blocks melatonin, our so-called sleep hormone. Serotonin, on the other hand, is released, which is generally referred to as the happiness hormone and makes us fit and mentally alert and lifts our mood. We have to use this. The crucial thing is that melatonin is formed from serotonin in the evening when it gets dark. This means that we have to think of being awake and sleeping, light and dark together. And that is why it is important to enjoy the daylight in the morning.

My tip: You need to spend half an hour outside every morning. You can incorporate that into your daily routine. You can cycle to work. Or if you take the train, you can get off one stop earlier and walk a bit. You can do all of that and it means we are fitter during the day and sleep better in the evening.

3. Tips & useful information about children's sleep

In our special podcast series on the topic of children's sleep, you can learn even more about Dr. Alfred Wiater and get a lot of knowledge, interesting facts and great tips about sleep and sleep disorders in children. Would you like to listen? Click here for the podcast ➨

Best regards and see you next time!