Ah, sleep! The magical world we all long to dive into after a busy day. Whether it’s a cup of tea, a soothing cuddle, or complete darkness, each of us has a unique way of winding down. The right touch, scent, sound, or environment can make all the difference for a peaceful night’s rest.
During Sleep Awareness Week, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how much our sleep matters. Beyond just feeling rested, good sleep has a huge impact on our health and well-being. And let’s not forget the role that quality bedding and bed linen play in achieving that perfect night’s sleep. The right sheets, blankets, and pillows aren’t just a luxury—they’re a key part of our sleep routine.
We caught up with Steph Gouin, founder of Sleep by Steph to ask her, her top tips about making your sleep a health priority and creating bedtime bliss for your little ones (and yourself!)
What’s the most important factor when it comes to creating a calming bedtime routine for children, and how does that affect their sleep quality?
A consistent and age-appropriate bedtime is the most important factor to consider. The human body clock needs a consistent day and night - meaning that we wake at the same time each morning and go to bed at the same time each night. When our body clock is well aligned that is when we fall asleep easily and stay asleep, leading to good quality night time stretches of sleep. When children go to bed at an age appropriate time they go to bed tired, and not in an overdrive or overtired state, this also really helps to create a calming bedtime routine and settling off to sleep easily.
Do you think the bedding and sleep environment (such as fabric choice or room temperature) have a big impact on how well kids and adults sleep?
One of the biggest issues I talk to families about every single day is the lack of adequate warmth during sleep. No human sleeps well when they are not warm and cosy. When kids and adults are dressed appropriately for bedding and the temperature of the environment they sleep really well.
How can adults and children both benefit from focusing on sleep hygiene and the connection between quality sleep and overall well-being?
Sleep is one of the three main pillars of health, along with nutrition and exercise. Poor sleep hygiene and poor quality sleep have detrimental impacts on the lives of adults and children in so many ways. The human body is not designed to be sleep deprived.
If you could give parents your top 5 game-changing sleep tips, what would they be to ensure their kids (and themselves) get the restful night they deserve?
I talk to parents about healthy sleep foundations and how important it is that the foundations are in place to ensure sleep success for their family.
1. Making sure that day and night is set up in line with actual day and night and that nighttime starts at the appropriate time for your little one’s age
2. Ensuring adequate hydration and nutrition throughout the day so your little one’s is sustained to sleep through the night
3. Focus on ensuring the sleep environment is set up correctly. This includes things like a dark, fairly quiet and cosy room.
4. Avoid using artificial machines and devices for light and noise as they can be very distracting and cause challenging falling to sleep associations.
5. Ensure that the falling to sleep conditions are the same at the start of the night and continue throughout the night to avoid disruptive sleep. Ideally, your little one needs nothing or no one to fall asleep, so when they rouse and wake through the night, nothing has changed and they can fall back to sleep independently.
In your experience, how do parents’ values around sleep and the quality of sleep products influence their children's sleep habits and overall routine?
The parents who prioritise sleep and invest in quality sleep products tend to have children who have less sleep issues, than the parents who don't see sleep as a major priority. Having a consistent sleep routine is a commitment that parents either choose or they don’t. Making the commitment is so worth it because the whole family benefits when everyone is sleeping
How do winding-down activities like reading, a warm bath, or even family rituals help kids transition from busy days to peaceful nights? Any insider routines you’d recommend for parents with jam-packed schedules?
Keep it simple! At the end of a long day, we are all tired (and grumpy), the quicker and more basic the bedtime routine, the better. A bedtime routine that drags on and on everyone can become overtired and settling off to sleep becomes hard. I’ve had a very similar bedtime routine for my own 3 children since they were babies and will probably continue this routine until they leave home (hopefully not when they’re too old) - dinner, bath / showers, teeth, books, cuddles, bed.
What are some of your favourite ways to wind down before bed—whether it’s a specific scent, sound, or environmental touch—that help create the perfect atmosphere for a peaceful night’s sleep?
Believe it or not, I do exactly the same thing every night before I go to bed. I always go to bed at a similar time each night, bar the odd exception. I wash my face with my favourite skincare products, brush my teeth, put my favourite Kip&Co nightie on and read a book (Full transparency here - I really want to say that I scroll Instagram but I probably shouldn’t as a sleep expert so let’s just go with I read a book - haha!).
We often hear about how important sleep is, but beyond just feeling rested, how does a good night’s sleep truly affect our health and overall well-being?
So many people struggle with sleep - it is almost at a crisis point! Every area of our life is impacted when we are sleep deprived - health immunity, work performance, relationships, friendships, finances, physical & mental health - ability to concentrate, ability to cope with change or when things go wrong.
If you could offer one piece of advice in 5 words or less that is quick and easy to improve someone's sleep, what would it be?
Make sleep a priority.
