June 26, 2019

We Talk Sleep with Shea and Danielle from The Goodnight Co.

Sleep it’s something that has evaded me since having my babies nearly 10 years ago. And when I say sleep has evaded me, I mean that deep uninterrupted sleep that you wake up from feeling like you have slept the sleep of the dead for a million years. And yes, that’s a good thing. I have always blamed being a Mother on my poor sleeping - waking during pregnancy to pee, waking to feed a baby that seemed to only feed during the night for 12 hours straight, waking at the slightest sound in case the kids needed me, waking with one of my kids standing next to me like a small psycho just staring at me until I wake up. You know the drill. But recently... now my kids sleep through and actually there doesn't appear to be any reason for me waking up in the night... I started to wonder whether my age had anything to do with it. And guess what? It does. So I sat down with the beautiful women behind The Goodnight Co. for a cup of tea and a chin wag to see if there was anything I could do to minimise the impact of age on my sleeping.

You started The Goodnight Co. in 2015 with a range of silk pillowcases and sleep masks. What was the driving force behind starting the company?

We developed The Goodnight Co. just after having our first children. Once we decided to leave the corporate world and enter parenting, we realised the significant impact that poor sleep had on our lives. We decided we wanted to start a business providing some luxury products to help the world fall back in love with sleep, launching with Silk Pillowcases and Sleep Masks. We then spent the next couple of years researching and surveying hundreds of people about their sleep problems, gradually developing many more lines of products to help our customers build sleep rituals to solve these problems.

What changes have you made to your product range in the last 4 years and why?

In the past four years, we have really extended our product range - often as a result of demand from our customers. We now stock teas, bath soaks, aromatherapy, diffusers, crystals and most recently introduced a selection of supplements. With sleep problems still on the rise, we've been searching for more ways to help people rediscover quality sleep and after a lot of research & brainstorming, we decided that hosting Sleep Retreats was the perfect way to offer personalised help for disrupted sleep patterns.

We’d love to know a little bit about you both. What are a few of your favourite things (outside of your own amazing products)?

Shea: I love podcasts. Starting my morning by listening to experts in health, wellness & business on my drive to work really sets the tone for the day.

Danielle: I've been coaching my daughter's waterpolo team for the last twelve months and have really enjoyed watching the team grow and develop - they might not be at the top of the ladder but they're a really supportive group of girls.

What are your personal sleep routines and why do you think this works so well for you?

Shea: After my kids are in bed and I've dimmed the lights, I start my evening wind down with a bath and herbal tea with some Deep Sleep Tincture and reading a few pages of a real book.

Danielle: My routine fits on my bedside table! I start with a book or a guided meditation, a couple drops of the Deep Sleep Tincture and then slip on my Sleep Mask which is my body's immediate sign that it's time for sleep.

I have found that my quality and quantity of sleep has changed post turning 40. Is this common?

Yes. As we know, hormones play a major role in our sleep. As you pass your mid-life, your total sleep time decreases, your sleep often becomes lighter & more fragmented, and your inner circadian rhythm changes; all drastically impacting the way you sleep. That doesn't even touch on kids, travel or other hormone shifts woman experience.

What are the most significant changes to our (women’s) sleep as we age and how does this impact on us?

You might be surprised but the most significant impact on a woman's sleep is often her increasingly busy schedule - being a Mum, career driven, caring for elderly parents, volunteering in the community. This coupled with a biological shift in woman during these years, such as menopause, means sleep can become severely disrupted.

What can we do to address the impact of these changes? Please tell me I don’t have to fully give up wine…

Whilst reducing your alcohol intake might help, there are many other things that can be considered to improve your sleep! Having a great integrated medical practitioner can help balance all the areas in your life to ensure your body is really nurtured and nourished to cope with the extra stress, anxiety and hormonal changes. Some quick wins could be hydration, balanced diet with loads of fresh produce, cutting back refined sugar (including alcohol), regular movement, having fun & laughing and practicing gratitude & mindfulness.

We are very excited to hear about the success of your recent sleep retreat at the Calile Hotel, and your upcoming retreat in Bowral in September! What a fabulous initiative. Can you tell us a bit more about it?

Our Sleep Retreats evolved naturally from discovering more ways to help our customers improve, prioritise and learn about their sleep. We have engaged with some incredible facilitators to help our guests learn how to set themselves up for a good night’s sleep. At the Retreat, we give you all the tools you need to wake up each morning feeling refreshed, rested and radiant. With our Retreat hosted at The Calile Hotel, we honed in on a combination of wellness and sleep education, designed to help guests overcome issues like jet lag, travelling for work, hotel rooms, late nights and busy schedules.

Finally, for those of us that are completely time poor, juggling a million different things including work, children, partners and so much more - what's one thing you would recommend implementing into our night time routine to help us sleep?

Unfortunately, poor sleep carries such a significant risk to our health that it really needs to be something we prioritise and work at - just like we would if we wanted to lose weight or get fit. Often this requires reassessing your relationship with sleep and how you prioritise it consistently every night with a sleep routine. You can start building a sleep routine really simply - by dimming lights, turning off technology and sticking to the same bedtime and wake up time every day.

My Changes

I was so inspired after my tea with The Goodnight Co. that I immediately instituted some change to help me sleep. I now have a cup of The Goodnight Co. Calm Tea and a couple of sprays of the oral magnesium spray with peppermint . I then read for half an hour, pop on my silk sleep mask and finish with 5 minutes of thinking about what I am grateful for. I have been amazed at how much my sleep has improved and I still have many different things I would like to implement.

You can find more information about The Goodnight Co.'s innovative and exciting Sleep Retreat here.