Hi Dan, so nice to meet you, so tell me…

What’s in a name? Why Ten PM?

Great starting question!  For me a name is key to help both existing and potential new customers understand the true values and personality of a brand. It needs to be memorable, recognisable and ideally connected back to the product of service being offered (but not always).

As we are a company that solely focuses on sleep and helping our community to improve the quality of their sleep, I wanted the name of the company to reflect this unique offering around sleep.  The idea of Ten PM came to me one night whilst lying awake (ironically!) where I suddenly had a thought to name the brand based on the average bedtime for adults in the UK.  Our products are enjoyable drinks and snacks which contain natural ingredients which help relax the mind and improve the quality of your sleep – it’s all about creating a positive and enjoyable evening routine and therefore naming the company based on this seems perfect for our brand.

As a sleep expert, why is this product so dear to you?

I have a Night Drink and Oat & Cherry Bar every night as part of my routine.  As someone who has personally suffered with poor sleep for many years, it was both important and essential that I developed products (in conjunction with other nutrition and sleep experts) that really work and something I would use myself.   I’m really proud of the products we’ve developed and produce and I genuinely look forward to enjoying them at the end of my day.

Sleep is one of the most important pillars that impacts our overall health and well-being and something which most people don’t prioritise (I was one of them), or indeed realise can be improved with bedtime routines and specific supplements.  With more than half of adults suffering from poor sleep, helping people improve this and hearing the amazing transformational stories of our customers is what drives me.

What does a typical day in the life of a sleep expert look like?

Firstly and importantly I always try to wake up at the same time every day, even at weekends.  This is a top tip for anyone who struggles with poor sleep as it helps regulate the circadian rhythm which is our bodies natural sleep/wake body clock.  So I’m up from about 6.30am, make my kids breakfast and get them ready for school and start my day by checking emails and the prior days performance of Ten PM.

The work aspect of my day varies massively and entirely depends on what I am prioritising for Ten PM that week.  Whether that being product development/testing, sales and marketing events, talking to customers directly (which I love to do) or just general operational aspects of the business (boring, but critically important).   I am an absolute perfectionist and very detailed orientated which means I am very hands on with all aspects of the business and there is always something that needs my attention or focus.  I work from home which like all things has its pros and cons, but this does mean I am sat in front of my laptop most of the day, normally on zoom calls.  With health and fitness being very important to me, I will always try to go to the gym and/or go for a long walk or run. This is my therapy and provides me with the downtime I need. From 9pm I start thinking about winding down so will try (!) to avoid watching Netflix (which I love!) past this time and instead go for a shower and do things to help me relax.  I try to be in bed by 10pm (funny that!) with the aim of getting at least 7 hours of sleep.  It’s somewhat sad how I am typically in bed before my 12 year old daughter is!  My previous career was in the corporate world where I worked long hours, had high stress and anxiety levels and had a terrible diet with both food and alcohol.  I never prioritised my sleep and really struggled as a consequence, both physically and mentally.  I’m now the absolute opposite of this and see looking after my physical and mental health as an absolute priority.  All of my good friends and ex work colleagues comment regularly how much healthier and more contented I am these days compared to my previous work and lifestyle.

Can you talk me through the ingredients used in the product?

The are 4 stages of the sleep cycle and all play an important role in recovery and repair of the body while we sleep.  When developing our Night Drink it was critical to include ingredients which support all 4 of these stages ensuring that the user falls asleep quickly and gets the deep sleep needed.

Firstly to provide the feeling of calmness and relaxation ingredients such as L-Theanine, Passionflower and Vitamin B6 help improve mood, regulate cortisol levels and relax the body – all of which helping the body deal with stress.

To help fall asleep quicker and into a deeper sleep, our Night Drink includes L-Glycine, Magnesium and Zinc which help to increase the levels or serotonin and melatonin (hormones which are critical for quality sleep) and regulate GABA levels, calming the nervous system.

All of the ingredients help to promote healthier sleep patterns by calming the nervous system and promoting deep restorative sleep, ensuring that you don’t feel groggy when waking up.

We have also just launched our new Oat & Cherry Bars which are designed to be enjoyed as an afternoon or late night snack that will help you feel calmer and more relaxed.  These contain Ashwagandha, Magnesium, Chamomile, Tart Cherries, Vitamin C and B6 and are the perfect and tasty way to relax & unwind at the end of your day.  With stress being the leading factor of poor sleep, these stress relieving ingredients are clinically proven to lower stress levels and calm the nervous system.  The perfect and tasty way to end your day that actually helps you to unwind and relax.

We all know lack of sleep can be detrimental to our overall well being but can you identify any specific causes as to why it’s such a huge issue in modern times?

There are a number of points I could touch on here, but I feel one of the biggest and increasing issues right now is stress, and the vicious circle of how stress impacts sleep and how poor sleep can increase stress levels.

Stress is something we all feel at times, especially when dealing with life challenges, money issues, relationship problems, work issues, grief etc, and a little stress can be a good thing as it helps us to get things done or focus on something that needs our attention.  But how we manage our stress levels and deal with more persistent chronic stress will make a big difference to our mental welling.

What are your top tips to promote better sleep?

There are a number of reasons why people suffer from poor sleep with one of the main ones being stress and anxiety.  I believe that one of the main causes of sleep issues is the lack of prioritisation of sleep in our daily lives.  It’s fascinating how many of us have a morning routine which may involve having a cup of tea or coffee, having a shower, a healthy breakfast to set ourselves up for the day.  However only a small proportion of us have an evening routine to help relax and calm ready for deep, quality sleep.

The main top tips to improve your evening routine and therefore your sleep are:

• Relax before bed: it is much easier to fall asleep if your mind isn’t racing.  Reading, listening to soothing music, having a bath, meditation or breathing exercises are all good ways to help calm the mind before bed
• Main a regular sleep schedule:  in order to have your circadian rhythm working effectively, it’s important to keep your sleep/wake body clock regular.  Pick a wake time and stick to it, even on weekends.
• Stay off electronics before bed:  these devices will keep your brain wired making it hard to wind down.  The blue light emitted from devices also suppresses the body’s release of melatonin (the sleep hormone)
• Limit caffeine in the afternoons:  caffeine can stay in your bloodstream for over 6 hours so it’s important to stop having that afternoon coffee hit at work as it will impact your sleep later that night
• Bedroom environment:  keep your sleeping environment comfortable, quiet, cool and calming

In addition to improving overall sleep hygiene, there are some amazing natural supplements which are scientifically proven to improve the quality of your sleep, such as magnesium, glycine and l-theanine.

What’s the minimum amount of sleep required for healthy functioning?

This really varies by age group and also by person, but on average an adult (18 years and older) should be getting between 7-8 hours of quality sleep.  However while getting the right amount of sleep is a key part of our health and how we feel and function, remember that it is not just about sleep quantity, but sleep quality matters enormously as well.  If you are sleeping for 7 hours a night but still waking up tired and don’t feel refreshed, it could be that your sleep is fragmented or non-restorative.

Do you feel that the increase in mental health amongst young people is directly correlated to poor sleep hygiene? Thank you so much 

We’re in a really worrying time in regards to young people in relation to social media and technology which are no doubt having a negative impact on young people right now and it only seems to be getting worse. Personally I think social media for young children should be banned and I know there are various parent groups campaigning at the government level for this to be enforced (as other countries seem to be doing).  In regards specifically to sleep, one of the worst things a young person can do is be in front of their phones or tablets before bed.

Sleep is linked closely to our mental and emotional health and there have been various studies linking lack of sleep to depression, anxiety, ADHD and numerous other conditions.