About Me
I’m James Wilson, (AKA The Sleep Geek) and I am a sleep expert, and you might be surprised to hear, a poor sleeper! I inherited my poor sleep, and it is something that will be with me until the day I die.
I have helped hundreds of thousands of poor sleepers sleep better, (including myself) but I am not going to tell you that I have found a magic cure, a special technique, or the secret ingredient to better sleep. Anyone who promises no sleepless nights ever again, is a bit of a fibber.
But I can help, I believe having a better understanding of our own sleep, and access to simple and effective resources can help improve our sleep. Whether you’re an individual who wants to sleep better, an organisation or sports team who want their people to have the best sleep possible, a brand who wants to help amplify the credibility of your product or service, or you work in the media and want to speak to an expert who has lived the life of a poor sleeper, then I can help you.
My Timeline
I was born into the world of sleep. I was the third generation of my family to sell beds and mattresses, with our family business Duckers, being a well-known brand in the 70’s and 80’s.
I worked for my Mum and Dad and then set up my own sleep shop, We Love Sleep. But I had a dark secret, I was a poor sleeper and I had inherited this from my Grandpa Frank. Ironically, he founded Ducker’s Sleep Products with his brother. I spent a lot of my life ignoring that I couldn’t sleep. It was particularly bad in my teenage years where I played for Rotherham United’s Academy for a short time.
(Although I can’t place the blame on my poor sleep for not becoming a professional footballer, talent, or lack thereof, was also an issue.)
When I was running We Love Sleep, I employed a number of sleep experts and one in particular inspired me. He was patronising, misogynistic and had the attitude that it was poor sleepers’ fault that they slept poorly. I felt that us poor sleepers deserved better, and that’s when I started to train as a sleep practitioner.
I realised in the early part of my career that the methods I had been taught needed refining to be more flexible and easier to apply to our everyday lives. Existing approaches and expertise offered prescriptive advice, delivered in a boring and academic way, that took no account of the individual.
So I developed the No Nonsense Approach To Sleep, a way of tackling sleep problems by better understanding the sleep needs of an individual. From then, I have improved the sleep of hundreds of thousands of poor sleepers, from cradle to grave, with people who do every job imaginable including celebrities, medal winners, England football internationals and people working shifts with the pressures of life to deal with too.
Sleepunity for Organisations
All of this knowledge and experience, together with the insight and expertise of some of the most respected minds in sleep science and behavioural change, has gone into developing c.
Sleepunity is a practical, evidence informed sleep performance and wellbeing partner for employers, sports organisations and communities, utilising the No Nonsense Approach To Sleep. We work alongside leadership teams, coaches and community leads to improve sleep health in a way that is accessible, simple to implement and genuinely transformative.
We do not rely on gimmicks or generic advice. We provide structured frameworks, practical tools and ongoing support that create lasting behavioural change.
And like all parts of my work, Sleepunity now operates as a social enterprise. I am committed to reinvesting 50% of profits into initiatives that support better sleep for all, widening access, reducing health inequalities and helping communities build sustainable sleep health.
Support I Offer to Employers and Communities
We offer seminars, webinars, and one on one support to Employers and Communities. This can include drop-in appointments for colleagues who struggle with their sleep, remote video calls and bespoke video content built around your organisation’s particular sleep issues.
Seminars/webinars include:
– General Sleep
– Shift Work and Sleep
– Menopause and Sleep
– Pets and Sleep
– Neurodivergence and Sleep
– Sleep disorder screening, diagnosis and treatment
– Leadership and Sleep
– Kids and Sleep
Sports Teams
Through kipmate I work with individuals, governing bodies and teams. I offer a bespoke service, with content suitable for both academy and senior sports people that includes
– Support Across a Full Season
– Seminars/Webinars
– One on One Support
– Sleep Tracker Interpretation
– Travel Planning for competition and training
– Sleep Product Selection
Client Testimonials
“@thesleepgeek 5 night of sleep now! After over three years of no sleep this is literally a miracle for me. You are the God of Sleep“
"It was great, he’s such a good spokesperson! Funny, knowledgeable, never patronising, so human and lush"
"James came in throughout the season and just fit right in. Shared insight, was approachable, challenged our relationship with sleep and all with a smile on his face."
"Really good sleep geek webinar today. Thanks for all the useful information, really useful"
"He is very experienced and his passion for the subject comes across in his delivery. I’d highly recommend him."
"A thoroughly enjoyable session with lots of learning points, for me, my family and my patients"
"Was really excellent. Very knowledgeable, entertaining speaker - I took home many useful tips-I knew these years ago"
Brand Partners
When buying sleep products and services it can be difficult for us to know who to trust and which will suit us and our sleep issue best. I have teamed up with a number of brands who have gone through a rigorous process to ensure their products do what they say they are going to do, and that they are run by people with a real commitment to solving sleep issues..
Work With Me
I love working with brands who want to help people sleep better and love what they do. Does this sound like you?
Are you a brand that wants to cut through the distracting noise and sleep washing and help consumers understand how your product or service can help them get a better night’s sleep. Do you want an expert who can amplify your curability and explain the benefits of what you do in a way that is entertaining, engaging and educational? Not just to consumers, patients and users, but also in the media too? Are you looking to develop your product or service offering and want insight to form an expert who talks to thousands of poor sleepers every month and who has helped develop interventions, health services, mattresses, pillows duvets, sleep aids and sleep tech? If so, then let’s have a chat.
Check out this video from the award-winning campaign I did with OTO, a CBD brand and the well-known dance act Faithless (we remixed their hit Insomnia into a sleep track) for Sleep Month 2022.
Let's TalkBrands I've worked with
As an expert I work with a number of sleep related brands, helping them with product development, advice for their staff and customers and helping them help people to sleep better. My aim is to steer clear of the snake oil and sizzle that many sleep brands deliver, and help poor sleepers make better choices when it comes to deciding on what to buy when trying to find answers to their sleep issues.
Media and TV
I’ve written, presented and broadcast about sleep for over ten years. I was one of the sleep experts on the Channel 4 series The Secrets of Sleep and I have also appeared on The One Show, This Morning, BBC Breakfast, Steph’s Packed Lunch, Channel 4 News, Sky Sports and Football Focus amongst many others.
I am the resident sleep expert on Radio 1’s Life Hacks, and have broadcast on Radio 4, 5 Live, TalkSport, TalkRadio and most BBC local radio stations. I have written and contributed to articles for publications including Time, Forbes, Newsweek, The Financial Times, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Belle and most daily newspapers.
Contact
