Ep 221: Sleep and rest – they’re not optional!

In this episode, Richard is joined again by Dr Fiona Jane Meechin to tackle a topic that underpins everything else in workplace wellbeing: sleep.

They make the case that sleep isn’t just one wellbeing habit among many. Rather, it’s the foundation that determines whether everything else we do for our health and performance actually pays off.

The conversation covers why consistently short sleep is linked to serious physical and mental health risks (including a measurable rise in early mortality), and why sleep has something of an “image problem” — its benefits are invisible, unlike a healthy lunch or a gym session, which makes it easy to deprioritise.

Richard and Fiona also explore the connection between self-compassion and rest, discussing how a reluctance to rest often reflects a belief that rest has to be earned rather than treated as a basic requirement. They close with a practical, low-effort toolkit for better sleep – covering daylight exposure, caffeine and alcohol timing, evening wind-down routines, bedroom environment, and the case for treating naps and rest as a strategic tool rather than a guilty indulgence.

Please get in touch with your questions about sleep, wellbeing and performance. Email via ‘podcast at worklifepsych dot com’ or join the conversation over on WorkLifeSpark, our personal development community.

Thanks for listening – and thanks to Fiona for her expertise.

Resources for this episode

  • Date August 6, 2026
  • Tags Wellbeing