The Sleep Journal

Illustration of a child's bed and parent's bed side by side, representing family sleep
Helping Kids Sleep Through the Night (While You Get Some Too)
|3 min read|Updated July 27, 2026
Your kid's 2am wake-up is a sleep science problem, not a parenting failure. Here's what actually helps both of you get back to sleep. Read more...
Illustration of a sleep cycle wave through the night, representing deep sleep and REM stages
How Sleep Actually Works: Cycles, Stages and Why Quality Beats Hours
|3 min read|Updated July 27, 2026
Eight hours on the tracker and still exhausted? The problem usually isn't the hours — it's what's breaking up the cycles inside them. Read more...
Illustration of a plane window and a sleep mask — flying, jet lag and sleep masks
Flying, Jet Lag and the Right Way to Use a Sleep Mask
|1 min read|Updated July 25, 2026
A sleep mask is standard airline kit for a reason. How to actually use one to fight jet lag, not just look the part. Read more...
Illustration of a person napping with an eye mask, 20 minute timer — how to nap properly
How to Actually Nap Well (and Why an Eye Mask Changes Everything)
|2 min read|Updated July 25, 2026
Most naps fail because of light, not tiredness. The nap rules that actually work, for shift workers, parents and everyone in the 2pm slump. Read more...
Illustration of a light burst beside a sleep mask — sleep masks and migraines
Sleep Masks and Migraines: What Blocking Light Can (and Can't) Do
|1 min read|Updated July 25, 2026
Light sensitivity is a defining migraine symptom. What a sleep mask genuinely offers during an attack — and where the claims go too far. Read more...
Illustration of a sleep mask beside a crescent moon — do sleep masks actually work
Do Sleep Masks Actually Work? An Honest Look at Blackout and Sleep
|2 min read|Updated July 25, 2026
A sceptic's look at whether sleep masks genuinely improve sleep, or just feel like they should. Read more...
Illustration of a bed with an electric blanket coil and rising heat — winter heating mistakes
The Winter Heating Mistakes That Wreck Your Sleep
|1 min read|Updated July 27, 2026
Heater on, electric blanket cranked, flannelette everything — then awake at 2am cooking. Most winter sleep problems aren't the cold; they're how we fight it. Read more...
Illustration of a blazing sun and electric fan — sleeping in an Australian heatwave
How to Sleep in a Heatwave: The Australian Playbook
|1 min read|Updated July 27, 2026
35 degrees at 10pm and the house has been baking all day. The Australian heatwave sleep playbook — in the order that actually matters. Read more...
Illustration of a bedside lamp glowing with a phone face down — a simple wind-down routine
The Wind-Down Routine for People Who Hate Routines
|2 min read|Updated July 27, 2026
You're not going to journal by candlelight and we both know it. The minimum-effective wind-down routine: three levers that matter, everything else optional. Read more...
Illustration of a skincare bottle labelled with a moon and 8 hrs — sleep is skincare
Sleep Is Skincare: What Your Skin Does Between 10pm and 6am
|1 min read|Updated July 27, 2026
Your skin does its most important repair work between 10pm and 6am — in whatever conditions you give it. The overnight skincare routine that has nothing to do with serums. Read more...
Illustration of an itchy arm under a crescent moon representing nighttime itch
Why Does Skin Itch More at Night? The Science of the Midnight Itch
|2 min read|Updated July 27, 2026
The crawling, prickling, ceiling-staring midnight itch is not in your head. Five well-documented reasons itch peaks at night, and what you can actually control. Read more...
The Doona Wars illustration: one bed split between a cold sleeper and a hot sleeper
The Doona Wars: Sharing a Bed When One of You Sleeps Hot
|1 min read|Updated July 27, 2026
One of you is freezing, one of you is cooking, and you're both losing sleep. The two-doona method and other peace treaties for mismatched sleepers. Read more...