Sleep Health Experts: Transform Employee Wellbeing

The business case for better sleep is compelling. Poor sleep costs the UK economy an estimated £40 billion annually through lost productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher healthcare costs. Yet sleep remains one of the most undervalued aspects of employee wellbeing programmes. Sleep Awareness Week returns 8-14 March 2026, culminating in World Sleep Day on 14 March. Created by the National Sleep Foundation, this annual event highlights a critical yet often overlooked pillar of workplace performance: quality sleep.

This Sleep Awareness Week, forward-thinking organisations have an opportunity to change that conversation, and we've identified leading experts who can help.

Why Sleep Matters for Performance

Before we dive into our speaker recommendations, it's worth understanding what's at stake. Sleep affects everything from decision-making and creativity to emotional regulation and physical health. In high-pressure work environments, sleep deprivation doesn't just reduce individual performance—it compounds across teams, affecting collaboration, innovation, and safety.

The speakers below bring diverse perspectives on sleep science, from circadian rhythm optimisation to behavioural psychology, offering practical frameworks your organisation can implement immediately.

Featured Sleep Experts

Kathryn Pinkham

Kathryn Pinkham is the UK's go-to insomnia specialist, helping countless individuals overcome sleep difficulties through evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy techniques. Her practical, accessible approach demystifies sleep science and provides actionable strategies that work in real-world settings.

View Kathryn Pinkham's profile

Dr Ritz Suk Birah

As a Consultant Counselling Psychologist, Dr Ritz brings clinical expertise to understanding sleep's psychological dimensions. Her talks, including "The Psychology of Sleep: Why Rest Is the New Resilience" and "Winter Sleep, Mood & the Science of Seasonal Change", connect sleep quality with mental health and seasonal wellbeing, particularly relevant for organisations supporting employees through darker months.

View Dr Ritz Suk Birah's profile

Tom Clark

Tom Clark operates at the pinnacle of human performance as Head of Performance for Alpine F1's Esteban Ocon. His expertise in circadian rhythms and social jet lag management isn't theoretical—it's tested in one of sport's most demanding environments. His talk "Understanding Your Circadian Rhythm and Building Better Routines" translates elite-level performance science into practical strategies for professionals managing complex schedules, global teams, or shift work.

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Rupinder Mann

Rupinder Mann bridges behavioural science and organisational performance through her advisory firm, UnNamed Ventures. Having worked with major brands including L'Oréal, Warner Bros., IBM and Adobe, she understands how to translate sleep science into business outcomes. Her talks on "Sleep, Health and High Performance" and "The Science of Sleep" provide evidence-based frameworks for building high-performing cultures that prioritise recovery.

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Gabriela Peacock

Celebrity nutritionist Gabriela Peacock brings a unique angle to sleep optimisation through her expertise in nutritional science. As founder of GP Nutrition, she's written extensively about how diet affects sleep quality—from the timing of meals to specific nutrients that support better rest. Her approach helps organisations understand the interconnected nature of nutrition, supplementation and sleep.

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Dr Michael Breus

Dr Michael Breus revolutionised sleep science accessibility with his "Sleep Animal" chronotype system, categorising people as Lions (early risers), Bears (typical sleepers), Wolves (night owls), or Dolphins (light sleepers). This framework, backed by his extensive clinical experience as a Sleep Medicine Doctor, helps individuals and teams optimise their schedules according to their natural rhythms. With over 500,000 followers across platforms, he's proven his ability to make complex sleep science engaging and actionable.

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Stephanie Romiszewski

Stephanie Romiszewski brings serious academic credentials to behavioural sleep medicine. As founder of Sleepyhead Clinic and re:sleep, she's contributed to research at Harvard and NASA, whilst developing sleep programmes for NHS clinical sleep centres across the UK. Her strength lies in dispelling common sleep myths with evidence-based advice, helping organisations move beyond well-intentioned but ineffective sleep hygiene tips to interventions that genuinely work.

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Professor Vincent Walsh

Professor Vincent Walsh approaches sleep from the cognitive neuroscience perspective as Professor of Human Brain Research at University College London. His research spans sleep's role in creative thinking, learning and performance, with practical applications in high-pressure environments from business to military contexts. He's also working at the frontier of brain stimulation treatments for conditions like depression, offering cutting-edge insights into sleep's role in mental health.

View Professor Vincent Walsh's profile

Making Sleep Awareness Week Count

Sleep Awareness Week 2026 offers a natural hook for launching or refreshing your wellbeing initiatives. Whether you're looking to address productivity concerns, reduce burnout, or simply demonstrate genuine care for employee health, bringing in a sleep expert can catalyse meaningful change.

These speakers don't just share interesting facts—they provide frameworks, debunk myths, and inspire practical behaviour change that lasts beyond the event itself.

Ready to transform how your organisation thinks about rest and recovery? Get in touch with our team to discuss which speaker best fits your needs; email us at hello@getapeptalk.com or send us a message via the chat. You can also call us on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US).