87: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky and Julie Mallon
87: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky and Julie Mallon

UK Health Radio Podcast

Sleep specialist Julie Mallon talks with host Andrew Kolsky about how children’s sleep reflects their emotional and physical health, from infancy through the teen years. The conversation covers routines, cultural differences, gentle sleep training and practical ways parents can support healthier rest for their kids.

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42:07•19 May 2026

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Sleep Is Not a Luxury: Julie Mallon on Children’s Rest and Routine

Episode Overview

Sleep issues in children can signal medical problems as well as behavioural habits, so patterns and daytime behaviour need careful observation.
Independent sleep and predictable routines help children feel safe and support brain development and self-regulation.
Harsh methods like strict cry-it-out may not suit sensitive children; gradual, collaborative approaches keep connection while changing habits.
Parents’ leadership and consistent boundaries, especially when a new baby arrives, give toddlers security and prevent sleep from falling apart.
Teens’ sleep struggles can often be improved through changes in diet, screen time and simple tools like journalling rather than medication.

“"Sleep is not a luxury. It's a biological necessity, and our children can learn."”

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation on UK Health Radio shifts the focus to something often overlooked in recovery circles: children’s sleep. Host Andrew Kolsky sits down with sleep consultant, podcaster and public speaker Julie Mallon to unpack how sleep patterns in babies, toddlers and teens can flag much bigger issues than just being "overtired".

Julie shares her path from midwife and health visitor in the UK to sleep specialist working with families in the Middle East, explaining how cultural habits, late-night lifestyles and extended families can all affect a child’s rest. She stresses that sleep problems are sometimes medical rather than behavioural, telling the story of a young girl whose broken sleep turned out to be caused by severe anaemia, not "bad habits".

Parents get a clear rundown of why independent sleep matters, how routines build a sense of safety and what really happens during those infamous four‑month "regressions". Julie explains why "nobody sleeps through the night" and compares a rocked‑to‑sleep baby waking in a cot to an adult falling asleep in bed and waking on the kitchen floor – a simple image that makes the science easy to grasp.

She contrasts harsher methods like Ferber with her collaborative, gradual approach that keeps parents close while helping children learn to self‑soothe over 10–14 days. The chat also moves into older kids and teens, touching on anxiety, screens, energy drinks and even a 19‑year‑old student almost put on sleeping tablets simply because he had never learned to fall asleep alone.

Throughout, Julie returns to one core message: "sleep is very rarely about sleep" – it’s a window into a child’s emotional, physical and neurological wellbeing. If you’re building a healthier, alcohol‑free life and want the next generation to grow up with better sleep and stronger self‑regulation, this episode might spark a few changes at bedtime tonight. What small shift could you make in your family’s routine first?

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