- I've long understood the connection between a good night's sleep and good health. As a child, my mum would often encourage me to ‘sleep myself better', and it's something I now say to my own children.

After having my second child, I experienced mild postnatal depression. Looking back, I believe much of it stemmed from severe sleep deprivation. The tears were constant, as was the anxiety. Perhaps hardest of all was my inability to sleep, even when I finally had the opportunity to do so.

During that turbulent time, I noticed something curious. Whenever I woke in the night and walked to the bathroom, if my old wool blanket had slipped from the end of our bed onto the floor, I would instinctively pick it up and put it back on the bed. Looking back, I think it was partly the comforting weight of the blanket, but also something less obvious that I couldn't quite explain.

I found myself wondering why.

That question led me down a rabbit hole into the world of sleep and natural fibres. What exactly were we sleeping in, on and under? What were we breathing in for up to a third of our lives?

As I dug deeper, I discovered that temperature is one of the most important factors affecting sleep quality. Wool's remarkable ability to respond to changes in body temperature and humidity helps create a more stable sleep environment, reducing overheating and helping the body stay within its ideal sleep temperature range. Combined with the gentle, reassuring weight of the blanket, it suddenly made sense why I was reaching for it night after night.