Could a night at this ‘sleep retreat’ cure my insomnia?

Years of sleep masks, lotions and potions and prescriptive sleeping aids – Helen Kirwan-Taylor hasn’t slept ‘naked’ or unaided for years. So could a night in a posh pub with a specialist sleep doctor – and 16 other insomniacs – be the answer to her dream of a good night’s sleep?

One of the rooms designed to encourage sleep at Bull in Burford (Freud Communications)

Everyone knows that the top wellness hack is sleep. It’s free and easy to organise, yet it eludes so many of us. A recent Aviva study of 13 countries revealed that Brits are the most exhausted of all, with more than a third (37 per cent) complaining that they do not get enough sleep. According to the BBC, it is estimated the global market for sleep aids will be worth $125.3bn by 2027. According to Dr Michael Stein, a physiological scientist and founder of Added Health in Oxford, lack of sleep interferes with the clearing out of metabolic waste in the brain, the consequences of which are scarily severe and include a heightened risk of dementia (not to forget premature ageing).

I am sitting with Dr Stein around an oak table alongside 16 other people (mostly 40-somethings) at Cotswolds’ smartest new inn, Bull in Burford. He’s busy explaining the complex physiological importance of sleep cycles. We have three restorative N3 (non-Rem) cycles where the brain cells shrink to make space for extracellular fluid to flow, and we have Rem. This is when you dream – a sort of filing system or processing centre for unresolved issues. These two cycles are essential for the elimination of harmful brain waste matter (bad news: wine interferes with this essential clearance).

This is the first time that Dr Stein is hosting a sleep retreat here. Dubbed the “bulldozing experience” (see what they did there) the idea is that every month customers struggling with their sleep can check in for expert advice as well as comfort to reset their shut-eye. Owned by PR guru Matthew Freud, the decor is as you might expect – hipsterish with dark walls, natural woods and oversized curvy furniture covered in sheepskin (think Soho House meets Hygge). My bedroom is painted dark blue with ink-black metal lights and thick-lined linen curtains. The perfect condition if you are in the market for a great night’s sleep.