We’re dreaming of... 

A change is as good as a rest, as the adage goes, and few things send us off to a deep slumber than a holiday. Still, if a good night’s kip proves elusive no matter where you lay your head, the five-star Six Senses Douro Valley in Portugal might just have the solution: Sleep Retreats. Expect a 75-minute drive from Porto, or four hours from Lisbon, before a wellness screening kickstarts a tailored programme of massage treatments, personal training, pilates, yoga, meditation, plus forest bathing and hiking trails around the UNESCO World Heritage-listed valley – also home to the oldest demarcated wine-growing area in the world, so swap that wheatgrass shot for a zesty vino in the hotel’s Wine Library and Terrace. Packages range from between three and seven nights. 

Mellow moments… 

Affordable, good quality, organic, sustainably and ethically-sourced essential oils are hard to come by – or it was, until Irish brand The Nature of Things entered the market in 2018 by Benoit Nicol, whose collection of oils can turn any bathroom or bedroom into a home spa. Its latest additions include a stylish geodesic shaped diffuser (Solenn, €59) and pulse-point roll-on oils (€12 each, 10ml) made with a base of organic jojoba. Our money is on Roll-On and Sleep Well, which contains relaxing lavender, green mandarin and chamomile. 

Pyjama-party playlist… 

Harry Styles’s Aviva Stadium concert last month cemented his third album, Harry’s House, as the soundtrack to summer 2022, however if you’re after something more homegrown, check out James Vincent McMorrow’s accomplished The Less I Knew, a bop-inducing pop-soul record; wind down to the extraordinary For All Our Days that Tear the Heart by Cork actress Jessie Buckley and ex-Suede musician Bernard Butler.

Make some headspace for... 

Annie Mac’s Changes podcast. Launched in May 2020 as a natural progression from her previous Finding Annie series, the DJ and Mother, Mother novelist explores pivotal moments from the lives of well-known guests: Caitlin Moran, Damon Albarn, Elizabeth Day, Kelis, Beth Ditto, Jon Ronson and our very own Sinéad Burke, Sinéad Gleeson, Roddy Doyle and Emma Dabiri have all shared their stories. A recent standoutepisode is with the inimitable Róisín Murphy, 49, who describes being a troublesome teen in Arklow before finding her tribe(s) in Manchester, Sheffield, Moloko and a solo career that just keeps getting bigger, better and more bombastic with age.

On our nightstand… 

Some of the best comedy comes out of dark subject matter and Michelle Gallen’s Factory Girls demonstrates this with aplomb. Set in small town Northern Ireland in summer 1994, pre-ceasefire, it tells the tale of friends Maeve, Aoife and Caroline who take a job in a shirt factory while awaiting the results of their A-levels. Said factory is run by a predatory Englishman, while the workplace’s equal opportunities ethos – employing both Protestants and Catholics – isn’t quite as inclusive as it might be. If you liked Derry Girls, you’ll love Gallen’s blend of black humour, nostalgia, on-point observations and potty-mouthed patter.

Food for thought...

You know that old wives' tale about drinking a mug of hot milk an hour before bedtime? Far from myth-making, milk is a rich source of amino acid tryptophan, which plays an important role in the production of serotonin and melatonin bonus of magnesium, which is known to chill-out the nervous system (other tryptophan sources include bananas, nuts, eggs, tofu, fish and poultry).

Those Summer nights...

Keep your cool in one of our Shorts Set. Natural, breathable fabrics are the only solution when it comes to summer sleepwear, and this tropical pyjama combo – in a fun, seasonal print – has the added bonus of feeling silky-soft to the touch. It’ll have you dreaming about your upcoming holidays in no time, and, hey, did we ever tell you our shorts have the Holy Grail of womenswear design: POCKETS?