The UK’s oldest sleep charity and leading provider of sleep support, training, and resources, announces its official name change to “Sleep Action” as the organisation celebrates its 25th anniversary at Edinburgh City Chambers.

Sleep Scotland, the charitable service operated by the non-profit Capella, is thrilled to announce its official name change to “Sleep Action” as the organisation celebrates its 25th anniversary. This monumental change reflects the charity’s commitment to expanding its reach and impact empowering individuals and families to achieve better sleep and wellbeing, paving the way for a brighter future.

Why the Name Change?

In the course of 25 years, Sleep Action has evolved from a modest organisation in Edinburgh into a nationwide and cross-border service, benefiting countless individuals and their families throughout the UK and Ireland.

While the organisation’s origins are a source of immense pride, the close association with Scotland inadvertently limited the charity from reaching those who could greatly benefit from its services due to the perception that the scope was exclusively Scottish.

“As we envision the next 25 years and beyond, we believe that Sleep Action is a name that better encapsulates our mission, values, and work,” says Gail Burden, CEO of Capella. “This name exemplifies our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, signifying that our support is available to all, regardless of their location.”

Why “Sleep Action”?

The choice of “Sleep Action” reflects the charity’s unwavering dedication to bringing about meaningful change in the field of sleep. Several factors make this name an ideal fit:

• “Sleep Action” is non-geographically specific, allowing the service to transcend regional boundaries while maintaining a connection to our proud 25-year history
• The term “Action” conveys a sense of urgency, immediacy, and practical solutions, illustrating our commitment to addressing sleep issues directly
• “Action” implies a continual process of working towards long-term goals, mirroring the journey to improve one’s sleep
• “Sleep Action” clearly communicates the organisation’s charitable status, aligning it with other well-known charitable organisations and positioning sleep as a mainstream health and well-being concern

“The change from Sleep Scotland to Sleep Action is about continuing our mission,” says Alyson O’Brien, Head of Sleep Services at Sleep Action. “With the transition to Sleep Action, our commitment to ensuring that everyone thrives through healthy sleep remains steadfast. We will continue to employ the latest scientific understanding to provide tailored, non-judgmental, and empathetic guidance and training in support of healthy sleep. Sleep Action will carry on the important work of the last 25 years of raising awareness of the critical impact of sleep deprivation on health and well-being.”

“Sleep Action will maintain its support for children, young people, and their families, as well as adults with additional needs experiencing sleep problems,” adds Gail Burden, the charity that operates Sleep Action. “We have ambitious plans to expand our outreach by increasing our impact on adults’ sleep, particularly by working with employers to promote healthy sleep through our Sleep-friendly Employer programme, a 3-year employer accreditation scheme, intended to embed a sleep-conscious culture of supportive attitudes and behaviours towards sleep from senior management to front-line staff.”

Timeline for the Brand Name Change

Starting from the 26th of October 2023, Sleep Scotland will transition to “Sleep Action.” The organisation’s commitment to supporting individuals on their journey to better sleep remains unwavering throughout this change.

The Impact of Sleep Action

Sleep disorders significantly impact the lives of children and young people, particularly those with learning disabilities. Statistics show that sleep disorders affect 15% to 19% of adolescents with no disability. However, this percentage increases to between 26% to 36% among children and young people with moderate learning disabilities and rises to a staggering 44% among those with severe learning disabilities.

Despite the prevalence of sleep difficulties among children with learning disabilities, this often receives inadequate attention in the training of most health and social care practitioners. For 25 years, Sleep Action has been working to bridge this gap by providing training that equips professionals, including those working in education and nurses to therapists, with the skills and knowledge needed to enhance the quality of life for families of children with sleep problems.

At present, Sleep Action has a network of over 1300 Sleep Counsellors across the UK and Ireland, who are trained to deliver specific, tried and tested behavioural and cognitive techniques which adapt an individual’s day- and night-time behaviours to improve their sleep. Parents, carers and guardians of a child under 18 in Scotland can access the Sleep Action Scottish Sleep Support Line.

“Sleep Action quite literally saved my life,” says a mother who found help through the charity’s Scottish Sleep Support Line. “I was utterly exhausted from being woken up numerous times during the night by my two-year-old son. The help and advice from Sleep Action was amazing. They filled me with the confidence that I so much needed in order to put the steps in place. Within three nights, my son was sleeping through the night and has been more or less every night since for the past two months. We are a much happier (and less tired!) household thanks to Sleep Action.”

Sleep Action 25th Anniversary £2.5k Giveaway
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Sleep Action is delighted to announce the “Sleep Action 25th Anniversary Giveaway.” Organisations in the public and third sector in the fields of education and health and social care have the opportunity to win £2,500 worth of Sleep Training for their team, service or organisation to create or improve a Sleep Clinic to support their community and service users. To enter, individuals working for organisations such as schools, charities, local councils, and the NHS can visit the Sleep Action Giveaway Page.

Join Sleep Action on 8 November as they shed light on a crucial aspect often overlooked in the third sector: Prioritising employee sleep for the wellbeing of your workforce at The Gathering 2023. Or visit Sleep Action at Nursing Live 2023 on 10-11 November to discover the transformative power of improved patient sleep for health outcomes and learn why sleep support is critical for patient health and wellbeing.