Sleep Soundly — soundcore and NEOM's Scent x Sound World Sleep Day Evening in London

To celebrate World Sleep Day, soundcore by Anker and NEOM Wellbeing brought together a room full of expert media and online personalities in London to do something fairly straightforward: talk honestly about sleep.

Hosted at The Sir Devonshire Square Hotel, the theme of the evening was Scent x Sound: Inhale Deeply. Listen Closely. Sleep Soundly.

How We Celebrated

Hosted by Priyankaa Joshi, Sleep & Wellness Editor at Hearst UK, the night unfolded in three parts:

• A Calming Welcome: Setting the tone, guests were welcomed with magnesium-powered CALM drinks by Peak Moods, the first step to welcoming in relaxation after a busy day.
• Panel Discussion: Priyankaa led a conversation with three guests: Vicki Beevers (Founder & CEO, The Sleep Charity), Louise Moore (Product Director, NEOM Wellbeing), and Sarah Mansell (UK Marketing Director, soundcore by Anker). Topics ranged from what's actually disrupting our sleep to fragrance science and the worst advice currently circulating on social media.
• Yin Yoga & Meditation Session: Guests relaxed with a calming yin yoga and meditation session, accompanied by the soundcore Sleep A30.

Top Tips from the Expert Panel

On noise — and what to do about it

Noise is one of the most common sleep disruptors, and one of the least addressed. A snoring partner, street traffic, or a noisy neighbour can all fragment sleep cycles without you ever fully waking up, meaning you lose deep and REM sleep without knowing it.

Sarah Mansell, from soundcore by Anker, spoke about this directly. soundcore's Sleep A30 earbuds were designed with these issues in mind, blocking out environmental noise with sound masking and calming soundscapes. Their comfortable design helps you to sleep through the night with an ergonomic build that means you barely even know they're in your ears. They're so slim that you can even sleep comfortably on your side without in-ear pressure.

"There's something about the right sound that just quiets the mental chatter," she said. She also flagged something worth knowing: "You can think you're sleeping fine and still be getting terrible quality sleep. People are genuinely shocked when they first see how fragmented their nights really are." The A30's sleep tracking, she noted, tends to be where that realisation first hits.

On scent — and why it's not just a nice touch

Louise Moore, from NEOM Wellbeing, reframed what fragrance actually does for sleep. NEOM's sleep products, built around 100% natural fragrances including lavender, chamomile and patchouli, work on an associative principle: repeat the same sensory cue at bedtime, and the brain starts to recognise it as a signal that the day is ending.

Their Perfect Night's Sleep fragrance has been the subject of clinical research showing measurable calming effects when inhaled. "It's not just about a nice smell," Louise said. "The ritual becomes the cue, and the brain responds to repetition."

On the bigger picture

Vicki Beevers and The Sleep Charity have been working on helping people get the best possible rest since 2012. She laid it out plainly: more than half of UK adults report ongoing sleep difficulties. Women are particularly affected, with hormonal fluctuations, a disproportionate share of caring responsibilities, and the compounding impact of perimenopause and menopause playing major roles.

Her advice was simple: 

• Build a 30-60 minute wind-down routine before bed rather than going straight from screen to pillow.
• Keep your bedroom cool, dark, clutter-free and genuinely quiet.
• If you're struggling to drift off, get up briefly rather than laying there worrying about it. The anxiety of trying to force yourself to sleep tends to make it harder.

How We Wound Down

Guests on yoga mats, low lighting, and a quiet room.

Scent, sound, stillness. The exact things the panel had spent the past hour discussing, being put into practice.

It was, in its way, the whole point.

Explore soundcore's sleep earbuds range, including the new Sleep A30, at soundcore UK.

Discover NEOM Wellbeing's sleep collection at NEOM official website.