From sport science to sleep science, Hannah turned her passion into a career, now helping people get a better night’s rest as Head of Sleep Science at Mattress Online.
After finishing school, Hannah Shore wasn’t sure what career path to take, so she decided to pursue a subject she most enjoyed, sport. As a keen hockey player with a love for all things sport-related, she became fascinated by sports science. Learning that she could study BSc (Hons) Sport Science at the University of Central Lancashire made her university choice much easier.
"Learning isn’t a chore when you are enjoying the subjects. I enjoyed learning about the body from each individual cell, to understand how to train and push the body and even how different pieces of equipment can have a significant impact on sporting performance.", Hannah said.
After graduating, she spent a year applying for jobs while working for the Students’ Union as an Activity Activator. The role involved encouraging student participation, organising events, and engaging with a wide range of people. She also spent a summer working at The Sea Life Centre in Blackpool, delivering talks about marine life.
These roles allowed her to stay in Preston, a city she had grown to love, and helped build valuable communication and presentation skills. She said: "These experiences definitely shaped my ability to speak confidently to both individuals and large groups, something I still use daily when giving talks about the importance of sleep and mattresses."
During her undergraduate studies, Hannah developed a particular interest in biomechanics, one of the three major disciplines alongside psychology and physiology, so she stayed on to complete a MSc Sports Biomechanics.
After completing her Masters, Hannah found a job with the help of the University careers service as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate, a role that paired Hannah with mattress manufacturer, Silentnight, for a two-year research project titled ‘Finding the Ideal Sleeping Solution’.
"I was lucky to have the University of Central Lancashire as my University as they instigated the Silentnight connection. The research was ‘Finding the Ideal Sleeping Solution’, and although not sport related, utilised all the biomechanical techniques I learnt throughout my studies. So instead of pushing the body for high performances, we would now be looking at how we can support the body for optimal rest.", Hannah said.
Hannah stayed on with Silentnight following the KTP, continuing her work in understanding how various elements of a mattress can impact sleep quality, both biomechanically and behaviourally. Her growing interest in sleep led her to enrol in the University of Oxford’s Online Sleep Medicine programme in 2020. She graduated two years later with a Postgraduate Diploma and now applies her combined knowledge of biomechanics and sleep science to help people achieve better sleep.
"My degree has directly impacted me starting my career. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t spent countless hours in lecture theatres, biomechanics labs and running around a sports field! The experiences and time I spent at UCLan have all contributed to how I work and the friends I have. "
— Hannah Shore, BSc (Hons) Sport Science and MSc Sports Biomechanics graduate
Now, Hannah is Head of Sleep Science at Mattress Online. "To put it simply, I test beds. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean I get to nap all day! I work closely with many different brands to understand their products we sell online and ensure we are giving our customers the best information out there about what they are buying. I create links between the product and materials used in them and understand how this can help each person sleep better. There are many different products out there and it is my role to ensure everyone who shops with us gets the right product for them, it is a tricky category to shop but hopefully we can help our customers do that easier. Part of my role is to also keep up to date in the world of sleep research. Understanding how we sleep and the things that can affect our sleep allows us to provide advice on certain aspects of sleep." Hannah said.
Some of Hannah’s favourite memories from her time at the University revolve around the friendships she formed through hockey. "The friendships I made are still going strong today, we are spread up and down the country, from the top of Cumbria all the way to Cambridge and yet we are as close as ever and have University to thank for that.", she said.
Since graduating, Hannah's proud to have presented her research at three major sleep conferences: the European Sleep Research Society Conference in Basel, the World Sleep Congress in Vancouver, and the British Sleep Research Society Conference in Birmingham, where she was awarded the Green Ribbon Prize. She has also collaborated with major brands like Silentnight, Premier Inn, and QVC, helping raise awareness of the importance of sleep, something she’s glad to do everyday in her current role at Mattress Online.
Her advice to current and future students."Take every opportunity no matter how big or small, stepping out of your comfort zone (even if only a little bit) can lead you to the most unexpected places. I never expected to end up in this field of work but now work in a job I love and in an industry that I never even thought of exploring.", she said.
She also reflects on the impact the University's support had on her academic journey. "I had some of the best support from my lectures at UCLan. I ended up re-sitting my first year due to illness, most people would drop out but it was the support of all the lecturers in my first year, and throughout my course, that made me carry on with my studies. On top of this, it was only when I got to University that my learning difficulties were picked up/discovered, which I was again supported not just by the lecturing staff but also the support teams. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn't be where I am today."
