Robert Irwin Encourages Young Men to Prioritize Self-Care and Sleep Habits

When I sat down with Robert Irwin this week, I expected to talk about bedding.

After all, the conservationist, television personality, Dancing With the Stars champ, and wildlife advocate has partnered with The Lad Collective for a new campaign encouraging young men to improve their sleep habits and take better care of themselves.

What I didn't expect was a conversation about optimism, conservation, childhood, and the importance of building routines that set you up for success.

At just 22 years old, Irwin has already built a career that spans wildlife conservation, television, photography, public speaking, and major brand partnerships. Yet throughout our conversation, he kept returning to a surprisingly simple theme: taking care of yourself matters.

And yes, that includes changing your sheets. (More than the average 4 times per year he says most single men are doing it ... yuck).

'You've Got to Take Care of Yourself'

Irwin laughed when I told him about my 16-year-old son, who recently seemed genuinely shocked and disgusted to learn why pillowcases and clean sheets are important (I hit him with the whole "an unwashed pillowcase holds more bacteria than a toilet seat" statistic).

As it turns out, he's heard similar stories before.

Growing up at Australia Zoo, Irwin spent most of his childhood outdoors.

"I was always the kid that was in the creek covered in mud or catching the crocodile or the snake or whatever it was," he told Men's Journal. "I was always dirty."

But despite spending his days wrestling crocodiles and roaming around the Australian wilderness, he developed a surprisingly disciplined approach to sleep and recovery.

"I've always been really into health and fitness," Irwin said. "Sleep is kind of the most important thing really with all of that."

He continued: "I change my sheets frequently. I have to have a good shower before I go to bed, a shower when I wake up. I'm very stringent with that."

When he learned that many young men don't follow those same habits, his response was simple.

"I've got to help them out."

Later in our conversation, he put it even more bluntly.

"You've got to take care of yourself as well. And you've got to change your bloody sheets."

Why Small Habits Matter

One thing that struck me throughout our conversation was how often Irwin connected small daily routines to larger life goals. For him, self-care isn't about perfection. It's about creating a foundation that allows you to show up for the things that matter. You can't pour from an empty cup, after all.

"My life these days is so hectic," he said. "When I'm home, having a routine and actually that self-care is something particularly a lot of guys that I know my age have no awareness of."

Irwin spends much of his year traveling, filming, speaking, and working on conservation projects around the world. In fact, he told me he was preparing to leave for London the next day to participate in Climate Action Week. That lifestyle has only reinforced his belief that healthy habits matter.

"You can attack the day so much better if you're actually taking care of yourself," he said.

Then came the quote that may best summarize his philosophy:

"How you do anything is how you do everything."

Making Conservation (And Everything Else) 'Fun'

While the conversation began with bedding, it inevitably found its way back to conservation.

For Irwin, every project ultimately connects to a larger mission.

"I want it to be fun," he said when discussing everything from wildlife documentaries to television appearances and brand partnerships. "If I can get to the end of this, having made the world have a little more fun, laugh a little more, and think a little more about the environment, I have done my job."

It's an approach that feels particularly refreshing at a time when so many conversations about the environment are dominated by fear and division.

Instead, Irwin repeatedly returned to optimism.

"We need optimism and we need voices that are leading with a sense of passion and positivity," he said.

The Advice Every Parent Should Hear

As a mom raising kids on a farm, one answer in particular resonated with me.

When I asked Irwin what the average person could do today to help wildlife and the environment, he didn't talk about politics or policy. Instead, he talked about children.

"Any parent or grandparent or uncle or aunt, anyone who has a kid in their life, to try and foster some sort of connection with the natural world, with the younger generation in your life, is the most important thing that we can do," he said.

He spoke about the power of simple experiences - a trip to a national park, time spent outdoors, even a child running barefoot through nature.

Sometimes, he said, that's all it takes to create a lifelong connection.

As someone whose youngest son would happily spend every day barefoot and covered in mud, I couldn't help but smile. Irwin laughed when I told him stories about farm life and kids who seem determined to stay dirty.

"A sign of a happy childhood for sure," he said.

A Simple Message

By the end of our conversation, it was clear that Irwin's message wasn't really about bedding at all.

It was about taking care of yourself, staying connected to what matters, and making room for a little more optimism in a world that often feels short on it.

And if that starts with clean sheets, well, Robert Irwin seems perfectly okay with that.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Health section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 3:30 AM.