Great Minds: Hamish and Kyle - On getting a good night's sleep

In this web series, psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald and Nutters Club co-host Hamish Williams look at mental health and how to navigate some of the more challenging parts of modern life. Today they talk about sleep.

When it comes to maintaining good mental health it's easy to overthink it. Sometimes the topic can seem so overwhelming that it's hard to know where to begin. The mind can be a complicated place even at the best of times but the good news is that the simple things are still the best ways to keep our mind healthy.

Sleep is one of those key components of mental health. Over the years I've interviewed clinical experts who've dedicated their life to understanding sleep better - and even a guy who's set up an online radio station dedicated to playing music that will send you to sleep.

What they know - and you should too - is that regular sleep patterns do truly marvellous things for our mental state and no one really knows why.

"Sleep is slightly mysterious," explains psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald. "What we do know is that if we deprive ourselves of sleep, anxiety increases, mood change occurs and we cognitively don't perform in our day-to-day life as well. We literally become a bit dumber."

You shouldn't worry if you're reading this after a late night by the way. This kind of outcome only occurs if a lack of sleep persists over a period of time. It's when it falls into a pattern of disrupted sleep that you should start to reassess.

Kyle MacDonald and Hamish Williams talk about how to get some Zs.

The cause is important to understand as well. Sometimes, when getting ready to sleep, it might be the first time during the day that you've actually stopped being active and it's just you and your thoughts. Taking that time to process the day's events is something we all need. But how you go about that is up to you. A cup of non-caffeinated tea and something decent to read does it for me.

"When it comes to sleep, a lot of it is habit, constructing our day in a way that ensures the best possible way for us to get off to sleep," says MacDonald. "Winding ourselves down rather than winding ourselves up will give the best outcome."

Important actions you can take to help with that include avoiding having devices in front of your face before you try to sleep. The light from our screens plays havoc with our mind. Avoiding caffeine in the evening hours is another way to keep stimulation low.

Like any habit, it takes time and repetition to achieve the pattern of behaviour you want. If you're focused on the task of improving your mental health, then the outcomes from literally sleeping on the job are worth your effort. Sleep tight.