Mind Your Melon – Sleep Secrets

Today’s Mind Your Melon session, delivered by Tom from Healthy Minds, focused on something we all need but often take for granted—sleep.

Poor sleep affects our wellbeing, productivity and mental health, but the encouraging news is that healthy sleep is a skill that can be learned. We explored practical strategies including good sleep hygiene, mindfulness, abdominal breathing, scheduling “worry time” during the day, and recognising when it’s time to simply “ride the sleep wave” and let ourselves fall asleep. These approaches reflect the evidence-based focus of Healthy Minds’ Sleep Secrets program.

My biggest takeaway was the idea of radical acceptance. We all experience the occasional poor night’s sleep. Rather than becoming frustrated or worrying about tomorrow, accepting that not every night will be perfect can help break the cycle of anxiety that often keeps us awake.

Sometimes the most important shift isn’t changing our sleep—it’s changing how we think about it.

Thanks to Tom and to everyone who attended today’s session. Thank you to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for supporting the initiative.