Keith Barry: "It’s great that people are talking about mental health, but there needs to be a certain level of accountability from people as well"

As the country’s foremost hypnotist and magician, Keith Barry is one of Ireland’s most talented entertainment exports, impressing the likes of Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman and thousands of others with his live performances and TV shows.

But in recent years, Keith has also emerged as a highly successful author. His 2021 debut, Brain Hacks: Everyday Mind Magic For Creating The Life You Want, was a brilliantly accessible self-help book, which offered practical techniques for rewiring your brain and changing your mindset for the better.

Now, Keith has released his latest tome, Sleep Hacks: Discover The Life-Changing Tranquillity Of Deep Sleep. As with the first Hacks, Keith’s new book offers useful techniques and straightforward programmes for those who aren’t getting the shut-eye they need in their lives.

But the book goes beyond being a helpful manual. It also offers insights into improving your mind, restoring your mental state, and why sleep is more important than many of us give it credit for.

“As a hypnotist, I’ve been professionally hypnotising thousands of people over the past 25 years, basically since I was 14,” says Keith. “But ultimately, the issue of sleep became important for me in 2007, when I was involved in a major car accident that left my left leg completely demolished. That experience really hindered my sleep. I was in a full leg cast for eight or nine weeks, and after that, there was still a tremendous amount of pain.

“So I developed techniques in the years after that accident to try to improve my sleep. And then, with regard to this new book, I figured that I needed to share these with people all over the world. I think, truth be told, a lot of people out there might sleep really well for certain periods of their lives. Then at a certain point they really struggle with their sleep, and that can make them feel helpless. So I wanted to write for people who might share in that experience.”

He goes deeper on the subject.

“I’ve noticed a lot of engagement on this issue with people that follow me,” Barry continues. “Since the pandemic, I’m getting dozens and dozens of emails through my website from people who are suddenly having serious problems sleeping. I think there’s a whole host of different reasons for that.

"Obviously, the modern-day lifestyle doesn’t help – we’re getting far too much light in our systems and that has kicked our circadian rhythms out of whack. There are plenty of other issues as well. So I just thought the time was right to share the knowledge and techniques that I’ve accumulated over the years.”

The techniques are compiled in the 200-plus pages of Sleep Hacks, where Keith invites readers to design their own system for improving their sleep, based on the ‘hacks’ he shares. The hacks range from practical and physical to psychological – from eating kiwis in order to naturally boost your melatonin before bed (practical) to some interesting psychological hacks.

“An example from the psychological section, aka the Conscious Mind, is the black balloon visualisation,” says Keith, “which is designed to alleviate anxiety and stress. We all have anxiety and stress points, and very often, when people go to bed, we start thinking about the day we’ve just had and about the future stresses tomorrow will bring. So the magic of the black balloon is, you visualise a black balloon attached to the top of your head. You find your anxiety and where it sits in your body, and release that up into the black balloon.

“It was important to have solid science behind all of my visualisations. In the black balloon example, just by the very action of visualising, you’re going to settle your limbic system down, as well as your parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system. You’re regulating all those in preparation for sleep.”

Keith also stresses that while most people know that improved sleep is better for your mental health, the conversation around sleep, personal accountability and mental health isn’t as prevalent as it should be.

“Our hormones are regulated by our sleep,” he explains. “Our rest and digestion are regulated by our sleep. Things like testosterone and cortisol levels are all affected by our sleep. We all know that poor sleep leads to poor actions and thought processes. So to me, sleep is essential for our mental health.

“It’s great that people are talking about mental health, but there needs to be a certain level of accountability from people as well. People need to understand themselves. For example, we all know we shouldn’t be on our phones before bedtime. But how many people actually do it? How many people are actually accountable? It’s probably less than 1%. So, therefore, you have to take a step back and go, why is that? And the answer is that everyone’s addicted. We’re addicted to our phones. We’re addicted to technology.”

Keith notes the importance of a focused approach.

“The first thing is to create the discipline and consistency necessary to ingrain good habits,” he says. “And that’s why at the start of Sleep Hacks, I didn’t just jump into the techniques. I put in a strategy where people can find their ‘subconscious why’. I wanted to have an answer to the question of: Why is it that you need more sleep? And if you just come up with the answer, ‘Oh, it’s because I’m tired, I’m a bit cranky’, then you’re not getting to the root of it.

“Yeah, that’s your ‘top level why’. But actually, to find your ‘subconscious why’ is a really interesting process. Because once you find that, and you’re driven by that, then everything else, including sleep, becomes much easier. So it’s about being accountable and working on understanding yourself.”

Indeed, even after years of showbiz and entertaining others, Keith says that being proactive when it comes to helping others (and helping people to help themselves) is still one of his top priorities.

“I want to be someone who’s actively helping people, actually just trying to make the world a slightly positive place,” he says. “And with this book, it’s about encouraging people to utilise their sleep, in order to help them reduce their anxiety and help their mental health.”

Sleep Hacks: Discover The Life-Changing Tranquillity Of Deep Sleep is out now.

Read our full Mental Health Special in the current issue of Hot Press: