It's hard to comprehend that a necessary activity that we do so often can be so difficult for so many! Whether it's daily, weekly or from time to time, most of us seem to struggle with sleep in some way. For me personally, it's usually struggling to get to sleep but I've found my hero... my confidant... and I'm not sure where I'd be without it!
The simple app that comes with most iPhones now can so easily be missed but is a great invention and arguably one of the best apps out there. With so many podcasts, there's bound to be something for everyone.
Being able to listen to a voice or couple of voices can be incredibly soothing as you fall asleep plus, it allows you to concentrate on what's being said rather than your mind wandering off this way and that, bringing up old memories that prevent you from getting to sleep. Whether it's a podcast dedicated to sleep and mindfulness or it's an interview with your favourite celebrity, all help to achieve the same thing and provide entertainment as you drift off to sleep without distracting too much form your goal. Of course, this may not be the case for everyone but it may just surprise you if you've never tried it before.
It took me a while to find this (maybe that's just me) but if you scroll down slightly on a podcast episode, you'll also come across perhaps the best feature of all... the sleep timer! After the relevant time, the episode will stop playing and all being well, you'll be fast asleep so won't wake in the middle of the night to an episode still rolling on. It's also ideal for coming back to as you can easily see where it ended or scroll back if you fall asleep a lot sooner and want to go from there the following night.
I've also found it useful to continue the podcast if I happen to wake a bit later and can't get back to sleep again. Doing the same thing allows my mind to stop wandering and my mind to drift back off to the land of Nod.
I'd be interested to know how you feel about audiobooks as well... for me, I find it great to read (the usual not audio) before switching my light off and my podcast on but prefer to listen to a podcast than a story that I need to properly follow and go on from at a later date, as chances of me remembering what happened are pretty slim! As a child, when I couldn't sleep I'd listen to Horrible Histories and Angelina Ballerina short stories so I suppose these were early signs of audio helping me to sleep but they also almost bridged the gap between books and podcasts. Maybe audiobooks are right for some people and you never know until you try but finding the right audio content for you could be key to helping you sleep.
My recommendations:
This Might Get Weird with Mamrie Hart and Grace Helbig- This is such an engaging podcast, detailing stories and events from their week. The only real downside is sometimes it makes me laugh out loud which isn't ideal when trying to sleep although as it tends to be my go-to podcast, it can't be too disruptive!
Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig- Can you see a theme? Clearly, I enjoy listening to Grace and find her amusing to both watch and listen to, this being no exception. I'm particularly fond of the episodes with Mitchell Davis and Jack Ferry but whoever she's interviewing, whether I know them or not, I tend to enjoy it (although I typically choose the episodes with names I recognise).
Jenna & Julien Podcast- The pair are hilarious and their podcast is no different. The amusement is great as the last thing you hear as you drift off although again, the downside is the risk of laughing out loud which is somewhat of a sleep distraction. Most of the time, I'm able to listen and appreciate the humour without it disrupting but it's something to bear in mind if you'd find it too distracting for you.
Curious with Josh Peck- I've recently discovered and got into this one and although I don't go to it first, it's a great podcast choice and up there with my most listened to. I find it still contains plenty of humour but doesn't tend to make me laugh out loud as much (unlike his videos). They cover some really wide topics and guests which makes it a great experience.
Tracks to Relax- To be honest, I don't find this works for me but I wanted to include it as a recommendation as I can see why it would benefit others. I like to listen to something amusing as I fall to sleep whereas this uses meditation and alike to aid sleep or relaxation, so if you find these techniques useful for relaxing, they'd probably be a great benefit to your sleep routine. They vary in length which can also be a plus although I personally find some of them too short to last my falling asleep process. Perhaps I will try and use them purely to relax rather than fall asleep and see how I get on there.
Shane and Friends- I believe this is no longer being made but it's another amusing and enjoyable podcast to sink your teeth into if you scroll back to previous episodes. I'll still go back and listen to some I missed now or even ones I want to hear again! This probably contains the most risque language/topics so that's something to bear in mind although this could vary depending on the episode you choose.
I'm sure there are so many more brilliant podcasts, I've recently started listening to a few others but not listened enough to comment on them yet. I'm always keen to discover more though so if you have any recommendations, please let me know! I'd also be interested to know if you have any other sleep aid recommendations as again, I'm happy to give them a try! I hope you enjoyed this post and perhaps found it useful. if you want to see more from me, you can follow my social media links in the top-right-hand corner to see extra content. Thank you for reading this post! I'll be back again at 6pm next Thursday.
Love, Steph x
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