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10 Podcasts for Sleep That Will Have You Out Like a Light

Woman in Bed Listening to podcasts for sleep
Woman in Bed Listening to podcasts for sleep

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Honestly, sleep should come way more easily and naturally given how important it is. But, alas, very few people get the seven to nine hours they require every night, and that's often due to their inability to fall asleep in the first place. Racing thoughts, general anxiety, and overwhelming stress can keep us tossing and turning for hours.

But have you ever tried listening to a podcast for sleep? It's true that most experts recommend keeping your phone and other devices far from where you dream; but listening to relaxing podcasts for sleep might be one exception to try if you're really struggling to fall sleep. Whether you're looking for peaceful meditations, ambient noise, or mellow bedtime stories (yes, they have those for adults), here's a running list of soothing podcasts created specifically to calm you down, bore you senseless, and lose you mid-episode as you drift off to sleep.

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Sleep With Me

Host and creator of the podcast Sleep With Me, Drew Ackerman, is far from offended if listeners doze off during it—in fact, he's flattered. Each hour-long (ish) episode feeds you an imaginative, yet calming bedtime story worthy of (eventually) snoring along to. Whether you come to Sleep With Me with racing thoughts, anxiety, or insomnia, you can expect to catch Z's before the episodes end.

Game of Drones

Game of Drones is another podcast from the mind behind Sleep With Me, meant to be "part bedtime story and part high school class you can't stay awake for," according to its Apple Podcast description. Sleep-deprived fans of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series will drift off to dreamland in no time—but you may just fall asleep even more quickly if you're not a GoT fan.

Get Sleepy

In 30- to 40-minute episodes, Get Sleepy guides listeners through relaxing sleep meditations, like mindful body scans and breathing techniques, followed by soothing stories and audio experiences to quiet minds and bring on the shut-eye.

Sleepy

Fans of Sleepy's narrator, Otis Gray, love him for his silky timbre—ideal for telling sedative tales, from Moby Dick to "Mother Goose." Prepare to get pleasantly drowsy every night to the honeyed tone of Gray's voice.

Boring Books for Bedtime

Say no more. Fall asleep to the purposely boring Boring Books for Bedtime in which soft-spoken narrators bore you to sleep with everything that ever made your eyes droop in school. When weekly episode options range from The Federalist Papers to the 1897 Sears Roebuck and Co. Catalog of agricultural tools, you're guaranteed to tune out almost immediately.

Nothing Much Happens: Bedtime Stories For Adults

Sometimes it's hard to let yourself fall asleep to a podcast knowing you might miss the end of a story. Instead, try Nothing Much Happens, in which, you guessed it, nothing much happens. At least nothing you'd be remiss dozing off to—making it an ideal podcast for sleep. Yoga and meditation teacher Kathryn Nicolai will bring your frenzied mind to a quiet, tranquil place before bed by reading her own purposely plotless stories twice through, slowing down the pace for round two (we're getting sleepy just thinking about it).

Tracks to Relax

Tracks to Relax offers somnolent guided sleep meditations to encourage true pre-sleep serenity, from peaceful visualizations to empowering mantras.

Sleep Whispers

Wind down with Sleep Whispers, a fan favorite story-time-meets-ASMR podcast designed to help adults get the forty winks they need. Follow along—until you can't—to the dulcet, whispered chatter of this sleep podcast, in the form of lilting poetry, calming meditations, fascinating stories, and even intriguing Wikipedia topics.

RELATED: 9 Short, Calming Breathing Exercises for Anxiety Relief

Deep Energy Podcast

For those who need a podcast for sleep without the distraction of human voices, Deep Energy is a great choice. It channels soothing ambient noise and new age music to move you into a state of deep relaxation.

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Miette's Bedtime Story Podcast

While new episodes of Miette's Bedtime Story podcast are no longer coming out, there's still a massive archive of soporific stories to listen to, available on its website. The pod invites you to "curl up and fall asleep to the world's greatest short stories," narrated by an anonymous and melodious female voice.

RELATED: These Healthy Habits Can Actually Help You Sleep Better