Podcasts are on the rise and one popular form is the podcast for sleep. Perfect for anyone having trouble falling and staying asleep, a podcast for sleep could be the life changer you’ve been looking for.
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This post has been updated in October 2021.
The Popularity of Podcasts
Podcasts are becoming one of the most popular forms of entertainment media. People love them. They are easy to listen to, usually free of cost, and cover pretty much any topic you could want. You can listen on the road, in the house, at the beach, or most anywhere, anytime you can think of. Podcasts are also easy to listen to with a quick download and a charged device. Because podcasts are essentially on-demand talk entertainment, they are there for you whenever you need them. If you can think of a topic – it’s there. Some of the most popular genres and topics are true crime, business, comedy, and health. This article shares more about the various genres and offers some great listening options.
News Generation shares some interesting facts about who is listening to podcasts. Whereas many podcasters believe that young and millennial singles are the majority of their listeners, that’s not always the case. The audience continues to grow and branch out, but take a look at these numbers from less than a year ago from Nielsen Audio Today 2019 Report.
- The average age of a typical podcast listener is around 39 years old.
- The average podcast listener most often lives in a household with an average of three other people.
- Typical podcast listeners earn an average yearly income close to $96,000.
- Men make up about 53% of podcast listeners while women make up the other 47%. Of course, depending on the show, these numbers will differ greatly.
- Podcast listeners are mostly white (about 67%) with Latinos coming in second at about 15%.
- The most podcast friendly cities at the time of this study were Washington, DC, Seattle, and Salt Lake City in that order.
Podcast listenership continues to grow and podcasts aren’t just for car rides anymore. As mentioned, you can listen to podcasts virtually anywhere or anytime you want, and one popular time to listen to podcasts is when you’re falling asleep. More and more people are discovering the sleep genre of podcasts to help them turn off the day and enter the land of sleep. Our country is overly sleep deprived and this is a real issue. One solution to combat this deprivation, however, is a podcast for sleep.
The Sleep Deficit
Before we delve into how beneficial a podcast for sleep can be, let’s look at our country’s rampant sleep deprivation and the problems coming from it. According to SleepAdvisor.org, 35% of adults don’t get the recommended seven hours of sleep per night and 20% of teenagers get less than 5 hours of sleep, while the average amount is 6.5 hours for teens. Some other troubling statistics are:
- 40% of people age 40 to 59 reported that they are getting less than recommended amounts of sleep
- In 1942, Americans had 7.9 hours on average hours per night compared to 6.8 hours in 2013, which is a 13% decrease
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 15.3%of United States women and 10.1% of United States men regularly feel very tired or exhausted
- Sleep deprivation is a real issue in the United States causing numerous health and financial problems
Problems Caused by Sleep Deficiencies
The sleep deficit causes real problems, and these manifest financially, professionally, psychologically, and physically. With the high numbers of Americans not getting enough sleep, you wonder how it’s affecting well being and quality of life.
Healthline shares some real problems caused by lack of sleep, and while some of these are remedied by just one good night’s sleep, some have the potential to manifest into lifelong health issues.
- Memory issues. Lack of sleep can cause both short term and long term memory and cognitive issues.
- Weakened immunity. You are more likely to catch colds and other viruses when your immunity is low.
- High blood pressure, weight gain, risk for heart disease, low sex drive, and risk for diabetes are all linked to lack of sleep.
This isn’t to mention the cranky, out of sorts feeling you get when you are suffering from lack of sleep. The chance of accidents goes up with a lack of sleep, too. This can mean accidents at work, like mishandling technology or heavy equipment, accidents at home, like dropping things or falling, and even car accidents.
According to Medical News Today, about 72,000 crashes and 44,000 injuries each year are a result of drowsy driving. Drowsy drivers also cause an estimated 6,000 fatal crashes a year. This is due to lack of sleep.
What is a Podcast for Sleep?
Because so many Americans have trouble falling asleep, this can affect their whole night of sleep. This, in turn, causes that sleep deficit. Believe it or not, however, a podcast for sleep can be the remedy for this.
Americans are notorious for being busy and worrying. These two things keep people from getting a good, solid night’s sleep. When you’re going non-stop up until the time you get in bed, it’s hard to turn your brain off and sleep. People have jobs, families, pets to take care of, homework to do, activities, bills to pay, side hustles, chores…the list goes on. Many people get into bed and the worries come. The mind keeps going even though the body is exhausted. In that moment of quiet, it is difficult to close up your mind and rest. This is where a podcast for sleep can be a game changer.
Sleep is essential for a healthy life. With all the above mentioned risks a lack of sleep can cause, we need our sleep. It’s also the time for the body to rejuvenate, both physically and psychologically. Perhaps a podcast for sleep can help you right along to the land of nod.
Think of your grandpa telling you a bedtime story when you were a kid. Or maybe the waves crashing at night on vacation and how easily you could fall asleep. A podcast for sleep does just the same thing. No medication, no supplements, no alcohol, just natural sound to distract you from your busy day and busy mind.
A podcast for sleep is an all-natural, inexpensive way to fall asleep and stay asleep. Some podcasts have storytellers with soothing voices narrating pretty uneventful stories that you don’t have to pay attention to. Others have white noise or lovely spa-like crashing waves or rain falling. Some podcasts for sleep offer meditations to induce sleep and take the focus off the busy day. You can even listen to ASMR podcasts with every letter and breath enunciated to fall asleep to if that’s your thing.
How Does a Podcast for Sleep Help You Fall Asleep?
Some people like to read before sleep, others like to watch TV. However, both of these methods can be stimulating instead of sleep-inducing. You know how it is when you can’t put your book down or you want just one more episode of Chopped. But with a podcast for sleep, it’s supposed to relax you; should we even say, bore you to sleep?
A podcast for sleep can help you turn your mind off, relax your body, and fall asleep. Remember how your mom would tell you to relax to fall asleep, maybe count backward from 100? Well, a podcast for sleep does that for you. With the soothing tones, relaxing voices, and stories filled with beautiful descriptions but lacking action, your mind is taken on a relaxing journey to sleep. And the more relaxed you are when you fall asleep, the better your chances of staying asleep.
The key to falling asleep is letting your worries go, at least until tomorrow, and winding your mind down. These podcasts for sleep can do just that.
Some of the Best Podcasts for Sleep
This piece would be remiss if it didn’t include some great podcasts for sleep. Just like the podcast genre itself, you can find a wide variety of podcasts for sleep. Whether you like stories, narrations, ASMR, rainstorms, guided meditations, it’s all there for you. You can listen to just one or line up a whole queue of podcasts so if you do wake up, a podcast will be there to guide you back to sleep. Here are some great podcasts for sleep to try out:
Stories from the Borders of Sleep – This podcast featuring original stories, fantastic fables and curious tales has short episodes suitable for both adults and children. Set up your queue and let the stories begin as you fade into a glorious sleep.
Sleep with Me – Also known as the podcast that puts you to sleep, this podcast features a host who has suffered from insomnia himself. He narrates stories to be there for you in the dark, and with his soothing voice, helps you beat your insomnia and get a good night’s sleep.
Guided Sleep Meditations – These 20 minute episodes offer guided relaxations and meditations to help you lose yourself and find your sleep. Sometimes it’s easier said than done to relax and meditate; this podcast is your guide to help you do just that.
Deep Energy – With spa-like, new age music, ambient noise, and gentle sounds, these podcast episodes will lull you right to sleep.
Sleep Whispers – Whispered readings and ramblings will take you to the land of nod just like a baby. It doesn’t matter what they’re whispering, be it a story, a recipe, or nonsense, the fact is that the narrators whisper. And that can be very soothing.
Feeling Sleepy Yet?
If you’ve tried it all but are still fighting to keep your head up during the day but fall asleep at night, try a podcast for sleep at night. Not only can a podcast lull you to sleep, but maybe you’ll even stay asleep, waking up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. Sleep deprivation has too many drawbacks, but not everyone wants medication to help them sleep. Give a podcast for sleep a try, find what works for you – whether it’s a soothing, droning voice, a whispered story, or seagulls flying over a gentle ocean – and say good night.
Sweet dreams…
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