Falling asleep to podcasts
Narrative audio at lights out in place of a book or the television
A story-driven show at bedtime, screen off, eyes shut. Part of the case is light and part is posture: nothing to look at, nothing to hold, attention drifting instead of tracking a page. Reported series and fiction beat anything you would want to take notes on. The failure mode is one more episode.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Adam GrantDoes it
Organizational psychologist · Think Again
Narrative podcasts took over from reading and television at bedtime. He says he processes the material more deeply than reading it, falls asleep faster without a screen, and finds that shows he actually wants to learn from are the wrong pick.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #399 transcript“And then my last favorite routine, which is definitely on the new side, is actually to go to sleep listening to podcasts. For years I would read or watch TV going to sleep. But it’s so much more relaxing to not look at a screen.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #399 transcript (opens in a new tab) · 20 Dec 2019
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under sleep.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Cutting out alcohol
Drinking nothing, or close to it: the most common upgrade in these stacks
On record from 13 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 2 recommend it, 6 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Dim the lights at night
Low, warm, low-placed light for the last few hours of the day
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 4 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Phone out of the bedroom
Charge it in another room and buy an actual alarm clock
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Afternoon caffeine cutoff
A cutoff in early afternoon; caffeine's half-life runs longer than most expect
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 2 recommend it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Warm bath or shower before bed
Warm water an hour or two before sleep drops core temperature after
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Hot water with lemon
A mug of hot water with a slice of lemon, to start the day or wind it down
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.