I still don’t know how the “Enchanted Moonlight Library” sleep broadcast episode ends. I think that’s the point. The Sleep Podcast is exactly what it sounds like: a podcast aimed at helping you sleep. Or maybe I heard “The End” and never knew it; Head spacea mental health app that includes audio content, Mixes up bedtime stories a bit. At night, restless sleepers like me can’t keep track of time by memorizing narration. (Subtle, but effective, I can confirm that.)
I started Headspace’s 18-session “Find Your Best Sleep” course in April, looking for strategies to calm my anxiety-prone brain and fall asleep more quickly. The lessons, which include brief videos and guided meditations, are divided across three modules: Understanding Your Sleep; Try something new; Practice, practice, practice.
For about 10 minutes every night for about three weeks, I embraced all the material the program had to offer—even the optional bonus videos that didn’t pertain to me, including those on sleeping comfortably during pregnancy and navigating shifts at work. This extra perspective helped me sort through my sleep habits and what I hoped to improve.
Although not part of the course, it is included in the 45-minute sleep recordings with membership, along with other bedtime tools such as:
- Night SOS: I have used this feature several times when I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep. The “Racing Mind SOS” guided exercise track came in handy.
- Sleep music and radio: “Cave Winds” and “Rain Radio” are particularly comforting songs.
- Soundscapes: “Indoor Fireplace” and “Cabin Downpour” are among my favorite songs that provide relaxing background noise.
- White noise and sleep sounds: The exact frequency of Green noise Works every time.
- Wind down: “Deep Rest” is the right track for me after a stressful day.
Headspace costs $12.99 per month with a one-week free trial, or $5.83 per month charged as $69.99 per year with a two-week free trial. Post-secondary students You can join for 83 cents per month, which is $9.99 per year.
By design, not all of the tools in Find Your Best Sleep worked for me. Worry Time, for example, the practice of zoning out your worries for a designated block of time each day, made me more anxious. The goal of the course was to discover the best sleep hygiene for me, and that’s what happened. Here are five of my favorite sleep strategies I’ve learned from Headspace.
Maintain your sleep
The program encouraged me to put into practice something I’ve known to be true for a long time: When I sleep better, life gets better.
Adults between the ages of 18 and 60 need at least seven hours of sleep each night, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you get less than an eight, getting through the next day is like wading through mud. With proper rest, I am a better daughter, sister, friend, and employee. Not only am I more productive at home and work, I’m also kinder and happier.
But why has this crucial component of wellness become so difficult to achieve? The course urged me not to prioritize sleep, but to protect it—to respect and protect it, and to organize the rest of my life around it rather than the other way around.
Sleep is a small sacrifice when there seem to be not enough hours in the day to accomplish what needs to be done. Sometimes, I still have to force myself to put off any task that I feel can’t wait in order to put sleep first. As if by magic, a deep night’s sleep gives me extra time the next day in the form of increased energy and efficiency.
The sleeping space is sacred – including the bed.
I knew that a quiet bedroom environment was essential for restful sleep. Get some sleep in Cool, dark, quiet and comfortable. The CDC says the place is ideal. TVs in the bedroom are not desirable, and screen time should be cut off at least 30 minutes before bedtime, especially when it comes to blue light.
However, Headspace stresses that the bed itself should be off-limits to anything other than sleep. That means no eating, working, or browsing the news in bed. That way, your brain associates the bed with sleep—not meals, emails, or social media.
We’ve all been there, but your bed also shouldn’t be a place where you toss and turn in mental agony, thinking about yesterday’s mistakes and tomorrow’s to-do list. If trying to sleep makes your thoughts race and you’re still awake after 20 minutes or so, finding your best sleep suggests getting out of bed and doing a relaxing activity in another room until you feel sleepy.
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A good night’s sleep starts in the morning.
Taking time each night to prepare for the next morning came naturally to me; Arranging my gym clothes and packing lunch makes the start of the day less hectic. But before Headspace, I didn’t think about how to prepare for a good night’s sleep.
Because your wake-up time keeps your circadian rhythm, or body clock, in check, Wake up at a fixed time Every morning – yes, including weekends – prepares you for bed at your preferred bedtime. Exposure to sunlight In the morning helps too.
I’m not a fan of drinking coffee in the afternoon, but intentionally limiting my café to before noon helps me unwind in the early evening. I also eat dinner earlier to allow more time to digest before bed. I have become more diligent about making my bed in the morning, making it a bit of a ritual to make the bed in the evening. I’ve even started laying out my pajamas in the morning and am looking to find other ways to make my nights easier during the day.
settle down with the story
Thank you, Mom, for always reading to me until I fall asleep; you’ve kept the safety blanket of storytelling close by. However, when I read on my Kindle or iPad in bed, even in dark or warm light mode, I’m still staring at a screen with distractions just a tap away. Reading a physical book means the bedside lamp stays on, and when I listen to an audiobook in the dark, I find myself straining my ears to stay awake and listening.
This is where Headspace’s sleep podcasts come in handy. I still enjoy reading in the evening, but once I fall asleep, it’s time to read a sleepy story, one that’s interesting enough to take my mind off things, but unimportant enough that I don’t mind falling asleep in the middle of it. And my favorite part is that each sleep podcast begins with a relaxation meditation to calm the body before drawing the mind into the story.
work hard sleep hard
I’m not saying you have to overwork yourself to deserve a good night’s sleep, although I do sleep better the night after a workout. Instead, Headspace has taught me to work hard at getting good sleep. Sleep is both a vital bodily function and a fragile goal to achieve.
It doesn’t take much effort to throw my sleep routine off track, and I’d be lying if I said I’ve been successful at incorporating the tricks I’ve learned into my sleep hygiene routines over the past few months. However, the nights I’ve managed to do so have been followed by brighter days. Which reminds me that it’s time to pick out my pajamas tonight.
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