(Sorry. No Etsomnia this week. Between preparing for Isaias and putting things back together after, we’ve been a bit distracted.)
I often struggle with falling asleep, and lately, I’ve also been having trouble staying asleep. I’ve tried all kinds of things. No sleeping pills or anything, but remedies like limiting my caffeine intake, melatonin, shutting off my screens before bed, classical music, meditation, the works. They all helped a bit, but I have finally, miraculously hit upon my magic bullet. Boring bedtime stories.
I’ve talked before about my longtime relationship with Audible.com. Their audio books have entertained, informed, and comforted me for nearly two decades. For about the last year, Audible has been releasing free original works to their members. Last month, I noticed that they were including short stories read in soothing voices to help their listeners fall asleep. It was free, so I figured why not?
It’s like a magic trick. No matter what parade of catastrophes are cycling through my head, no matter what potential terrors the next day holds, I pop on one of these stories (at a just-barely-audible level), and I’m down for the count. I have yet to listen to even one of them all the way through. And when I inevitably wake up during the night, I just hit play, and down I go again. My Fitbit sleep score has gone from an average of 62 to 80+ with no drugs or other sleep aids. Audible also offers meditations, soundscapes, and ASMR recordings, but the three initial stories I downloaded have been perfect for me. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
If you have an Audible subscription, the recordings are free to you. If you don’t, you can try the service free Iand get one free full-length audio book) for a month. The charge after the trial period is $14.95 per month. Not cheap, but for me, it’s well worth the cost. You can check out Audible’s Sleep Collection on their website. (And if you’re an Amazon Prime member, the free trial includes two full-length audio books in addition to all the complimentary Audible Originals.)
Share:
My OBT 
August 6, 2020 at 7:59 am
I think it is a sign of the times that most of us are having trouble with sound sleep. I usually just pray myself to sleep.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 6, 2020 at 7:36 pm
That sounds positive!
LikeLike
August 6, 2020 at 10:27 am
For the last three or four years I have been having sleep problems. Dollar General sells an over the counter sleep aid that works for me. Mainly my problem is I take problems to bed with me. I worry about way too much but that is just me. I have not ruled it out but so far I have not got into audiobooks. I enjoy reading them too much. I do have an Amazon reading account. Hal
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 6, 2020 at 7:37 pm
I do that, too. I also wake up in the morning in a full-blown panic about whatever is going on that day. So the more sleep I can get, the better.
LikeLike