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The best podcasts for The best podcasts for falling asleep naturally
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Who am I?
I've hosted The Insomnia Project since 2015 — a sleep podcast built around calm conversation rather than meditation, being read to or white noise. After a decade of helping people fall asleep, these are the shows I genuinely recommend to listeners who ask what else they should try. Find the podcast that works for you... listen & sleep. I've been an insomniac most of my life. Before starting The Insomnia Project in 2015, I spent years lying awake at night with a racing mind, trying everything — white noise, meditation apps, sleep hygiene routines. Nothing stuck. What actually worked was having something calm to listen to. Not instructions. Not guided breathing. Just a voice talking about something low-stakes and unhurried. Listening to Martha Stewart was my catalyst... which lead me to create the show. Over ten years and 1.75 million downloads later, I've heard from thousands of listeners who found sleep the same way. These are the other shows I recommend when people ask what else works — each one takes a different approach, but all of them understand that the brain needs something gentle to hold onto, not silence.
My Show
What is my podcast about and/or how does it relate to the playlist topic you chose?
The Insomnia Project is a sleep podcast built around calm, meandering conversation — not meditation, not white noise, not bedtime stories. Just two hosts talking slowly about everyday life: road trips, favourite pens, waiting rooms, coffee. The topics are intentionally low-stakes and unresolved, giving the listener's brain something gentle to follow until sleep arrives naturally. We are both comedians, but we turn down the laughs for our unique and mundane perspectives It relates to this list because it represents a specific approach to sleep audio that many insomniacs find works when everything else has failed. For people who find silence too loud and guided meditation too structured, conversation is the middle ground. The Insomnia Project has been that middle ground since 2015. Furthermore many of our listeners use it to help with anxiety and to start the morning calmly.
What is my podcast playlist about?
This playlist is for people who have tried everything to fall asleep and are still lying awake at night. Not a meditation playlist. Not white noise. These are podcasts that give your brain something gentle and unhurried to follow — calm voices, quiet stories, slow conversation — so your mind stops spinning and sleep finds you naturally. Every show on this list takes a different approach, but they all share one quality: nothing happens fast, nothing demands your attention, and nothing will keep you awake.
1. Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep
Why this podcast?
Insomnia is brutal. For me it is the spiral of "I can't sleep, I better sleep or I won't function, why can't I sleep" — all this noise rattles in my head and as a consequence I don't sleep. So what helped? For me it was focusing on something dull, inconsequential, maybe even boring. Something that doesn't require me to finish listening. Ultimately it would shift the focus in my brain from the noise of not being able to sleep, to yawning at the mundaneness of it all. It helped me relax and the more I focused on the two having a simple conversation, the more I drifted off and ultimately fell asleep. That's why I made The Insomnia Project.
Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep
Marco Timpano | Host of The Insomnia Project Sleep Podcast
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A sleep podcast that actually works. The Insomnia Project helps you fall asleep, quiet racing thoughts, and ease nighttime anxiety — not with meditation or white noise, but with 26 minutes of warm, unhurried conversation about nothing in particular. Hosts Marco Timpano and Amanda Barker talk about everyday life — waiting rooms, road trips, coffee, radiators — giving your mind something gentle to drift off to. Running since 2015 with over 1.75 million downloads, The Insomnia Project is one of the longest-running sleep podcasts of its kind. No scripts. No experts. Just two people talking, so you can finally sleep. New episodes weekly. Listen & Sleep.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How many episodes does Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep have?
Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep currently has 594 episodes available.
What topics does Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep cover?
The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Sleep, Alternative Health, Mental Health and Podcasts.
What is the average episode length on Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep?
The average episode length on Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep is 29 minutes.
How often are episodes of Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep released?
Episodes of Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep are typically released every 6 days, 5 hours.
When was the first episode of Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep?
The first episode of Insomnia Project | Calm Conversations to Help You Sleep was released on Jan 25, 2016.
2. Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me
Why this podcast?
Sleep With Me is the godfather of boring podcasts for sleep. Host Scooter has been rambling his way through meandering, deliberately pointless stories for years — and it works for the same reason The Insomnia Project works. Your brain gets just enough to stop thinking about the fact that you can't sleep, and not enough to stay awake. If you've never heard it, start anywhere. That's kind of the point and I like it.
Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me
Silver Sleeper Productions LLC
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Doze off to the calming and unusual bedtime stories from Sleep With Me. This podcast is here to keep you company and relieve your insomnia by being your boring friend in the deep dark night.
For fans of Sleep With Me this new version of your favorite sleep podcast offers a “just the stories” version without any intros so you can get right into the bedtime story.
Get a good night's sleep with strange bedtime stories, an alternative to guided meditation or white noise. No introductions or music, just soothing tales to cure insomnia and end sleepless nights.
Sleep Well,
Drew/Scooter
Sleep With Me exists because of direct listener action via
www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/plus -the ultimate way to listen to the show, sign up for a 7 day free trial
www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/sponsors -to support a sponsor and get on the supporter zone
www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/refer -get rewards, like Sleep With Me+ access, for spreading the work about the show
www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/newsletter to stay up to date and get cool behind the scenes content
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How many episodes does Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me have?
Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me currently has 492 episodes available.
What topics does Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me cover?
The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Mental Health and Podcasts.
What is the average episode length on Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me?
The average episode length on Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me is 52 minutes.
How often are episodes of Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me released?
Episodes of Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me are typically released every 2 days, 1 hour.
When was the first episode of Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me?
The first episode of Bedtime Stories to Bore You Asleep from Sleep With Me was released on Aug 31, 2015.
3. Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep
Why this podcast?
Nothing Much Happens is exactly what it sounds like. Host Kathryn Nicolai tells quiet, gentle stories about ordinary moments — a walk through a farmers market, a cozy evening at home, the smell of a bakery. The stories are designed to give your anxious brain a soft place to land. Sometimes you just need a quiet and gentle story.
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Can’t sleep? You’re not alone—and there’s help. Nothing Much Happens is a bedtime story podcast beloved by millions. Yoga and meditation teacher Kathryn Nicolai tells soothing, cozy stories where—just as the title says—nothing much happens. That’s the magic. Instead of spiraling thoughts or anxious scrolling, you’ll be gently guided to a calm, comfortable place. Each episode is read twice, with a slower second telling to ease you into rest. Trusted by listeners for over seven years and streamed more than 180 million times, it’s a ritual of safety, comfort, and sleep. Subscribe to our Premium channel. The first month is on us. 💙 Find our bestselling book Nothing Much Happens in over 20 languages worldwide.
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How many episodes does Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep have?
Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep currently has 518 episodes available.
What topics does Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep cover?
The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Fiction and Podcasts.
What is the average episode length on Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep?
The average episode length on Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep is 35 minutes.
How often are episodes of Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep released?
Episodes of Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep are typically released every 4 days.
When was the first episode of Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep?
The first episode of Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep was released on Apr 28, 2018.
4. On a Dark, Cold Night
Why this podcast?
On a Cold Dark Night is a hidden gem in the sleep podcast world. Atmospheric, intimate and unhurried — it has a quality that feels like someone reading to you by lamplight. If you want something with a little more narrative texture than pure conversation but still deeply calming, this is the one. An indie show that deserves far more listeners than it has. Full disclosure — I know Kristen Zaza, the host, and she's really quite amazing. I often listen to this on the plane. It relaxes me in a way that feels almost impossible given the environment. If there were more than 5 stars I would give it here.
On a Dark, Cold Night
The Sonar Network
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On a Dark, Cold Night is the ideal podcast for horror-lovers with insomnia; a sinister friend to tell you bedtime/ghost stories. The podcast involves Your Narrator telling you a spine-chilling yet soothing ghost story every week. Launched in January, 2018, the show is written, performed and produced by Kristen Zaza
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How many episodes does On a Dark, Cold Night have?
On a Dark, Cold Night currently has 582 episodes available.
What topics does On a Dark, Cold Night cover?
The podcast is about Fiction, Drama, Podcasts, Arts and Performing Arts.
What is the average episode length on On a Dark, Cold Night?
The average episode length on On a Dark, Cold Night is 31 minutes.
How often are episodes of On a Dark, Cold Night released?
Episodes of On a Dark, Cold Night are typically released every 5 days, 7 hours.
When was the first episode of On a Dark, Cold Night?
The first episode of On a Dark, Cold Night was released on Jan 12, 2018.
5. Rilassati con Chiara ASMR
Why this podcast?
I'm Italian, so this one is personal. ASMR doesn't work for me — it does the opposite for some reason. I find it agitating rather than relaxing. But inexplicably, if I listen to ASMR in another language, something shifts. I don't fully understand why, but I'm not questioning it. Rilassati con Chiara is an Italian ASMR sleep podcast — soft whispers, gentle sounds, and the natural musicality of the Italian language. Even if you don't speak a word of Italian, it doesn't matter. The rhythm and softness of the language is deeply relaxing in a way that transcends meaning. Sometimes not understanding every word is exactly what your brain needs. Chiara's voice is like being tucked in by a very calm, very patient Italian grandmother. I would love to meet her the next time I'm in Italy. Buona notte.
Rilassati con Chiara ASMR
Chiara ASMR
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Rilassati con Chiara ASMR è un podcast che ti permette di prenderti un momento di pausa nel caos della vita di tutti i giorni. Indossa le cuffie, mettiti in una posizione comoda e lasciati trasportare da un tono di voce pacato e suoni piacevoli. I contenuti ASMR possono essere d'aiuto per addormentarsi, ma anche per concentrarsi. Buon ascolto! Questo podcast fa parte dell'universo di VOIS. Per scoprire di più, segui @vois.fm su Instagram o visita il sito https://vois.fm/ — 📩 Per Collaborazioni o Sponsorship: sales@vois.fm
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How many episodes does Rilassati con Chiara ASMR have?
Rilassati con Chiara ASMR currently has 133 episodes available.
What topics does Rilassati con Chiara ASMR cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Self-Improvement and Education.
What is the average episode length on Rilassati con Chiara ASMR?
The average episode length on Rilassati con Chiara ASMR is 30 minutes.
How often are episodes of Rilassati con Chiara ASMR released?
Episodes of Rilassati con Chiara ASMR are typically released every 6 days, 23 hours.
When was the first episode of Rilassati con Chiara ASMR?
The first episode of Rilassati con Chiara ASMR was released on Apr 30, 2023.
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