When one writer’s Spotify Wrapped revealed that his top podcast was a sleep story, he went searching for the science behind our bedtime sounds, only to discover how and why we each fall asleep a little differently.
Beyond looking forward to discovering my Top Artist or Top Song, it’s my Top Podcast that I’m most curious about every Spotify Wrapped season. And because I stick to my usual listening patterns, I never really expected my results to deviate…until this year’s Wrapped came around. To my surprise, one of my top titles was a sleep podcast. Yes, at the ripe age of 25, I still need someone to tell me a story so I can fall asleep soundly. Tuning into sleep podcasts, white noise, or colored noise has become a nightly ritual, so much so that it managed to hijack my algorithm. Curious about the logic behind my Wrapped results, I fell down a rabbit hole exploring these bedtime habits, and what I found was actually really fascinating.
READ ALSO: Overstimulated Much? Here’s Why Your Mind Is Screaming
Why “Noise” Helps Us Sleep
There’s a science behind everything, and according to Oxford’s Sleep Research Society, our preference for playing sounds before sleeping is called Sonic Sleep Aids (SSA). It covers everything from podcasts to music to different kinds of noise. It works through something called “sonic self-control,” which is a fancy way of saying we use sound to shape our space and mood, helping our brains gradually shift from being awake to ready for sleep.
Surprisingly, the kind of SSA you choose actually matters: each one works a little differently when it comes to helping you relax and drift off. According to researcher Josh Dittrich, every medium can theoretically help with sleep, but they don’t all work with the same level of effectiveness.
Podcasts, White Noise, or Music? Which is Better?
According to Dittrich, sonic sleep aids work in three main ways: they distract your mind, relax your body, and block out unwanted noise.
Podcasts and spoken stories use what researchers call a “bore-friend” effect, where the narrator borrows your inner voice. The story is interesting enough to quiet your thoughts, but also dull enough to let you drift off; it’s especially comforting for people who hate sleeping in silence. That said, there’s still not much clinical proof that narrated stories truly improve sleep.
Music has the strongest track record. It lowers tension, calms the body, and makes people feel like they slept better, even if the numbers don’t always change much. What matters most isn’t tempo or genre, but whether the sound feels relaxing to you.
White and pink noise work differently. They act like a sound blanket, smoothing out sudden noises like doors slamming or cars passing. White noise is more like a steady hiss, while pink noise sounds deeper and mimics more natural noises like rain.
That said, colored noise isn’t as foolproof as it seems. Some studies suggest constant noise can mess with sleep cycles or even harm hearing if it’s too loud. In the end, music and stories help calm what’s happening inside your head, while noise mostly creates a shield that softens surrounding sounds.
Ultimately, the “science of sound” confirms what I suspected while looking at my Spotify Wrapped: we’re all just looking for a way to tune out the world so we can tune into ourselves. Whether you’re a white noise purist or a sleep story enthusiast like me, there’s no shame in the sleep game.
Banner photo by Aljona Ovtšinnikova via Pexels
