What's the Story about Sleep Stories?

A Perfect Day… Until It Wasn’t

Did you ever have one of those days where everything is just peachy, and then you get one e-mail… or someone makes one insensitive comment… and the day just goes downhill? That was my day yesterday. I’d had a fantastic start—an energizing project meeting with two collaborators on an art/engineering gallery we’re creating. But then I came home to the most annoying of emails. One that cost way too much in terms of my mental energy and peace.

Gouache painting I made years ago, following a Let's Make Art Tutorial. I love the pink dreamy clouds!

As I have previously shared, art has become a huge part of how I care for my mental health—but let’s be honest, it can’t help with everything. As much as painting and creative work help me regulate stress, they don’t cure insomnia. Sometimes you need a different kind of tool.

Enter: Insomnia

Whenever I get that kind of irritating e-mail or comment, insomnia tends to follow. Last night was no exception. I tossed and turned for hours. I couldn’t get comfortable. I was hot. My dogs were a bit too cuddly. And my brain? A hamster wheel of thoughts going nowhere fast.

This kind of mental loop—what psychologists call perseverative thinking or rumination—can be seriously detrimental to sleep and overall well-being.

And wow, was I ruminating last night.

Watercolor gem moon painted years ago by me

Desperate times require calm solutions

A few years ago, during a Black Friday sale, I bought a lifetime subscription to the Calm app. (Not an ad—just sharing what’s worked for me!) I use it occasionally for their daily guided meditations. But I’ve never been a regular user of their “Sleep Stories.”

Last night, desperate, I tried a guided meditation. It did nothing. The quiet space just made more room for my racing thoughts. So, I thought, screw it—I’ll try one of those weird sleep stories.

Now, the psychology nerd in me finds these sleep stories fascinating. As soon as the story began, something shifted. I wasn’t obsessing over the irritating email anymore. I was still having repetitive thoughts—but now they were about sleep stories:

• Do these sleep stories actually work?

• Is there any research backing them for insomnia?

• Why are they so bizarre?

• Is there a science to the structure of these stories?

• Why is Matthew McConaughey’s voice so soothing?

• Does he think it’s weird that people fall asleep to his voice?

  
  

What Are Sleep Stories Anyway?

In case you’ve never heard one, here’s the rundown: Sleep stories are meandering, plot-light tales read in calming voices, designed to lull you to sleep. The stories often sound like they’ll be interesting—travel tales, dreamy narratives—but they go nowhere slowly. The narrators speak with an intentionally slow, rhythmic cadence that gradually decelerates as the story continues. If they were movies or novels, critics would probably describe them as “boring and circuitous.”

The one I picked lasted about 30 minutes. I didn’t make it to the end.

I finally fell sleep. Not a full night—just a few hours. Still, better than nothing. And it made me wonder: is there actual science behind these things?

Weird, Boring, and Effective?

Mandala drawn by me during my recent class at the Rivet

Turns out, yes—there is at least some research to support the use of sleep stories for insomnia. I looked into the research and found that sleep stories could be particularly beneficial for adults who struggle with rumination. Researchers believe this works through cognitive distraction—essentially, pulling your mind away from the spirals of stress just enough to allow the body to settle. Another review article (Harvey, 2005) supports this: trying to suppress racing thoughts doesn’t work, but distraction does. That made me feel better—like my curiosity-driven barrage of sleep story questions was actually part of the process.

I plan to try out some additional sleep stories soon, if I need them.  I had to laugh at some of the current sleep story titles on the Calm app, which include:

• In Search of Unicorns (I mean… unicorns! How fun.)

• The Yard Sale (read by Walton Goggins… not sure how soothing that would be for me after watching White Lotus).

• Step by Step to Sleep with the New Kids on the Block (…I have no words.)

• Painting with Bob Ross (Too interesting for an artist—I’d probably stay awake listening!)

  
  

So, bottom line? I’m intrigued. Not by their content, per se, but by how boring these stories are—and how effectively that might be exactly the point.

Have you tried sleep stories? Or do you have another suggestion for those racing thoughts? Let me know in the comments! 

Now it's time to wake up and make some sleepy art.