Guide to Sleep Sounds and ASMR from David Lloyd

For some people, falling asleep is simply a matter of getting into bed and closing their eyes. For others, it can be a long and frustrating process. Luckily, if you fall into the latter camp, there are sleep techniques that can help you drift off. These include audio options – or, as they’re known, sleep sounds.

Falling asleep to audio is nothing new. After all, if your parents used to read you bedtime stories, you’ve already experienced the power of sounds to help you sleep. What’s changed over the last few years is the range of different sleep sounds available.

Some of these audio options involve playing with different frequencies, such as white and pink noise. Others draw on meditation techniques to help you relax into sleep.

Sleep sounds are particularly good options if outside noises keep you awake at night – traffic, foxes at play or a snoring partner can all make it difficult to drift off. But even if your bedroom is near-silent, you may still find that some soothing audio can help ease you into sleep.

Perhaps surprisingly, there hasn’t been a huge amount of clinical research into sleep sounds, so it’s hard to say whether one type is more effective than another. Your best bet is to try different audio styles to find out which works for you, helping you to get enough sleep and rest.

With that in mind, we’ve rounded up the main types of sleep sounds. If it’s possible the audio will disturb any other members of your household, consider investing in a pair of sleep headphones – these are softer than normal headphones, often designed as a headband, so they shouldn’t be uncomfortable if you fall asleep wearing them.

1) Bedtime Stories for Adults

As we’ve mentioned, bedtime stories are the original sleep sounds, and there’s no reason you can’t continue this soothing habit in adulthood if it suits you.

One potential problem is that you’ll become engrossed in an audiobook or podcast, and therefore find it harder to fall asleep. That’s why it’s worth investigating stories that have been specifically written to promote sleep. These are often pretty mundane – describing an uneventful trip to the seaside, for example, or a cosy afternoon in a cottage, and they usually contain sleep-triggering words. In short, sleep stories are the written equivalent of a lullaby, created to calm rather than excite your mind.

2) Sleep Meditations

A good guided meditation will relax mind and body. Expect breathing techniques, body scanning, counting and visualisation.

As you lie in bed, let the words wash over you and feel yourself slowly unwind.

3) Guided Relaxation Before Bed

If, for whatever reason, you’re not sold on the idea of having audio in your bedroom, you can still use the power of sound to help you sleep. You’ll find plenty of guided meditations that you can use to get into a sleepy state before you head to bed.

Add a guided meditation to your bedtime routine and hopefully it’ll prime you to drift off as you slip under the covers. If you’re a David Lloyd Clubs member, you’ll find on-demand meditation sessions on our app, including a deliciously soothing Meditation to Unwind session.

-

Read David Lloyd's full blog, here.