Do you need tips to relax for sleep? Try audiobooks – with a twist.

If you’re like me, you’ll encounter a number of things standing between you and a good night’s sleep, ranging from the completely random to the eerily mysterious. Sometimes the reason for waking up is obvious, including not being able to take my eyes off someone rating the flavors of Crumbl cookies on YouTube. Other times, I’m about to drift off when a series of embarrassing moments come to mind. Like the time my bathing suit strap snagged at the beach or when I accidentally smashed a glass bottle in the middle of a restaurant. The resulting vibration acts like a shot of espresso, and suddenly I’m awake right at midnight.

I’ve tried dozens of other tips for relaxing during sleep, including free guided meditations I found online. But they often feel forced — as if the narrators were using a fake hypnotist’s, “You’re feeling so sleepy.” Plus, one time I fell asleep while watching a meditation video, I practically jumped out of bed 20 minutes later to the loudest announcement I’ve ever heard.

The only relaxation tip for successful sleep

One night not long ago, in an attempt to binge-listen to a novel I had to finish before my book club the next day, I opened Audible and placed my phone within easy reach. I usually listen to audiobooks while working, driving, or cleaning. But after a few minutes of listening to it in bed, I was amazed at how exciting it felt to read and do it nothingas if you were a child again. She stared peacefully into the abyss as I followed her Midnight Library.

I was completely at ease. But I wasn’t quite asleep. Then I remembered that a friend of mine told me that she likes to increase the speed at which the narrator reads an audiobook so she can finish the book more quickly. I tried the recommended speed—twice my normal speed—and felt my anxiety amplified by the chatter-like sounds coming from my phone. I never listened so quickly again. But as I was lying in bed that night, I had a lightbulb moment to do the exact opposite.

I grabbed my phone and selected the speed button at the bottom of the screen. Then I clicked the minus sign until the speed was 0.8x (1.0 is considered a “normal” speed). It took my mind a second to adjust to the molasses-like rhythm of the narrative. But my body responded to it almost immediately. It was as if, by adjusting this setting in my app, I was also turning down a dial inside me — one that slowed my breathing, calmed my thoughts, and released any tension stuck in my muscles.

Within 15 minutes, I was asleep. Of course, I had to finish the audiobook the next morning before book club. But I found a sleep trick that actually worked for me.

Make the most of this sleep hack

As a student of yoga for over a decade, the fact that slowing down to reading audiobooks helped me fall asleep shouldn’t have surprised me. This is the exact reason I appeared Nice or Yin categoriesAnd why I try to stop several times each day, release the tension in my jaw, and take deeper breaths. When I’m intentional about the energy I project myself into—whether it’s fast-paced and breathy or relaxed and slow—my body responds. I get out what I put in.

Now, I listen to slow-paced audiobooks almost every night before bed. (I also make sure to use Audible’s sleep timer function.) It’s especially useful when I’m sleeping in an AirBnb or hotel. Allowing the soft, measured sound of an author’s voice to lull me to sleep is a consistently calming ritual I can do anywhere.

As with any sleep hack, this isn’t foolproof. I once tried to slow down the pace of a murder mystery novel. Despite the quiet narration, I think my mind was still registering the disturbing elements of what the narrator was saying and I was completely tuned in to the suspenseful story. I recommend sticking to stories that are a little cooler. Rom-coms are always successful.

It’s also helpful to listen to stories I’ve already finished; It signals to my mind that I can fully relax when I already know what is going to happen. (I listened to Taylor Jenkins Reid One loves the real one Narrated by Julia Whelan probably 15 times now.)

Pressing play on an audiobook is also a way of signaling to myself that there is an easier way to exist in this fast-paced world – 0.8x faster.