Falling asleep to audio dramas and podcasts: what helps – and what doesn't

of German podcast listeners fall asleep to podcasts (Bitkom 2025)

41%

of podcast listeners use podcasts to help them sleep (Acast 2023)

48%

You're not the only one

According to a 2025 Bitkom survey, 41 percent of podcast listeners in Germany use podcasts to fall asleep, up from 30 percent two years earlier. Research by podcast company Acast put the figure at 48 percent of listeners. Audio dramas aren't measured separately, but anyone who grew up in Germany knows the bedtime classic: an old episode of Die drei ???.

Why stories can help you fall asleep

If you can't switch off at night, the problem usually isn't tiredness but thoughts. The to-do list, this afternoon's conversation, the email you still have to send. A calm voice gives your mind something else to do – enough to stop the rumination, not so much that it keeps you awake.

That's why familiar stories often work better than new ones. If you know how the episode ends, you don't have to keep up. You can drift off any time without missing anything. It's not a scientific rule, but an experience a great many people share.

What research says – including the downsides

The evidence is thin and mixed. A Swedish study of more than 1,100 adults (JMIR Formative Research, 2026) found that people who listen to audiobooks every night more often see them as a sleep aid – but also more often struggle to fall asleep without one. Acast's research even suggested podcast listeners take a little longer to fall asleep on average.

Both are hints, not proof. Still, the message is clear: audio at bedtime can be a lovely ritual, but it shouldn't become a crutch. And if you've been sleeping badly for weeks, see a doctor rather than changing the playlist.

8 tips to make bedtime listening work

1. Use a sleep timer. An episode that plays all night disturbs deep sleep and loses the spot where you dozed off. 20 to 30 minutes is usually enough.
2. Let it fade out. A hard stop mid-sentence can wake you up again. A timer that lowers the volume over the last few seconds is better.
3. Pick something familiar. New episodes of a thriller series are exciting – which is exactly the problem. Episodes you already know are better for the night.
4. Keep it quiet. Quiet enough that you have to make a small effort to listen. That helps you let go.
5. Speaker over earbuds. In-ear headphones for hours are uncomfortable and can cause pressure points. The iPhone speaker or a small speaker by the bed is enough.
6. Screen off. Start the episode before you lie down and leave the display off. A lock-screen widget is enough to keep an eye on the timer.
7. Calm voices, few effects. Audio dramas with loud sound effects or music stings jolt you back more than a calm narrator or a relaxed conversation podcast.
8. Pick up where you dozed off. Nothing is more frustrating than hunting for your place the next night. An app that remembers your position saves you that.

What works well at bedtime

• Classic episodes of long-running audio drama series – familiar, calmly told, with a known ending.
• Audiobooks you already know, such as favourite books from your teens.
• Calm conversation podcasts without a news feel.
• Knowledge podcasts that take their time instead of bombarding you with facts.
• Ambient albums or quiet music if speech keeps you awake.

How we built this into zentr

Falling asleep to stories was a core scenario for zentr from day one, because it's how we listen ourselves.

• Sleep timer from 15 to 60 minutes, until the end of the episode or after two episodes. When it runs out, zentr fades out gently over 15 seconds instead of stopping hard.
• Live Activity on the lock screen: see how long the timer has left and add 15 or 20 minutes with a tap – without unlocking your iPhone.
• Rewind with Apple Watch sleep data: if you fell asleep before the timer ran out, zentr later checks your Apple Watch sleep data in Apple Health and offers to rewind to just before you dozed off.
• Remembered position: the next night you continue where you left off – whether it's an audio drama from Apple Music, a podcast or your own file.