SleepFader is designed to promote relaxation and sleep via a unique blend of mindfulness, sound design, music, and storytelling. In this article, I’ll explore my approach and probably write way too much about why and how I’m doing this thing. 

Millions of people struggle with falling and staying asleep, and there’s a proven correlation between anxiety and sleep disorders. They feed on each other cyclically. I could try to persuade you with all the research and facts, but sleepfoundation.org has done a handy job of that here. Bottom line: bedtime is very often the first time in our busy day when we stop doing long enough to start thinking and feeling. 

For the stressed or anxious mind, it’s prime time for sleep-wrecking rumination. As things quiet down outside, the noise inside ramps up. Cue the tossing and turning and staring at the ceiling and replaying that meeting with The Bobs and the doom-scrolling…

I’ve thought long and hard about this, and after years of close collaboration with sleep doctors, therapists, researchers, and practitioners, I’ve concluded that what the world really needs is…another podcast. 

Well, it’s a start, anyway. I’ve used everything I’ve gleaned from best practices in mindfulness, music therapy, and sound design to craft an audio experience that promotes a natural relaxation response. It turns out podcasts are a pretty great vehicle for what I call On-Purpose Listening; a notion borrowed from mindfulness practice, and expressed here by the maestro of mainstream mindfulness himself, Jon Kabat-Zinn: