Do podcasts help you sleep? An expert explains why you may need white noise

CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit speaks to Dr Dale Rae, Director of Sleep Science and Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town.

Listen below:

While some people can fall asleep immediately after they get into bed, others need some type of aid.  

People use music, white noise and even podcasts to distract their brains. 

However, it raises the question of why your brain can’t let go on its own.

"It’s a case of not being able to switch off in many instances… in the day and age that we live in, we are constantly used to stimulation."

– Dr Dale Rae, Director of Sleep Science

"They often have a background of almost low-level stress and anxiety, where their brain is constantly scanning the environment… the permissive switch is not that easy to access."

– Dr Dale Rae, Director of Sleep Science

While you can provide a runway to sleep, to get yourself relaxed and ready to sleep, you must practice trying to fall asleep on your own.

"The ideal would be at a set time one needs to disconnect… to drift off and not become reliant on needing something."

– Dr Dale Rae, Director of Sleep Science

"Let your guard down, that’s the key to falling asleep"

– Dr Dale Rae, Director of Sleep Science 

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the discussion.