I’ve found listening to music when I can’t sleep is quite good at relaxing my mind and stopping memories of moments throughout my life that make me cringe whirring around my head.
I’ve had a specific playlist on my iPod for this purpose that consists of a weird mixture of stuff I like now and from about 8 years ago:
Samson - Regina Spektor
The House That Guilt Built - The Wrens
Nude - Radiohead
Death with Dignity - Sufjan Stevens
Toothpaste Kisses - The Maccabees
Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl - Broken Social Scene
I don’t think I’ve listened to Regina Spektor or The Maccabees outside of this playlist for many many years.
Does anyone else use music to go to sleep? Does anyone have a bespoke playlist? What songs do you think would be good for such a playlist? LMK.
Everything in its right place - that backwards sounding keyboard and hum followed by kid A’s nursery rhyme title track puts me right to sleep when in the mood (gotta fall asleep before national anthem kicks off though…)
Used to listen to either Feel or She’s A Superstar by Verve since therir near 10 minute runtimes of borderline ambient guitar are perfect for dropping off to.
I usually queue up a few albums. Fionn Regan, Neil young are pretty reliable. For instrumental stuff haiku salut and explosions in the sky work well, as do mogwai but I struggle with a winged victory for the sullen as something about it gets me straining to listen. Wild light by 65 days of static is probably my main go to.
I used to have a boyfriend who would put the radio on when he went to bed. When I stayed over at his place I’d have to just lie there awake until he’d properly fallen asleep and then turn the radio off. What a weirdo.