We Sentence You to a Good Night's Sleep

A compelling recent research study of 50 adults has shown that hearing relaxing words during sleep can enhance our sleep quality -- especially deep sleep, referred to as slow-wave sleep (SWS). Listening to calming words and stories at bedtime lowers stress hormones like cortisol, promoting relaxation and making it easier to drift off to sleep more than white noise recordings.

In fact, there are dozens of apps on the market now that offer recordings by famous actors reading bedtime stories in low, soothing tones, specifically designed to help adults relax and fall asleep.

“Depth and resonance make for a good narrator,” according to Chris Mosunic, chief clinical officer for the popular Calm app. “Delivery needs to be slow, melodic, and soothing, almost like a literary lullaby.”

But is there a way for cheapskates like us to benefit from these findings without having to deal with unnecessarily complex apps or pay monthly fees? I mean, we’re stressed out enough as it is.

These one-liners can lull us to sleep -- for free!

The answer is yes! And it’s called Harvard Sentences, a list of 720 sentences developed at the request of the US Army Air Corps by American psychologist S. S. Stevens at Harvard’s Psycho-Acoustic Lab during World War II. The sentences were used to test the audio quality of military communications systems. They are still in use today for testing Voice over IP, cellular, and other telephone systems.

Each of the 720 sentences in the list is “phonetically balanced” and listening to them is weirdly hypnotic. Each one is a simple, unrelated statement, that reads like odd haiku verse we might hear spoken in a dream:

The birch canoe slid on the smooth planks.

These days a chicken leg is a rare dish.

The boy was there when the sun rose.

Help the woman get back to her feet.

Smoky fires lack flame and heat.

The friendly gang left the drug store.

Mesh wire keeps chicks inside.

The best thing about Harvard Sentences is that they’re free. And so, when it’s time for bed, forget the ASMR or story apps, snuggle under the covers and read each Harvard sentence out loud to yourself in a soft, calming voice.

Listen to the recording

Or better yet, listen to the free 9-minute recording of all 720 of them (hosted by an audiophile in Oklahoma) by calling 405-396-6250. The various voices reading the sentences sound like distant, dreamy radio transmissions forever floating in the airwaves.

By the time you get to, “He carved a head from the round block of marble …” you’ll fall fast asleep. Interesting dreams, guaranteed.

Photos (from top): Header, Envato Elements; S. S. “Smitty” Stevens, head of Harvard’s Psycho-Acoustic Laboratory, 1940s, courtesy Harvard University; Bedroom phone, Envato Elements.

:-) Please like and share with others who need a good night's sleep -- thanks!