Sleep story · warm, home
A kitchen late at night, when you feel restless rather than tired — for waking too early
One small light on, a cooling cup of tea, and the rest of the house dark.
Lights off. Press begin and let the story read itself to you, at the pace of sleep.
Screen on or off — we suggest dimming it, or simply closing your eyes after the first paragraph.
The story, in full
The clock on the oven shows a time that feels later than it is. Through the window you can see the back garden, which is doing nothing at all. There is a cup of tea beside you that has gone past drinking temperature.
There is no reason to be awake, and no reason to move either. Your chair is pulled out slightly, the way you left it. The fridge motor stops, and the room gets even quieter.
Let your feet get heavy first. Heavier than they need to be. Your fingers can stop doing anything at all.
Let your lower back sink down into the mattress. Now feel your whole body at once, lying here, being held up.
Someone upstairs turns over, and the ceiling creaks once. There is a bowl of fruit nobody has touched since Tuesday.
Let the mattress take all of it. Feel the weight of the blanket on your legs.
Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room. If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
Let the pillow take the whole weight of your head. Let your palms open if they were closed.
Sleep. Nothing here needs following closely.
Let your breathing do the rest. Almost nothing to do now. You do not have to count them.
Restless is different from tired, and it needs a different approach.
No more sentences. Just the weight of you in the bed.
12 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes read slowly aloud. Written for warm, home.
If this story does not settle you, try A boat at anchor (a sleep story), when you are short on time — for winding down, A kitchen late at night (a sleep story), when you have more time than usual — for jet lag or A lighthouse at the end of a long day — a slow story for the end of the day, after eating too much — for a night when you do not want to think.