Adult Lullabies – My Insomnia Sleepy Time Playlist

My Spotify playlists all fall into 1 of 2 overarching categories – those that energize me, the ones that make me dance and grin in my seat, and then there are those that help soothe me, provide relaxation and even lull me to sleep on the best days.

Check out my pump up playlist!

I recently wrote about my first set of songs - the pump-up playlist, if you will.

I shared my number 1 go-to song for those days when I need to turn my frown upside down, clear my head, or just stay awake for a few more hours. Those songs are my tried and true, blast on loud, listen on repeat jams for the days that feel hard, extra exhausting, or just plain icky.

Today, I want to talk about the other half of my catalogue – the tunes I'd consider to be literal music to my ears. Those sweet sounds which help me unwind, calm my anxiety, free my mind, and even push me forward into dreamland.

The evolution of my musical choices

Let me share with you that this selection has evolved quite a bit over time. In 2019, I had a baby girl, and for a long, long time after that, the only music I listened to to relax was the sound of her white noise machine. As she got older, we introduced her to Rockabye Baby, music we stumbled across one day and instantly loved.

Rockabye Baby takes tunes from over 100 artists and turns them into lullabies! Everything from The Beatles to Marvin Gaye, Beyonce to Taylor Swift, Journey, Prince, Adele, and so many more. These easy-on-the-ears tunes used childlike instruments to share our favorite music with our daughter. To this day, I still have some favorites from this collection.

This last year, in the height of COVID with a now toddler, I found my nights were returning to my own music tastes. My sleepy time playlist evolved as my days brought new adventures and challenges. This past summer, I went through some really hard things and I found comfort in the kind of quiet music that talks to your soul. With it, I've created a nighttime playlist that I really appreciate turning on as I get ready for bed. I sometimes even fall asleep with it still running!

What’s on my sleepy time playlist?

Now, let me jump right in to sharing the songs that I currently hold close to my heart:

• "More" by Halsey
• "Happy" by P!nk
• "everything I wanted" by Billie Eilish
• "Little Things" by Jessica Mauboy
• "Dear Life" by Delta Goodrem
• "The Light" by The Album Leaf
• "Only Us" by Laura Dreyfuss, Ben Platt
• "You Feel Like Home" by Hills x Hills
• "Exile" by Taylor Swift featuring Bon Iver
• "A Million Dreams" by P!nk
• "The Daughters" by Little Big Town
• "Comes and Goes (In Waves)" by Greg Laswell
• "Winter" by Joshua Radin
• "Paperweight" by Joshua Radin
• "Say Anything" by Tristan Prettyman
• "My My Love" by Joshua Radin
• "Day is Gone" by Noah Gunderson
• "The Lost Boy" by Greg Holden
• "Lullaby for a Soldier" by Maggie Siff
• "I get to love you" by Ruelle

Now, I'd love to hear what's on your wind-down, sleepy time playlist? Do you only listen to these songs at night when you're getting ready to slip between the covers? Or do you hum to them all day long?