The Nightly podcast

The Alphabet Trick for Insomnia

9/18/2026
0:00
21:46
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Matt Bragg talks with caller RyanMae about her sleep coach's no-nonsense rules, a weighted eye mask, and the grocery-store alphabet game that knocks her out cold.

What You'll Hear:

Four Hours in a Scottish Hotel Room: Matt confesses to a rough night after a big show, an ancient piano rendition of the Titanic theme, and his ongoing grudge against dim hotel lighting.

A Sleep Coach, Sheets, and a Strict No-Screen Rule: RyanMae explains what a sleep coach actually does, why all-white cotton sheets matter more than you'd think, and the hour of no electronics she swears by.

The Alphabet Game That Actually Works: RyanMae shares her favorite trick for getting back to sleep, a friend's zoo-animal variation on it, and why car parts are a surprisingly bad category to pick.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Four hours of sleep, twelve hours till showtime
02:27 RyanMae calls in about cotton sheets
05:07 The sleep coach's biggest rule: no screens
10:03 The alphabet trick for falling back asleep
15:26 A weighted sleep mask and physiological rest
18:43 Good night to RyanMae's husband

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