Sleep With Me: The Podcast That Cured My Insomnia

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In this article:

• For a good portion of my life, I would lie awake all night feeling frustrated that I couldn’t fall asleep. Insomnia was taking a real toll on my life. All of that changed when I discovered the Sleep with Me podcast.
• Sleep with Me is a bedtime story podcast for adults. Drew Ackerman, the host, tells meandering stories in a dull tone that are both interesting and boring enough to lull you to sleep.
• I was recently given the chance to interview Drew about the Sleep with Me podcast, how he started it, where his ideas come from, and what’s next for the podcast. Check out what he had to say! 

Insomnia symptoms occur in approximately 33% to 50% of adults in the United States, according to a study from the Cleveland Clinic. That’s about 70 million Americans who have trouble sleeping, and I’m one of them. Or, at least, I was until I discovered the podcast Sleep with Me. 

This one-of-a-kind podcast features the tagline: “The podcast that puts you to sleep.” And, in my own experience, that’s exactly what it does. In the days before I was introduced to Sleep with Me, I found myself tossing and turning all night, constantly readjusting to find the most comfortable position only to become uncomfortable again five minutes later, and feeling overwhelmed with anxiety-driven thoughts that prevented my mind from ever resting. Little did I know that all I need was the soothing tone of Drew Ackerman’s voice to knock me right out. 

Similar to myself and many other listeners, Drew Ackerman (the host of Sleep with Me better known by the moniker “Scooter”) also suffered from insomnia. And, after discovering that the droning voices on late-night radio shows would help him gently drift off to sleep, he set out to create a podcast that would help others get their much-needed beauty rest as well. 

I first listened to Sleep with Me about a year ago when my girlfriend introduced me to the podcast. At first, I didn’t understand it at all. In fact, it’s rather difficult to explain what exactly this podcast is. It’s part comedy, part storytelling, part boring, part interesting. But, without even knowing it, I quickly drifted off to sleep and awoke the next morning, feeling well-rested for once and thinking, Damn! That podcast actually worked!

I recently had the amazing opportunity to interview Drew Ackerman over the phone and talk to him about how he came up with the idea for the podcast, his brainstorming and recording process, and the progress that he’s made since he started Sleep with Me. 

You can listen to the full recording of the interview at the end of this article.

The Story Behind Sleep with Me

At its core, Sleep with Me is a bedtime story podcast for adults who have trouble sleeping. Drew takes on the persona of “Dearest Scooter” and lulls his audience to sleep with nonsensical stories. When asked why he chose to take on this moniker, Drew replied, “If I was too consumed with my own fears, it would get in the way of making the show. So, some part of me was like, Well, what if we have a pseudonym? Like a character that’s more confident than we are?” 

Thus, the character of Scooter was born. With his new persona, the first-ever episode of Sleep with Me that Drew ever released was a breakdown of the song “You Make My Dreams” by Hall & Oates. When I asked Drew why he chose this particular song for the subject of his first episode, he simply replied, “I’ve always found it to be a very catchy song.” 

From there, Drew started working on the podcast while still working another job. In his words, “When I started the show, I had a full-time job. I would work on the podcast and write episodes on the way to work on the train. And then, on the train ride home, I’d be writing episodes. And then I’d be listening to episodes while I was walking from the train to work. And editing at lunch and stuff like that. And then, after doing the show for four or five years, I slowly was able to transition from it being a hobby to a little bit of a side job to being a part-time job to being a full-time job.” 

Today, Drew has recorded over 1,000 episodes, Sleep with Me has millions of listeners, Drew has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show to talk about the podcast, and Esquire even ranked Sleep with Me one of The 25 Essential Podcasts of 2016. 

The Keys to Sleep with Me’s Success

There are many reasons that Sleep with Me has gained such popularity. For some, the droning of Drew’s voice sedates them into a state of deep sleep. For others, the amusing stories keep them entertained and relaxed while coping with insomnia. However, for all listeners, the comforting sense that Drew truly cares about his listeners is abundantly clear. 

Every episode starts off with the greeting: “Friends beyond the binary. Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls.” This is just a taste of the inclusiveness, kindness, and devotion to his fans that Drew brings to every episode. When I asked Drew about his motivations, he answered, “I try to remember: you’re talking to one person that can’t sleep and your job is to be there for them and keep them company and take their mind off of stuff.” 

Of course, another key to the podcast’s success is Drew’s ability to weave together dream-like, nonsensical stories that both bore and entertain his listeners. 

For example, one of my personal favorite series on the podcast is titled “Spice Friends” and tells the story of an epic war between kaiju monsters that have come to Earth from Planet Zipper and the Spice Friends, a group of building-sized living spices (such cinnamon sticks and lime leaves) that have been conjured by humankind through the power of song and dance. Having trouble following? That’s the point. 

According to Drew, this is how he came up with the idea for the iconic series: 

“I was doing some loose editing of a podcast and I would put on a Godzilla movie. And a lot of them, especially the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s Godzilla movies, can be really fun to watch but they’re all over the place. And I was like, I wonder if I could do a podcast like this. No, Godzilla is too scary. And then, also, over the years, I thought about the popularity with children of characters that embody different qualities. So, you have My Little Pony, Care Bears, The Smurfs, and they always embody these different qualities. And then, at some point, I was like, What if you mashed those two together?” 

So, there you have it. The “Spice Friends” series of episodes is a mash-up of My Little Pony and Godzilla mixed in with a whole lot of Drew’s wild imagination. If you’ve never listened to the podcast and you’re wondering what it’s all about, that should give you a pretty good idea. 

Enter Antonio Banderas

One of my personal favorite aspects of this podcast (and something I deemed worthy of an entire section of this article) is the fact that Drew has recruited Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas to introduce certain episodes of the podcast. Well, actually, it’s just Drew doing an impersonation of Antonio Banderas. However, this impersonation has taken on such a life of its own that it feels like the real Antonio Banderas at times, both to the audience and to Drew himself. 

Drew says he’s not entirely sure why he chose Antonio Banderas of all people to appear on his show. However, Drew is eternally thankful that this Hollywood celebrity was willing to take the time to appear on Sleep with Me. In the words of Drew, “Antonio will come, drive all the way from Los Angeles to the Bay Area, just to introduce the segment for a minute, and then drive all the way back home to Los Angeles. That’s kind of the Antonio lore.”

The whole Antonio Banderas aspect of the podcast is just one more inexplicable and amazing facet of Drew’s mind that makes Sleep with Me so amazing. I encourage any and all fans of Sleep with Me to Tweet at the real Antonio Banderas and alert him to his pivotal role in the podcast. 

The Podcast That Cured My Insomnia

As a final thought, even if you sleep like a rock every night, this podcast is still supremely entertaining and is guaranteed to give you a good chuckle. But, I would encourage anyone that has any trouble sleeping to try listening to Sleep with Me. This podcast, sincerely, is the reason that I am able to sleep at night and it’s markedly improved my quality of life. 

So, I need to issue a massive thank you to Drew Ackerman for taking the time to take my call and for putting me to sleep night after night. You can listen to Sleep with me on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and other popular streaming platforms. You can also become a patron through the podcast’s website or buy some amazing Sleep with Me merchandise. 

Listen to the full interview below!