Sleep vs History

Sleep vs History Studios

Sleep vs History Studios presents two-hour history for sleep: softly spoken bedtime stories about ancient Rome, Vikings, medieval life, Tudor Britain, lost cities, empires, and the strange realities of the past. Each calming, well-researched episode gradually becomes quieter before ending with peaceful crackling fire ambience. Made to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, read, or unwind. New sleep history every day. Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory

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31 episodes
daily
Avg 2 hr 30 min
English

Episodes 31

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Saturday · 2 hr 21 min
What Did a Persian Qanat Do Underground for Three Thousand Years? - and more
What Did a Persian Qanat Do Underground for Three Thousand Years? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Line Beneath the Plain, Water by the Minute, Keeping the Tunnel Alive, and The Same Water Under Other Names. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Line Beneath the Plain 53:20 Water by the Minute 1:23:36 Keeping the Tunnel Alive 1:47:03 The Same Water Under Other Names 2:11:38 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Long Ago Tonight on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsZneUYXYB8MyH-hFfIilkg
Friday · 2 hr 28 min
How Did a Mongol Camp Move an Entire Household? - and more
How Did a Mongol Camp Move an Entire Household? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The House Becomes a Load, How the Ger Holds Together, Reading the Pasture, and Milk, Fire, and a Place for a Traveler. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The House Becomes a Load 50:27 How the Ger Holds Together 1:22:32 Reading the Pasture 1:49:21 Milk, Fire, and a Place for a Traveler 2:18:13 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Long Ago Tonight on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsZneUYXYB8MyH-hFfIilkg
Thursday · 2 hr 30 min
Who Actually Copied the Books That Survived the Dark Ages? - and more
Who Actually Copied the Books That Survived the Dark Ages? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: Hands Around the Page, The Scribe Whose Name Survived, Writing Between Old Lines, and The Little Red Gospel. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 Hands Around the Page 53:35 The Scribe Whose Name Survived 1:25:18 Writing Between Old Lines 1:50:49 The Little Red Gospel 2:20:34 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
Wednesday · 2 hr 29 min
What Was It Like to Be Posted on Hadrian's Wall? - and more
What Was It Like to Be Posted on Hadrian's Wall? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: A New Posting at Vindolanda, The Clerk and the Missing Total, Work Beyond the Fort Gate, and What the Objects Will Say. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 A New Posting at Vindolanda 51:27 The Clerk and the Missing Total 1:23:13 Work Beyond the Fort Gate 1:49:56 What the Objects Will Say 2:19:55 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
Tuesday · 2 hr 31 min
What Kept a Medieval Baltic Port Working All Year? - and more
What Kept a Medieval Baltic Port Working All Year? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Last Cargo Before Winter, A Ship Waiting Beside the Quay, Salt, Herring and the Road Beyond the Quay, and What the Winter Port Leaves Behind. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Last Cargo Before Winter 51:57 A Ship Waiting Beside the Quay 1:24:54 Salt, Herring and the Road Beyond the Quay 1:52:14 What the Winter Port Leaves Behind 2:21:13 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
August 24 · 2 hr 33 min
Why the Norse Colony in Greenland Vanished - and more
Why the Norse Colony in Greenland Vanished. Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Hay Before the Mystery, The Tusk on the Long Road, A Smaller Herd in the Western Settlement, and What an Empty Farm Can Actually Tell Us. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Hay Before the Mystery 52:18 The Tusk on the Long Road 1:24:57 A Smaller Herd in the Western Settlement 1:52:31 What an Empty Farm Can Actually Tell Us 2:23:24 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
August 23 · 2 hr 34 min
What Happened When All of Iceland Met Once a Year at the Althing? - and more
What Happened When All of Iceland Met Once a Year at the Althing? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Valley That Became Iceland for Two Weeks, The Man Who Had to Say the Law, What the Crowd Made Possible, and What the Valley Can Still Prove. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Valley That Became Iceland for Two Weeks 51:51 The Man Who Had to Say the Law 1:25:33 What the Crowd Made Possible 1:53:49 What the Valley Can Still Prove 2:24:56 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
August 22 · 2 hr 29 min
How Did the Vikings Cross an Ocean Without a Compass? - and more
How Did the Vikings Cross an Ocean Without a Compass? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: Keeping the Westward Line, The Voyage Before Departure, A Known Coast Beyond the Horizon, and What the Evidence Can Carry. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 Keeping the Westward Line 50:25 The Voyage Before Departure 1:22:23 A Known Coast Beyond the Horizon 1:49:11 What the Evidence Can Carry 2:19:05 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
August 21 · 2 hr 34 min
What Did Nantucket Do While the Whaleships Were Away for Years? - and more
What Did Nantucket Do While the Whaleships Were Away for Years? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Shop That Cannot Wait, From Cask to Candle, York Street and the Boston Family, and What the Archive Can Prove. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Shop That Cannot Wait 53:50 From Cask to Candle 1:27:02 York Street and the Boston Family 1:54:41 What the Archive Can Prove 2:24:17 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
August 20 · 2 hr 28 min
Who Was Watching Over a Colonial American Town at Night? - and more
Who Was Watching Over a Colonial American Town at Night? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: Eight Men, Four Stretches, One Night, The Rota Before Nightfall, The Same Street, Unequal Night, and What the Records Refuse to Add. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 Eight Men, Four Stretches, One Night 50:33 The Rota Before Nightfall 1:21:33 The Same Street, Unequal Night 1:48:27 What the Records Refuse to Add 2:18:43 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
August 19 · 2 hr 33 min
What Was It Like to Live in a Transcontinental Railroad Camp? - and more
What Was It Like to Live in a Transcontinental Railroad Camp? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: A Camp with No Fixed Address, The Cook's Moving Table, A City on Rails, and What the Camps Leave Behind. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 A Camp with No Fixed Address 54:06 The Cook's Moving Table 1:27:50 A City on Rails 1:55:37 What the Camps Leave Behind 2:23:51 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
August 18 · 2 hr 30 min
How Aboriginal Australians Read the Night Sky - and more
How Aboriginal Australians Read the Night Sky. Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: Gawarrgay in the dark river, The partial Boorong record, Cosmic Echoes on Wajarri Country, and Who teaches the sky. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 Gawarrgay in the dark river 53:03 The partial Boorong record 1:27:04 Cosmic Echoes on Wajarri Country 1:53:29 Who teaches the sky 2:20:54 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Long Ago Tonight on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsZneUYXYB8MyH-hFfIilkg
August 17 · 2 hr 36 min
What Caral Built Before the Pyramids Were Finished - and more
What Caral Built Before the Pyramids Were Finished. Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Bag Inside the Platform, Cotton for the Coast, Breath in the Lowered Plaza, and The Room Beside the Monuments. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Bag Inside the Platform 53:59 Cotton for the Coast 1:29:28 Breath in the Lowered Plaza 1:56:37 The Room Beside the Monuments 2:24:24 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Long Ago Tonight on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsZneUYXYB8MyH-hFfIilkg
August 16 · 2 hr 33 min
Why Benin City Was Lit After Dark - and more
Why Benin City Was Lit After Dark. Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Next Known Light, The Bank Made from the Ditch, Wax, Clay, and a Royal Obligation, and A City Measured by Errands. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Next Known Light 52:26 The Bank Made from the Ditch 1:26:21 Wax, Clay, and a Royal Obligation 1:54:06 A City Measured by Errands 2:21:20 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Long Ago Tonight on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsZneUYXYB8MyH-hFfIilkg
August 15 · 2 hr 27 min
How Did a Silk Road Caravanserai Run Through the Night? - and more
How Did a Silk Road Caravanserai Run Through the Night? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: One Night at Rabati Malik, How the Courtyard Solved the Road, What the Caravan Actually Carried, and The Gate That Gathered News. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 One Night at Rabati Malik 50:53 How the Courtyard Solved the Road 1:22:43 What the Caravan Actually Carried 1:49:01 The Gate That Gathered News 2:17:39 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Long Ago Tonight on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsZneUYXYB8MyH-hFfIilkg
August 14 · 2 hr 30 min
What Did the Indus Valley Know About Draining a City? - and more
What Did the Indus Valley Know About Draining a City? Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Evening Drain, The Brick That Fits, Water Behind the Bitumen, and Marks We Cannot Read. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Evening Drain 50:18 The Brick That Fits 1:24:12 Water Behind the Bitumen 1:50:14 Marks We Cannot Read 2:20:56 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Long Ago Tonight on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsZneUYXYB8MyH-hFfIilkg
August 13 · 2 hr 34 min
How Angkor Moved More Water Than Any City Before It - and more
How Angkor Moved More Water Than Any City Before It. Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Wrong Sound in the Bank, The Reservoir and the Uncooperative Slope, A Pond Beside the House, and When Familiar Channels Changed. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Wrong Sound in the Bank 53:31 The Reservoir and the Uncooperative Slope 1:27:33 A Pond Beside the House 1:55:39 When Familiar Channels Changed 2:24:22 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
August 12 · 2 hr 30 min
Why Joseon Korea Locked Its Capital at Sunset - and more
Why Joseon Korea Locked Its Capital at Sunset. Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Twenty-Eighth Stroke, The Gatekeeper's Shut Hours, The City That Tells Time, and The Clerk and the Imperfect Rule. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Twenty-Eighth Stroke 54:49 The Gatekeeper's Shut Hours 1:27:49 The City That Tells Time 1:54:22 The Clerk and the Imperfect Rule 2:18:51 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
August 11 · 2 hr 35 min
How Ottoman Night Watchmen Kept Istanbul Quiet - and more
How Ottoman Night Watchmen Kept Istanbul Quiet. Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: The Gate That Will Not Quite Close, What the Neighborhood Owed Itself, One Last Cup Is Not a Clock, and The Wet Whistle and the Old Staff. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 The Gate That Will Not Quite Close 54:22 What the Neighborhood Owed Itself 1:28:15 One Last Cup Is Not a Clock 1:55:30 The Wet Whistle and the Old Staff 2:23:07 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory
August 11 · 2 hr 28 min
What a Homestead Winter Was Really Like on the Plains - and more
What a Homestead Winter Was Really Like on the Plains. Settle in for a calm, softly spoken history for sleep story built for bedtime listening. Tonight's connected stories: From Dusk to the Next Fire, The Roof That Kept Needing a Builder, The Cellar Decides the Menu, and The Distance Between Two Lamps. More than two hours of softly spoken narration with gentle fire ambience to help you fall asleep, ease insomnia, relax, study, or enjoy as quiet background while you read. The humour is lightest at the start and fades as the episode becomes calmer. Chapters: 0:00 From Dusk to the Next Fire 52:26 The Roof That Kept Needing a Builder 1:25:34 The Cellar Decides the Menu 1:51:41 The Distance Between Two Lamps 2:18:16 Fire ambience Fire ambience: "Little fire.ogg" by Glaneur de sons, CC BY 3.0. Watch Sleep vs History on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepVsHistory

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