How Bedtime Stories Changed How We Sleep
How Bedtime Stories Changed How We Sleep
Kathryn Nicolai joins Karena Dawn for a conversation about sleep, mental health, storytelling, and the surprising journey that transformed a personal bedtime ritual into a podcast with more than 200 million downloads.
In this thoughtful discussion, Kathryn shares how storytelling became a lifelong practice, the unexpected middle-of-the-night moment that inspired Nothing Much Happens, and why ordinary stories can be such powerful tools for rest. Together, she and Karena explore the relationship between sleep and mental health, the science behind bedtime routines, and the ways modern culture often complicates something our bodies already know how to do naturally.
The conversation also touches on nervous system regulation, nighttime rituals, creativity, and the importance of approaching sleep with curiosity rather than pressure.
Topics discussed:
The origin of Nothing Much Happens
Sleep and mental health
Storytelling as a nervous system tool
Building a restful bedtime ritual
Creativity and intuition
Sleep aids and melatonin
Why trying harder to sleep often backfires
Finding comfort in ordinary moments