Modern technology is destroying our sleep. From the blinding blue lights of our gadgets, to social networks engineered with the same addictive qualities of poker machines, tempting us to refresh them just one more time. But recently I've found a low-tech cure for insomnia: combining one of the worst gadgets I own with the world's most boring podcast.

The hardware is a simple little speaker bought over 20 years ago from a Tandy store, if you're old enough to remember those. It was sold as a "pillow speaker", a little disc you could tuck under a pillow, without disturbing someone sharing your bed. It sounds awful, fidelity is not the selling point here, but works surprisingly well. With my head on the pillow I can hear podcasts clearly, but if I hover just above, I can't hear a thing.

Tandy is no longer with us, but you can find a similar speaker at Jaycar or on eBay for under $10.

I've tried using podcasts to clear my mind before bed, but that never worked. I'd either become too engrossed in the episode and find myself more awake, or fall asleep mid-show then have to re-listen the next day.

That's when I discovered the wonderful Sleep With Me podcast. The show's host and creator, Drew Ackerman, tells utterly pointless stories designed to send even the most anxious listener to sleep. His creaky, monotone drawl and his meandering, repetitive style knocks me out night after night. I rarely make it more than 15 minutes into an episode. The one exception was a particularly absurd retelling of a Star Trek episode that hooked me in.

If you have trouble falling asleep, and nothing else works, try this set up. What have you got to lose?