I have been using books on tape or CD’s to help me fall asleep for years. The only problem I’ve found is that the book has to have just the right level of stimulation — not so difficult that I have to work to follow the thread, but not so exciting that it keeps me awake.

Sonia Ancoli-Israel psychologist at the University of California in San Diego, said that “falling asleep to a tape or the TV is not a bad thing if it helps you relax and fall asleep. The only time it becomes a problem is if, later in the night, you wake up from the noise of the TV or tape clicking off. The key is to do whatever you find relaxing.”

Dr. Lawrence Epstein, regional medical director of the Sleep Health Centers in Newton, disagreed, saying such habits could make it more difficult to fall asleep. Instead, he said, you should teach yourself to quiet down as bedtime approaches, go through the rituals — brush your teeth, get into your pajamas — and “then go to bed and turn off the lights.”

If you get too dependent (as I probably am) on a book lulling you to sleep, you can end up like a child who is used to being rocked to sleep, then can’t get to sleep without it, he said.

The other thing I have noticed is that I often incorporate bits of the stories I listen to into my dreams. The experts said this poses no problem. But it sure does make for some weird dreams.