The 4 Best YouTube Channels to Help You Sleep
I prefer to sleep in pitch darkness and absolute silence, which I say openly , but I never manage to do. My partner can’t sleep without the TV on, I’ve never dated anyone who values silence and darkness as much as I do, and I live next door to a bar with a smoking area right outside my window. I’ve spent a lot of time, effort, and money coming up with workarounds that allow me to get closer to ideal sleeping conditions, even when the odds are stacked against me.
I usually use YouTube for white noise and sleep sounds, for a few reasons. First, there’s a huge selection, and you can find a ton of videos that are 10 hours long. Second, I used to use Spotify, but listening to eight hours of washing machine sounds every night completely threw my algorithm off; it was suggesting fan sounds in the middle of the day. I don’t even want to tell you what happened to my beloved Spotify Wrapped results.
If you need to block out outside noise or just calm your mind, here are some great channels to get you started.
Cozy sound
Many of these channels may seem strange to you if you’re not familiar with the local infrastructure. Unlike finding fitness instructors or beauty tutorials, you’re unlikely to find any well-known influencers. Instead, you’ll find large channels run by unknown people, likeCozy Sound . Many of these have very few subscribers and views, and are likely AI or just plain garbage. Cozy Sound is different, which is why I like it and the 52,000 other subscribers.
You can choose from a variety of weather-related sounds. Take, for example, the live broadcast the channel is currently airing: “Rain touches the roof of the cottage, the fire keeps silence, and sleep comes like a gentle tide.” For several days in a row, the channel broadcasts the same soundscapes, whether it’s a snowstorm or a downpour, in 24-hour cycles, making it an easy-to-listen-to channel. Along with the sounds, you get a cozy picture, such as a cottage or an apartment interior during a downpour.
Relaxing white noise
There are indeed some celebrity-like creators in this space, such as Relaxing White Noise , which has over four million subscribers.
RWN is similar to Cozy Sound, streaming live video, making it easy to access: just open the channel and it will start playing. There is no guessing or searching for information, which is great because you definitely don’t want to be glued to your phone or computer while you’re trying to wind down before bed.
If you’re not into live sound at the moment, you have plenty of options. RWN not only has the popular weather and storm sounds, but also the noise of fans, the hiss of regular white noise, and a whistle that’s called “sky noise.” This whistle bothers me in a way that I can’t explain, but if you like it, good for you! I prefer the noise of fans or washing machines, so I’m happy to find them here.
The surrounding worlds
In the descriptions of their videos, RWN sometimes mentions that they are part of the “weird side of YouTube,” but they have nothing in common withAmbient Worlds , where you and a million subscribers can find immersive tracks designed to make you feel like you’re in a specific, often fictional place. Above, for example, check out Ambient Worlds, which adapts The Lord of the Rings . If you’ve ever wanted to fall asleep imagining you’re in the Shire, I have a suggestion for you.
Instead of white noise or rain sounds, you get soft music with them, and the tunes are usually reimaginings of movie or video game themes so you recognize them. From Star Wars to Elder Scrolls , you can find the IP you like here and then fall asleep to it. I love LOTR , but if it’s on, I’m definitely not going to fall asleep; I’ll watch it from start to finish for the 267th time. Worse, if I do fall asleep, I’ll almost certainly be rudely awakened by a battle scene. This channel allows for the best of both worlds, where I can still immerse myself in something I know well without any problems. A word of caution, though: the clips are usually only about three hours long.
Honest guys
I includedThe Honest Guys in my roundup of the best meditations on YouTube , but their videos, which have been shared by nearly a million subscribers, are specifically designed for bedtime meditations. They’re less noise and more of an interactive tour of deep thought, so they won’t be for everyone, but if you’re looking for a meditation to help you fall asleep, give these a try.
Here you’ll find regular daily meditations, a selection of relatively simple sleep sounds, and “guided sleep conversations” that focus on sleep. I value variety because it helps you find what works for you and stick with it.