Feeling all zipped up after playing a riveting online shooter until an ungodly hour? Can’t handle turning out the lights because you’ve just watched a terrifying horror movie on Netflix and your friends have now gone home? Yep, sounds like you need to wind the hell down.
Well, you’ve probably heard about ASMR – the near-mystical YouTube phenomenon whereby YouTubers make soft tinkly sounds into a microphone that trigger your brain to unwind. It’s a great way to soothe your mind and soul, so we’ve put together a list of our favorite ASMR YouTubers and channels to chill out your brain, and help you hit the hay.
What is ASMR?
Autonomous sensory meridian response might sound more like science fiction than anything helpful. However, it’s actually a response people have to certain triggers, which can be sounds, smells, sights, and even textures. The trigger is always repetitive and can be something as simple as the way you brush your hair or soothing whispers.
ASMR feels like a pleasurable tingling that begins in your head and neck. It often extends to your limbs as well. Most call the feeling incredibly relaxing, which is why you’ll often see sleep and relaxation videos on YouTube referred to as ASMR. The repetitive nature of the triggers helps relax your mind and body, pulling you away from worries and stress.
Not everyone has the same responses to the triggers. For some, the sounds are just annoying, especially videos that have someone slowly tearing paper, tapping their finger, or speaking in weird whispers – you may find yourself watching these and thinking “what’s the point?”
Studies are still fairly new on the subject, with most studies being done in the last 10 years. However, the studies are showing a possible link between ASMR videos and helping with insomnia.
While there are millions of ASMR videos on YouTube, some are definitely better than others. Try these ones to see which ones help you sleep better.
1. 3 Hours of Gentle Night Rain – The Relaxed Guy
One of the most popular and soothing ASMR sounds is rain. The repetitive tapping of the rain drops helps you drift off to sleep quickly. This particular video has no ads, no jarring thunder, or other disturbances. Just three hours of peaceful rain.
The Relaxed Guy channel has numerous videos like this including:
- Evening Rain On A Lake
- Sleep Fast In 5 Minutes With Heavy Rain
- Rain And Ocean Wave Sounds To Help You Sleep
2. ASMR 20 Triggers to Help You Sleep – ASMR Darling
Instead of just rain, this video features 20 different triggers that range from tapping and whispering to crinkling and water sounds. The video is just under an hour and the variety is a great way to figure out which triggers soothe you most.
ASMR Darling’s channel features a variety of different ASMR videos to help you relax including:
- ASMR 100 Triggers To Help You Sleep
- ASMR Helping You Fall Asleep In Bed
- ASMR Relaxing Super Mario Odyssey Gameplay (yes, there’s even super geeky ASMR!)
3. Sleepy Time ASMR – Gentle Whispering ASMR
While it’s just under 30 minutes, this video uses whispering and sounds associated with tucking yourself in and getting a soothing massage to help you relax. With over 12 million views, it’s proven itself to be one of the best YouTube videos for sleep.
Find more videos at Gentle Whispering ASMR, such as:
4. ASMR 20+ TASCAM Triggers – ASMRMagic
Fall to sleep with one of the best YouTube videos for drifting off to that cozy place. With over 27 million views, this three-hour video features a variety of classic and experimental triggers designed to help you fall asleep faster and deeper.
Enjoy even more videos, including one for people who don’t experience tingles, at ASMRMagic
- ASMR 50+ Triggers Over 3 Hours
- ASMR 30+ Triggers For Sleep And Tingles
- ASMR 400+ Triggers For Intense Tingles
5. Rain on Windows With Thunder Sounds – Relaxing Ambience ASMR
Personally, I enjoy the more ambient-style ASMR videos to help me fall asleep and that’s exactly what this video does. Rain against a window with quiet background thunder is incredibly soothing. At eight hours, it’s designed to help you stay asleep all night long.
Relaxing Ambience ASMR has a large library of similar videos, including:
- Heavy Rain Thunderstorm Sounds
- Rain & Thunder Sounds For Sleep, Insomnia, and Studying
- Rain & Thunder Cabin Window
6. ASMR 99.9% of You Will Sleep – ASMR Bakery
The title alone says it all. The three-hour video uses some of the most popular triggers designed to help you sleep better. If whispering and talking distract more than relax, then you’ll love this video since it has zero talking.
Find even more videos at ASMR Bakery, such as:
7. Rainy Night Coffee Shop – Calmed by Nature
For some, a combination of sounds and sights work best. This video gives you the ambience of a late night coffee shop with the gentle sound of rain outside. It’s peaceful to watch and listen to. Plus, at eight hours long, you’ll have no trouble falling back to sleep if you do happen to wake up too early.
Find more ambience ASMR videos at Calmed by Nature, such as:
- Hawaiian Sunset Café Ambience
- Cozy Cabin Ambience Rain And Fireplace Sounds
- Campfire By The Sea Ambience
Sleep Videos for Toddlers
Babies, toddlers, and young children don’t always respond the same way to adult ASMR videos. However, that doesn’t mean YouTube doesn’t still have some highly effective sleep videos for them. If your little one can’t fall asleep, try some of the best YouTube videos for sleep for toddlers:
- 10 Hours of Sleeping Music for Kids Unicorn’s Dream – The adorable unicorn dreaming mixed with soothing lullaby music helps toddlers drift off to sleep and stay asleep.
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star: Lullaby for Babies – While designed for babies, the repetitive music helps toddlers relax after a busy day of exploring, playing, and learning.
- Bedtime Lullabies and Calming Undersea Animation – The combination of gentle lullabies with slow sea creatures moving around helps toddlers fall asleep gradually.
- Calming Stories to Help Kids Sleep – While only 15 minutes, this story is designed to take kids on a peaceful journey through a tired koala’s dreams.
- Two Hours of Gentle Lullabies for Babies – At over 130 million views, this is one of the most popular YouTube videos for sleep for toddlers. The gentle lullabies help make even the most stubborn toddlers finally get some shut eye.
Trouble sleeping? Stop staring at your phone or binge watching Netflix. Start playing some of these YouTube videos and finally get the sleep you deserve.
