The Best Sleep Meditations on YouTube

We don’t need to tell you how essential sleep is to help you do, well, literally anything. One of the biggest obstacles to rest is that pesky transition from daytime to nighttime. After working, socializing, planning, organizing, and otherwise being in a constant state of *doing* during waking hours, it can feel like a cruel joke to figure out how to slow down and prepare for sleep. If only people had airplane mode.

Ironically, putting pressure on yourself to sleep better can lead to even worse sleep. The next time you’re tempted to give up on snoozing and reach for your phone, open YouTube. No, not to watch your favorite celeb sort through the contents of their purse. Practice a soothing sleep meditation instead.

The Best 10-Minute Sleep Meditations on YouTube

If—or, more realistically, when—you find yourself tossing or turning hours after you called it a night, try one of these 10-minute sleep meditations. They’ll help quiet your mind and remind you that rest is not only necessary—it can be something you actually look forward to.

Pro tip: You’ll want to switch “autoplay” off on the bottom right of the video so you don’t wake up to the sounds of a random video.

1. Fall Asleep in Under 10 Minutes | The Honest Guys

This video by The Honest Guys is pretty much exactly what you’d imagine a sleep meditation to be—the ambient sounds, the slow pace of the narrator’s words, and the lulls in between words that usher you into deeper relaxation. It also includes some visualization prompts (“Imagine a place where you feel completely at ease”) and relaxation cues (“Feel the weight of the day lifting from your shoulders”) that you can keep in your back pocket and practice any time.

“I know it’s a good video when I’ve used it multiple times and I still don’t know the end of it,” explained one commenter.

2. 10-Minute Guided Meditation For Sleep | Boho Beautiful Yoga

Ahhh, the classic comfort of rain sounds. If that’s your thing, then this sleep meditation might be, too. You’ll experience the typical guidance to focus on your breath and let go of tension in your body. But this video is unique in that the narrator also encourages you to let go of “the day, the worries, and the uncertainty.”

And when you find yourself still ruminating on something you can’t quite release your grasp on, the video reassuringly reminds you, “There’s no need to hold onto anything anymore.” These might be just the words you need to hear for a more peaceful night.

3. 10-Minute Meditation to Release Stress | Lavendaire

Although this meditation by Lavendaire isn’t exclusively for bedtime, we all know that stress and anxiety can be sleep’s biggest enemies. Set to gentle music, the video also includes the narrator’s encouragement for you to let go of tension in places you probably don’t even realize you’re carrying it, from your eyebrows all the way down to your toes.

Similarly, her grounding affirmations, including “I am relaxed” and “I am safe,” are words you may not have realized held the key to feeling more at ease before sleep.

4. 10-Minute Relaxing Deep Sleep Sleepcast | Headspace

If your imagination requires a little more stimulation to relax, this “sleep story” by Headspace might do the trick. The calming sounds of a whirring dryer are the soundtrack to the Midnight Laundrette, over which the narrator engages your senses with comforting details—the smell of the detergent, the sight of “knots” of colorful clothing tumbling inside the washer. It even introduces characters. Think audiobook but muuuch calmer.

5. Deep Rest | 10-Minute Yoga Nidra | Yoga With Tim

Also known as “yogic sleep,” yoga nidra can be practiced any time of day. However, given that it can help you access the deepest levels of relaxation, it also makes for soothing before-bed practice. In this video, Tim’s voiceover is your steady guide in a gentle body scan to notice any tightness in your muscles. He guides you to release “strain or tension” on each exhalation and inhale a “sense of well-being.” There’s no music, which allows you to fully focus on the calm sound of Tim’s voice and the silence in between—and let go of any thoughts keeping you from sleep.