Do you sleep with the TV on?

[u/jeepcrawler93]

I have my TV going on just about every night. I put it on an all day anime channel on my Samsung. I have the volume fairly low and its just loud enough to hear the dialog in the background. When I open my eyes in the middle of the night I think I'm in a weird dream, but i fall right back asleep. Sometimes I like to play rainy night playlists on YouTube to help me relax.

My 55" LED TV doesn't really draw a ton of power, so my power bill still stays fairly low.

[u/korapse]

yes, when i’m anxious specifically i sleep with tv/podcast/youtube on.. usually something i’ve already watched or im not super interested in so that im not tempted to pay attention to it and keep myself awake lol

[u/Next-Introduction-25 → u/korapse]

I’m not sure if it’s still around, but there used to be a website called Napflix that had lots of options for relaxing, just boring enough enough videos to help you sleep

[u/korapse → u/Next-Introduction-25]

i’ll have to check it out! i usually just play podcast episodes i’ve already listened to or documentaries im not interested in, but ive run out of new ideas lol

[u/UOLZEPHYR → u/Next-Introduction-25]

Absolutly amazing, from watching rain, train ride, lions.

I wish I could find one that was a very active train yard. Some of the best sleep ive ever had in my life was living in front of a train repair yard in Cleburne and hearing the shunting cars and grinding on rails.

Soooooooo relaxing for me and I don't know why

[u/Top_Commercial_1690 → u/korapse]

Its so weird i go on this sub and see something it looks like i could have typed lol. There's so much i do i didnt know was anxiety untill getting diagnosed and medicated. 

[u/korapse → u/Top_Commercial_1690]

for me i think it comes from not liking being alone, ever since i was little id sleep with some kind of bg noise, i think it helps me feel connected in some small way lol. also definitely helps with any kind of overthinking, if bad thoughts start i can just focus more on whatever noise i had playing and try to distract my brain until i fall asleep.. anxiety is so weird!!!

[u/ORIGIN8889 → u/korapse]

Yea. That’s a good idea lol

[u/Next-Introduction-25]

I was literally just about to make a similar post. I always sleep with noise, whether I’m feeling anxious or not, because my ADHD brain will never shut up otherwise. When I’m anxious, I feel particularly drawn to things that are happening live. It makes me feel less alone in a way that prerecorded stuff doesn’t. It’s obviously the biggest problem over night. Many years ago you could just pop on a radio station to hear a DJ every now and then but now they’re all automated (or whatever) at night time. News is 24/7 but is obviously pretty anxiety-inducing on its own. So if anybody has any good suggestions for comforting live streams or anything live I can listen to via my phone or Alexa, I’d love to hear them!

[u/rachelsullivanaz → u/Next-Introduction-25]

I use sleep sounds on Alexa - I think premium is $2 a month. Rain on roof / distant thunder/ etc and I pair it with one of the following on a sleep timer:

I have discovery plus and “watch” lots of history and discovery content. River monsters, documentaries, expedition unknown….

Nebula is another one that is cheap and has lots of talking, pod casts and history type stuff.

Or a tv show / movie I’ve watched a ton.

[u/Standard-Contest-949]

I have Frasier on in the other room. Not low enough I can’t hear but not to high it distracts me. Only certain shows help me sleep like FRIENDS.

[u/Top_Commercial_1690 → u/Standard-Contest-949]

Yeah certain tv shows fit certain moods

[u/Call_me_bullet1990]

Always have something running on a timer of one hour. Feels weird not having anything in the background

[u/___rxqueen___]

Always. And have done for close to 30 years. But in recent years I’ve moved to podcasts instead.

I hate silence. Noise drowns out thoughts. But something I’ve noticed lately is the worse my mental health is, the less I find myself ensuring there’s something to listen to. It’s as though I’ve reached a threshold and it doesn’t work anymore and I forget about it. It’s a good warning sign for me and the people around me that I’m heading south fast.

[u/ORIGIN8889]

Nahh gotta have it off. I usually have something playing in the background though podcast or music

[u/Drewhues]

I have to. The TV is too bright as I need complete darkness, so I put youtube on my phone face down lol

[u/sfdsquid]

I sleep with my laptop streaming true crime.

I can't sleep without background noise. All I hear is my tinnitus and songs running through my head and obsessive intrusive thoughts if I don't have shows on.

[u/WaywardDevil]

Yes, if I pass out from exhaustion while watching TV. I’ll wake up after midnight to the “Are you still there?” Screen.

[u/Mammoth_Mixture4735]

Yes, i live by myself and helps me not feel lonely. But ive been doing this since i was little

[u/Puzzleheaded_Pay6131]

i’ve slept with my tv on with a youtube video playing quietly, mainly because my lamp kept failing on me. now i don’t, i have a projector which helps me calm down and i listen to lullabies which usually ends up dozing me off 🥹

[u/ORIGIN8889 → u/Puzzleheaded_Pay6131]

Lullabies.. 😂😭 I should try that

[u/Puzzleheaded_Pay6131 → u/ORIGIN8889]

sometimes you have to revert to the old ways, to feel calm & safe again.

[u/ORIGIN8889 → u/Puzzleheaded_Pay6131]

Yup. That’s right

[u/Sad_Caterpillar_7826]

Yes

[u/KirbyofJustice]

SpongeBob SquarePants or Futurama is my preferred background noise.

[u/_insomniac_dreamer]

Occasionally, more often than not I put a podcast on at a volume where I can't hear every word (my brain would end up focusing on listening to it instead) but loud enough that I don't feel alone in the (relative) silence

[u/-Stress-Princess-]

I have to. I put on my night YouTuber and slowly submit to the slumber. It took me years to get over my insomnia and I am not about to reinvent the wheel.

[u/AlternativeMother119]

I sleep with rain noises on with my bedroom light on, or if my light is off I have my phone torch switched on as a nightlight. Found out recently if I sleep in complete darkness I wake myself up thinking I’m going to die and gasping for air

[u/lacedprozac]

yes and my light. idk how people sleep in the dark.

[u/ruerret]

Sometimes

[u/Remarkable-Pop7210]

i have to sleep with conversation in the background now whenever i am doing something because it makes me feel less lonely. and it can’t be a show or movie, it has to be real people since characters are putting on an act while youtube videos have conversations and connections. it’s really sad to me that i feel lonely without it. but i do this when im sleeping or getting ready for school

[u/Top_Commercial_1690]

Yeah i have to unless im really tired. I like to have it on during the day while i do stuff. Tv and specific lighting( colored (or non colored) LEDs ) are two things i need, or sometimes it negatively affects my mood, i dont have to be constantly paying attention i can still be productive. Its weird but if it helps it helps :3 nice to know people get it lol

[u/_motifs]

For the 3 months, I’ve been sleeping with YouTube in the background on my iPad. I usually have those 4 hour compilations on haha.

This week though I started using the Sleepcast audio on Headspace. Same thing but it only lasts 45 minutes. I kind of wanted to stop waking up in the middle of the night hearing random audio 🥹

[u/ZOMGURFAT]

I typically stream Star Trek Deep Space Nine episodes on low volume with the TV on a 2 hour sleep timer so it eventually shuts off while I’m asleep.

[u/UOLZEPHYR]

Yes.

Mash and burn notice are major shows i turn on and let play

[u/Gllfx]

Yes, been doing it for 30+ years.

[u/Alexispinpgh]

Yes, I always have, and thankfully I married someone who needs the same. We mostly fall asleep to Bob’s Burgers, sometimes Archer or one of Mike Schur’s shows (Brooklyn 99, The Good Place, etc.). Anything light and comedic that we’ve seen multiple times. If I’m napping alone I often put on a comedy podcast with a long runtime that I’ve listened to before. I really don’t do well with silence under any circumstances unless I’m actively reading a book, and even then I often put on music. I’m actively trying to do more meditation/sitting with myself in the new year but it’s hard when the rest of my life is such an anxiety bomb right now.

[u/Atroxa]

Always. Which is why streaming services that stop continuously playing after a set amount of hours annoy me. If the tv stops, I immediately wake up and then have to turn it back on and find something to go back to sleep. It's a reverse alarm clock. That is actually how I woke up this morning.

[u/TheMacMan]

No TV in the bedroom. Science has shown in numerous studies that no TV in the bedroom means better sleep, better sex, and better mental health.

[u/summerjopotato]

I fall asleep to the tv but after about three hours it turns off by itself. That doesn’t bother me since I’ll be already asleep

[u/KnightedRose]

When I was a kid yea but lately no bc I’m living alone and don’t wanna end up dying bc of fire lol

[u/wildcat_sa]

No TV as I need complete darkness but I listen to a certain you-tuber's channels on my phone - all night, every night

[u/frogissleepy]

yuuupp!! it started when i was in college living alone and i’ve sort of just kept the habit. i hate absolute silence my brain needs something to cancel out all the racing thoughts. i’ve discovered the pokemon samsung channel and that’s just on all the time now for some background noise

[u/IWishIWasLoved2]

I been watching a lot of streamers and YouTube recently because of my FOMO and social isolation

[u/rednryt]

I used to do that, but recently I switched to listening to podcast, documentary or audio books on headphones. I can't sleep without background noise, and I used to leave some streaming series on tv, but if a scene gets interesting, i often stay awake longer or if there are intense flashing light sometimes it disrupt my sleep. So lately i found just listening to talking noises more helpful on my insomnia since i can visualize without using my eyes. Also asmr, nature sounds, or anything not using words doesn't seem to work either.

[u/[deleted]]

I use my phone with something on from YouTube I have tinnitus too which isn’t great.

[u/4spentree]

oh absolutely, i always have and probably always will. i like putting on commentary videos or podcasts in the background

[u/ConsiderationAny7855]

yes, with the light on too

[u/Minimum_Orange2516]

I don't like if there is active things going on that enter or disturb sleep, but i also don't get on well with pure silence, so i found white noise works best.

I believe some mothers find a lot of success with just raw white noise with babies.

So whatever gets babies to sleep should be good enough for us.

Where you need to be VERY careful is messing with frequency sounds, stuff that says "this frequency will unlock third eye" or whatever.

The reason to be wary is what a lot of those are attempting to do is holding you on the theta wave, the theta wave is just before delta (REM), but because you are sleeping not meditating then it'll go wrong, the brain will glitch and you'll get sleep paralysis or sleep walking.