Visuals Can Help You Sleep

Have you ever used relaxing music or other audio to help you fall asleep? There are tons available on streaming services, podcasts, or for purchase to listen to on your phone or devices. But have you ever considered that visuals can help you sleep, all by themselves?

By visuals I mean anything from a still image like a photo or painting, to the view of the world out your bedroom window or the stars through a skylight, to an image or video you can watch on a screen. In particular, visuals featuring calming nature scenes signal to our brains that all is well, and help us relax and reduce stress, according to Psychology Today.

Close Your Eyes and Picture This

Guided imagery is a great way to use visuals to help you sleep, and we’ve shared some great examples in previous posts. But if you struggle with conjuring up the perfect nature scene or your own ideal happy place in your own mind, you may just need the little boost that viewing an image or video can give you. You just need to find one (or more!) that really resonates with you and makes you feel calm, relaxed, and hopefully, sleepy.

That’s where one of my favorite producers of relaxation media – Silent Rhythm – comes in. They not only make their soothing audios available on the major music streaming services, they also have a YouTube Channel with an amazing selection of videos.

So, yes, visuals can help you sleep!

The beauty of this and other YouTube channels is that you can watch the video with the sound low, or if you prefer, you can turn the volume completely off and watch the mesmerizing, slowly moving images by themselves until you fall asleep.

It isn’t true for everyone, but some people are just more sensitive to sounds and noise. Sometimes they can be distracting, or irritating, or even stress-inducing.

People who are hearing impaired or deaf will find it difficult or impossible to take advantage of the audio. But they certainly can watch a beautiful, flowing video until it lulls them to sleep.

Want to give it a try? Here’s one of my favorite visuals to fall asleep to when I need a little help closing my eyes. Good night!