YouTube has its own sleep timer. While a video is playing, open the player's Settings, tap Sleep timer and choose how long it should run. When time is up, the video pauses on its own. It started as a Premium perk but has been available to everyone since late 2024.
If you don't see it, or you'd rather use something that works with any app, your iPhone's Clock app and most smart TVs have their own timers. Here's how to set each one, and how long to set it for.
Does YouTube have a sleep timer?
Yes. YouTube tested a sleep timer with Premium subscribers in the summer of 2024, with options of 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes, or the end of the current video (9to5Google, 2024). In October 2024 it expanded the feature to all users (GSMArena, 2024), with a gradual rollout across the mobile apps, desktop browsers and smart TVs (Tom's Guide, 2024).
YouTube Help now has a "Set a sleep timer" page with instructions for Android, iPhone and iPad, and computer (YouTube Help).
How to set a sleep timer on YouTube (Android)
These are the steps YouTube gives for Android phones and tablets (YouTube Help):
- Start the video you want to fall asleep to.
- Tap Settings in the player.
- Tap Sleep timer.
- Choose how long the timer should run before the video pauses.
When the timer ends, the video pauses and you get a silent notification. To change the timer once it's running, repeat the same steps. If you're still awake, you can reset it.
How to set a YouTube sleep timer on iPhone and iPad
YouTube Help lists the sleep timer for iPhone and iPad too. Look for it in the same place: during a video, open the player's settings and find Sleep timer. If it isn't there, update the YouTube app.
One thing to know: background play, which keeps audio running with the screen off, is a YouTube Premium feature (YouTube Help). On the free plan, locking your phone stops the video, so you'll likely need to keep the app open while the timer runs, as Tom's Guide also notes. Turn the brightness all the way down and lay the phone face down.
Use the iPhone Clock app instead ("Stop Playing")
The iPhone has a sleep timer built into its Clock app, and it works with YouTube, podcasts, music and any other app that plays sound (Apple Support):
- Open the Clock app and tap Timer.
- Set the duration.
- Tap When Timer Ends, scroll to the bottom and tap Stop Playing.
- Tap Start, then go back to your video.
The timer keeps running if you switch apps or your iPhone goes to sleep. When it hits zero, playback stops instead of an alarm going off. Apple's steps here are from its iOS 15 guide; menu names may differ slightly on newer versions of iOS.
How to set a YouTube sleep timer on a computer
On desktop, the sleep timer sits in the video player's settings menu (9to5Google, 2024). Open the settings menu on the video and look for Sleep timer. If you fall asleep to a laptop, close other tabs so nothing else starts making noise.
Android without the YouTube timer: what Bedtime mode does
On Android, YouTube's own timer is the simplest option. Android's built-in sleep tools work differently, but two are worth knowing:
- Bedtime mode (Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > Bedtime mode) silences your phone and removes the screen's color at bedtime (Android Help). It can also turn on Do Not Disturb and switch the screen to grayscale. The help page doesn't describe it pausing what's playing, so don't count on it to stop a video.
- App timers (Settings > Digital Wellbeing > App timers) close an app and dim its icon when you've used up the time you set (Android Help). They count your total use for the day and reset at midnight, so they're a blunt tool for sleep. Use them only if YouTube's timer isn't available to you.
Pair YouTube's sleep timer with Bedtime mode and you get both: the video stops, and notifications stay quiet until morning.
How to set a sleep timer on a smart TV
YouTube's sleep timer was reported to be coming to smart TVs as part of the 2024 rollout (Tom's Guide, 2024). If you don't see it in the YouTube app on your TV, use the TV's own sleep timer, which turns the whole TV off. Most TVs have one in their settings, often under Time or System.
Samsung TVs
Go to Settings (All Settings) > General (General & Privacy) > System Manager > Time > Sleep Timer, then choose how long the TV should stay on, up to 180 minutes (Samsung). If the option is grayed out, Samsung suggests switching the TV source away from HDMI.
Roku TVs
Press Home, then go to Settings > System > Time > Sleep timer and pick 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours or 3 hours (Roku). While watching, you can also press the Star button and choose Sleep timer, or use a voice remote and say something like "set sleep timer for an hour."
On other brands, search your TV's manual or support site for "sleep timer." A bright TV screen also lights up the room, so if your TV has an option to turn the picture off while audio plays, it's worth looking for.
Why your timer should stop before the video ends
A sleep timer isn't just about saving battery. Stopping before the end avoids the two things most likely to wake you:
- End-of-video ads. YouTube can show ads after a video as well as before and during it (YouTube Help). If your timer pauses the video first, you never reach that point. Our guide to sleep videos without ads covers more fixes.
- Autoplay. When a video ends, autoplay can start another one, in a different style and at a different volume. On mobile, autoplay keeps going for up to 30 minutes of inactivity on a mobile network or 4 hours on Wi-Fi (YouTube Help). Turn it off with the Autoplay switch on the video player or in your profile settings.
Sound running all night can also be a problem in itself. Sleep researcher Alexander Sweetman told SBS News that bedrooms should be kept as quiet as possible, since sound during the night can wake people (SBS News, 2023). The simplest approach: pick a video that's longer than your timer, so the timer always ends things.
How long should you set a sleep timer for?
There's no official number, but how long sleep usually takes is a good guide. Falling asleep takes about 10 to 20 minutes on average, says Cleveland Clinic sleep psychologist Michelle Drerup, and still being awake 30 minutes or more after lights out can be a sign of insomnia (Cleveland Clinic).
So a timer of 30 minutes is a sensible starting point for most people: long enough to cover a normal wind-down, short enough that the room goes quiet soon after you're out. As a rule of thumb (not a medical guideline):
| If you usually fall asleep... | Try a timer of... |
|---|---|
| Within 15 minutes | 20 minutes |
| In about 15 to 30 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| After 30 minutes or more | 45 to 60 minutes, and see the note below |
If you're still wide awake after about 20 minutes, Mayo Clinic suggests getting out of bed and doing something relaxing, such as reading or listening to gentle music, then going back when you feel tired (Mayo Clinic). Restarting the timer again and again in bed turns a sleep aid back into screen time.
A quick bedtime setup
- Pick the video before bed, something long, slow and steady, and longer than your timer. Browse ASMR for sleep, no-talking ASMR or 3-hour-plus videos, or see our picks of the best ASMR for sleep.
- Press play while you're still up, so any opening ad plays before you lie down.
- Turn off autoplay.
- Set the sleep timer, in YouTube or your phone's Clock app.
- Lower the volume as far as you can while still hearing the details, and dim the screen.
- Put the phone face down and close your eyes.
Tingly Room can help with step 1: it's a free finder that sorts YouTube ASMR by trigger, voice, pace and length, so you can go straight to long, slow videos. Videos play in YouTube's official player, where the YouTube sleep timer works as usual.
If you have trouble falling asleep at least three nights a week for more than three months, and it affects your days, Cleveland Clinic advises talking to a doctor (Cleveland Clinic). A sleep timer helps with the setup; it isn't a fix for insomnia.
