# Your insomniac/bored/anxious Youtube video choices **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2023, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514 "2023-02-09T05:05:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/1 "2023-02-09T05:05:23Z")
You probably know the feeling. It’s 2am-ish, and you can’t sleep. Or you’re just bored, or a little anxious. Maybe watching a quickie video on YouTube would help settle your brain? Below are my go-to types of YouTube videos in such moments. What are yours? 1. Cat videos, of course. I’m partial to Jackson Galaxy and #tinykitten. 2. Geology stuff. USGS videos about earthquakes, GeologyHub, and random videos about Mt. St. Helens and the like are great. 3. Disaster and exploration-gone-wrong videos. I like Scary Interesting, for example. Tsunami videos work as well. 4. Late night monologues. Steve Colbert, John Oliver, etc. 5. Cooking shows! Everything from Emmy Made in Japan to Hillbilly Kitchen stuff (which I like despite knowing the woman who does it is doubtless a bible-thumping Trump supporter - hey, it food can’t bring us together, then nothing can). What are YOUR go-to Youtube video categories? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/2 "2023-02-09T06:01:01Z")
People of Walmart ---
**Author:** ![superwombat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superwombat/32/16616_2.png) [@superwombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superwombat)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/3 "2023-02-09T06:17:30Z")
Space documentaries with floaty spacey music and a soft-toned British narrator ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/4 "2023-02-09T06:25:54Z")
I can’t say I’ve been up watching videos at 2am due to anxiety or _inability_ to sleep, but as for boredom, - music (I don’t bother _watching_ the videos though) - funny clips from cartoons I like (here’s one from tonight: [Speed Racer out of context](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWnXFpkIszE)) - really old animated shorts, like Max Fleischer or Tex Avery stuff ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/5 "2023-02-09T06:27:39Z")
Can’t go wrong with this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qYtrnr4chfU/maxresdefault.jpg "Legend of Zelda - Main Theme on Marimba") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYtrnr4chfU) Or literally anything from Josh Turner Guitar [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Xy1nPA9tBjQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Sloop John B - Beach Boys Cover (Live From The Bus)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy1nPA9tBjQ) . [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JZEh8Atd1ic/maxresdefault.jpg "Black Water - Doobie Brothers (Josh Turner Cover feat. Reina del Cid, Toni Lindgren, Carson McKee)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZEh8Atd1ic) . [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1T3B502Ut94/maxresdefault.jpg "Stuck In The Middle With You - Cover (Feat. Reina and Toni)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T3B502Ut94) > [@superwombat](#): > > Space documentaries with floaty spacey music and a soft-toned British narrator With that kind of stuff, late at night, just a soothing voice and a mindless documentary (short or long) is great. Weird History, Plainly Difficult or Top Fives work. Anything from (almost) any of Simon Whistler’s channels. Company Man can be interesting as well as Wendover Productions/Half As Interesting and Free Documentary. But one of my favorites for just laying down, half asleep is South Main Auto. While I enjoy the subject matter and I like the way he presents it, he’s one of those people that, for whatever reason, I could listen to him talk all day. Same with Dave Grohl. ETA, but seriously, that Zelda clip. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/6 "2023-02-09T06:50:35Z")
Most of my youtube bookmarks are in the machinist and woodworking categories. Also antique/vintage stuff restoration. But to be honest, many of the the restoration videos piss me off because they don’t do it the way I would. > **[Clickspring](https://www.youtube.com/c/clickspring)** > > I'm Chris from Clickspring, and I create home machine shop project videos with a focus on clock making technology. Join me as I make an authentic replica of The Antikythera Mechanism from raw metal stock, as well as a wide selection of tools for use... [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ian6CXeFUYc/maxresdefault.jpg "1871 Candy Drop Roller Restoration - Thomas Mills") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ian6CXeFUYc) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/7 "2023-02-09T06:54:24Z")
Taskmaster. Watching people creatively problem-solve engages my own creative problem-solving and quiets the internal nattering on whatever other problem I’ve been stewing about. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/8 "2023-02-09T12:45:29Z")
Boat ramp videos (Miami Boat Ramps, Paige&Kevin, Haulover, etc). Tow trucker. Josh Turner and his friends. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/9 "2023-02-09T12:59:24Z")
Unboxing videos. Something very soothing about watching people take things - usually sneakers, in the ones I watch - out of packaging, examine them, then present them. There’s one in particular, a young guy called Saymonte, that I have watched probably 20 times. Can’t explain why, but this video always puts me to sleep. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Wp20WsFqIog/maxresdefault.jpg "GREATEST SOLE SUPREMACY BEATER BOX EVER YEEZY RED OCTOBER (@SAYMONTE)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp20WsFqIog&t=616s) > [@Cervaise](#): > > Taskmaster. > > Watching people creatively problem-solve engages my own creative problem-solving and quiets the internal nattering on whatever other problem I’ve been stewing about. Another _Taskmaster_ fan! I’m currently binge watching all the seasons of _TM_ on YouTube. Out of order, although I generally stick with one series at a time. I like the show for introducing me to comedians I’ve never before heard of, like Fern “Oh, nooooo!” Brady and Rose Matafeo. Plus the sheer surreal psychopathy of Sally Phillips and Rhod Gilbert. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/10 "2023-02-09T13:15:48Z")
This is my all-time favorite YouTube channel for insomnia or anytime, really. > **[Travel Live Around the World with Relaxing Music - Armchair Travel](https://www.youtube.com/live/9YFaPyJ2dqQ?feature=share)** > > Live cameras, timelapse and weather from around the world is produced by Boston and Maine Live. I hope you enjoy the views! The camera sequencing is done u... Webcams around the world. There are several of these channels, but this [Boston and Maine Live] is the best one IMHO. Over 100 locations-- some added, some dropped from time to time. There’s a world map up in the left corner of the screen with a red dot to tell you where you are in the world. I’ve been watching it for a couple of years so I’m familiar with most of the locations. I’ve watched it at all times of the day and night, both here and there. I’ve seen the snow come and the Christmas decorations go up. Then the snow melts and everything turns green. Rain, fog, big crowds, empty streets, northern/southern hemispheres, north pole, beaches in Thailand, Mt. Fuji, downtown St. Petersburg, an albatross sitting on her nest, Sydney, Venice, Times Square-- it’s mesmerizing. Give it a look and I’m pretty sure you’ll want to save it to watch later, especially on sleepless nights. There’s some innocuous background music, but I usually keep the volume turned way down. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/11 "2023-02-09T13:21:16Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Taskmaster. I’ve been living on a steady diet of Taskmaster, Would I Lie To You, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Big Fat Quz and probably a few others for the last year or so. > [@Cervaise](#): > > Watching people creatively problem-solve engages my own creative problem-solving and quiets the internal nattering on whatever other problem I’ve been stewing about I do love the whole lateral thinking thing. I mean, even if someone is doing because they’re being a smart ass, it’s still an idea they had to come up with. Do you have to throw something the furthest distance into a bucket? Why not take the shotgun approach and start lobbing handfuls of gravel at it? Need to get a ball in the hole without touching it? Well, the card didn’t say you’re not allowed to move _the hole_. > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Another _Taskmaster_ fan! I’m currently binge watching all the seasons of _TM_ on YouTube. Out of order, although I generally stick with one series at a time. I started with compilations. I can still tell you the two that got me hooked was “Taskmaster contestants that woke up and chose violence” and “contestants that understood the rules”. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lVfktXzuHgo/maxresdefault.jpg "Contestants Who Woke Up And Chose Violence | Taskmaster") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVfktXzuHgo) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6Rkpx2ypimk/maxresdefault.jpg "Contestants Who Understood The Assignment | Taskmaster") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rkpx2ypimk) > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > I like the show for introducing me to comedians I’ve never before heard of, like Fern “Oh, nooooo!” Brady and Rose Matafeo. Plus the sheer surreal psychopathy of Sally Phillips and Rhod Gilbert. If you haven’t seen Would I Lie To You, 8 Out Of 10 Cats or Big Fat Quiz, they’re all worth watching. It’s fun to see how quickly these comedians can come up with jokes when you have them all in a room together. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/12 "2023-02-09T14:20:17Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > If you haven’t seen Would I Lie To You, 8 Out Of 10 Cats or Big Fat Quiz, they’re all worth watching. It’s fun to see how quickly these comedians can come up with jokes when you have them all in a room together. Man, you are preaching to the choir. Don’t really like _8 Out Of 10 Cats_ for some reason, but I watch the spinoff _8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown_ all the time. As well as _WILTY_, _Big Fat Quiz_, and _Mock The Week_. That’s why I know so many more British than American comedians - I can only name about five or six American stand-ups, compared to 30 or 40 Brits. _Big Fat Quiz_ has convinced me that Alex Horne and the _Taskmaster_ producers have _got_ to get Richard Ayoade for a series; can you imagine? Especially if he gets teamed up with some cloudcuckoolander like Bob Mortimer or Mike Wozniak; we’ve already seen how funny it is when he’s matched with Noel Fielding. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/13 "2023-02-09T14:49:47Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Cooking shows! Everything from Emmy Made in Japan to Hillbilly Kitchen stuff Chopped is my favorite show for curing insomnia. Ted Allen’s voice is soothing, and the format of the show is just right for relaxing at bedtime and falling asleep. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/14 "2023-02-09T15:38:41Z")
I do random searches on [music genre] from [foreign country] . Mostly surf music and rockabilly for me. Something always comes up and I’ve discovered some wonderful stuff like Psychedelic music (Cumbia) in Peru from the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/15 "2023-02-09T16:04:43Z")
I like to watch Black people listen to Rage Against the Machine for the first time. The look on their faces as they start realizing what the lyrics are about - priceless. I watch the Try Guys. I have to admit, while I don’t really care about Ned Fulmer, both the volume and the quality of the videos on the channel has vastly decreased since The Ned Affair. Perhaps they’re still in a transition period, but it’s been close to 6 months now. Other than that, looking at my YT subscriptions, I watch a lot of PC gaming. Some of it is games I’m interested in, some of it is games I want to see the gameplay but I don’t necessarily want actually to play the game, but most of it is just content creators that I find entertaining. They play both mainstream and random off-the-wall games and I enjoy watching them play and comment and interact. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/16 "2023-02-09T16:23:46Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Don’t really like _8 Out Of 10 Cats_ for some reason, but I watch the spinoff _8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown_ all the time. That’s what I meant. I don’t think I’ve watched the actual version. > [@DCnDC](#): > > I like to watch Black people listen to Rage Against the Machine for the first time. The look on their faces as they start realizing what the lyrics are about - priceless. Brad and Lex have done a number of RATM songs. Lex really gets into these reaction videos and I suspect she has a background in music based on the way she talks about songs, even one’s she’s unfamiliar with. I could watch her listening to music all day. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8zL1t4DnAhw/maxresdefault.jpg "First Time Hearing RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE 🎵 Killing in the Name Reaction") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zL1t4DnAhw) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/17 "2023-02-09T16:36:30Z")
I’m glad I started this thread as I think I’m going to enjoy a lot of the videos mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/18 "2023-02-09T16:40:11Z")
I fall down YouTube rabbit holes for British comedy; I think pretty much every episode of _8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown_ is on there, as well as themed clip collections and 24-hour best-of streams. I also watch a lot of Guy Fieri triple-D (even though I’m an insanely picky eater and likely wouldn’t eat 99% of what gets prepared…it still looks amazing). I’m oten watching that stuff on my iPad as I drift off to sleep, or if I’m up in the wee hours. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/19 "2023-02-09T16:49:14Z")
Mine are Daily Dose of Internet, Puro Fail, Steve Lehto, Daily Humor, and the Hydraulic Press Channel. I sometimes like to watch live cams especially Gettysburg LiveCam for birds, Jackson Hole live to watch for traffic violators and Santa’s Village in Norway to watch people doing things outside in ridiculously cold weather. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514/20 "2023-02-09T17:35:25Z")
I enjoy Wristwatch Revival, an amateur (but _very_ well equipped!) watchmaker who takes apart and services old, damaged, or neglected watches while explaining how they work, what he’s doing, and what’s wrong that he’s fixing. If you have any sort of mechanical aptitude you’re likely to find these fascinating, but according to the comments, lots of other folks find them engaging, too. You wouldn’t think that 45-55 minute videos would hold your interest, but they almost always do for me, although I have occasionally dozed off, which may be more to the point of this thread. > **[Wristwatch Revival](https://www.youtube.com/@WristwatchRevival)** > > I'm Marshall, I love watches and found a passion for watchmaking. I like to find broken or neglected vintage watches and bring them back to life, restoring history and letting someone enjoy them for years to come. I'm not a watchmaker by trade, but I... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-insomniac-bored-anxious-youtube-video-choices/979514.md?page=2)