User Experiences and Effects of Expert-Led YouTube Mind-Body Interventions on Insomniacs: A Survey Study

Abstract

Background

Behavioral and psychological therapies have been shown to be beneficial in insomnia treatment. YouTube, a video-based social media platform, has become the most widely used platform and is easily accessible to everyone. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of expert-led YouTube-delivered mind-body interventions (MBIs), including mindfulness, breathwork, and mental imagery, on sleep disturbance and user satisfaction.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed data from 411 users of expert-led YouTube-delivered MBIs who completed a questionnaire from November 20 to 27, 2021. The content of the videos had multicomponent approaches, including education on sleep hygiene and MBIs.

Results

Participants were mostly females (86.6%) and individuals in their 20s (59.1%). Most of the participants complained of difficulty falling asleep (91%), and 55.2% reported experiencing non-restorative sleep. After YouTube-delivered MBIs, significant improvements in sleep-onset latency, sleep maintenance, sleep quality, daytime dysfunction, and difficulty waking up in the morning (P < 0.001) were observed. Participants who had improved sleep quality complained of more severe insomnia with psychological stress. The 77% of users reported overall convenience and satisfaction with the platform.

Conclusion

This survey showed the effectiveness of YouTube-delivered MBIs developed by experts. The accessibility advantage of YouTube as a social media platform was effectively used, highlighting the need for future research to explore its practical applications in clinical settings.

Graphical Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Insomnia disorder, as outlined in the third edition of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders diagnostic manual, is characterized by trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking prematurely, leading to daytime impairments despite sufficient opportunity and conducive sleep conditions.1 Chronic insomnia development and persistence are significantly influenced by an array of maladaptive thoughts and behaviors.2 Given the pathomechanism of insomnia, cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) stands out as the foremost nonpharmacological approach for managing this condition.3

However, the widespread availability of CBT-I is constrained by a shortage of therapists and the limited accessibility of in-person treatment options. Numerous studies have explored the effectiveness of digital CBT-I (dCBT-I) in addressing insomnia. In particular, nearly 50% of evidence-based dCBT-I programs are currently covered by national health authorities, making them recommended or prescribed under local health insurance coverage. A recent meta-analysis thoroughly investigated various delivery formats, demonstrating that CBT-I, whether provided individually, in group sessions, or through digital platforms, consistently exhibited effectiveness, with or without support by therapists.4 The most recent network meta-analysis of the studies on CBT-I administrations demonstrated that individual face-to-face CBT-I and telehealth (via videoconference or phone call) were found to be the most effective.5 In contrast to our expectation, smartphone-applied CBT-I did not attain significant effects compared to the control.6

In 2014, a nationwide survey explored the ways in which young people use various digital technologies for health-related purposes, covering a broad spectrum of available media and devices.7 One in five respondents had utilized YouTube for health-related topics, surpassing the number of individuals using Facebook or Twitter for the same purpose. Among respondents with smartphones, 29% had downloaded a health app; however, nearly half of the individuals who had downloaded a health app indicated that they seldom or never used it.7 In another survey conducted in South West England during a 2017−2018 study, YouTube emerged as the leading source of health information, with 44% of participants stating that they use this platform.8 In a narrative review, health apps were deemed less useful among young people due to challenges such as struggling with the task of inputting information, feeling the urge to leave the phone switched on continuously and experiencing distractions, encountering technology not tailored for teenagers’ use, and expressing concerns about online privacy and the accuracy of the accessed information.9 Young people express a greater appreciation for connecting with peers and seeking emotional support and distress relief through YouTube, social media platforms, and online forums rather than relying on health apps.9 More than 60% of adults in the United States frequently use the Internet for health-related reasons.10 Individuals experiencing insomnia extensively search for solutions and assistance on the Internet and social media, gathering information about sleep health. YouTube, a video-based social media platform, has become the most widely used and easily accessible social media platform, easily accessible to everyone.11

However, a major concern for social media is that health-related materials on the Internet and social media are poor quality. A recent study discovered that the most popular videos on sleep and insomnia had a wide impact and were viewed by millions of people. Moreover, these videos typically featured bloggers rather than healthcare professionals.11 Considering individuals suffering from insomnia want to be helped by social media platforms like YouTube, expert-led content could serve as beneficial tools for those with insomnia. Several studies on health interventions using social media platforms, such as YouTube-delivered exercise interventions and social media-based mind-body interventions (MBIs), have demonstrated their effectiveness in improving both physical and mental health, including sleep quality.12,13 There is currently no study examining the effectiveness of expert-led YouTube-delivered interventions for individuals with sleep difficulties.

Recently, mindfulness-based interventions belonging to the third wave of CBT have been shown to be beneficial for insomnia treatment.3 Mindfulness-based interventions signify a transition from a focus on outcomes to an emphasis on the process. This change in metacognition is hypothesized to alleviate emotional distress by reshaping how one interacts with stressors, emphasizing a change in perception rather than altering the external environment or the source of stress.14 Recent studies have shown that mindfulness for insomnia is more effective for addressing mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, in individuals with insomnia compared to traditional CBT-I.15,16 In particular, smartphone apps for MBIs in insomnia have higher attrition rates than apps for CBT-I in several studies.17,18 MBIs rank among the most frequently used complementary health practices, and their popularity continues to surge.19 Mind-body approaches are essential components of mindfulness-based interventions.

Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of expert-led YouTube-delivered MBIs on sleep disturbances in people with poor sleep. Furthermore, this study aimed to assess user satisfaction in people with insomnia by analyzing survey data from participants who participated in expert-led YouTube content focused on MBIs.

METHODS

Participants and survey

This study retrospectively analyzed data obtained from a YouTube channel, “Brainer Jay’s Deep Sleep Guide,” which conducted a survey to gain insights into user demographics, patterns of sleep content utilization, and specific reasons for using YouTube-delivered content for sleep (e.g., to drift off to sleep, avoid waking up too soon, and achieve restful sleep). The goal was to improve the understanding of users’ sleep-related usage patterns and adherence and improve the efficacy of interventions in addressing sleep disturbances. Participants gave their digital consent before participating in the survey. An online survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted among users of expert-led YouTube-delivered videos who completed the questionnaire from November 20 to 27, 2021. In this analysis, we included individuals who were 1) aged ≥ 18 years and 2) had used our YouTube videos at least once to address their sleep problems among the participants who participated in the survey. We excluded individuals who answered 'no' to the question “Have you ever experienced any sleep issues in the past?” This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the CHA Medical Center.

A 38-item self-rated questionnaire was designed by referring to validated questionnaires, the Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index20 and the Sleep Health Index21 to investigate the correlation between Koreans’ sleep health and their behavioral patterns of using YouTube-based sleep content on a daily basis. The survey was uploaded with an electronic form (Google Forms) via a YouTube channel with the biggest number of population in Korea (> 700,000 subscribers) among social media focusing solely on sleep health (YouTube channel: “Brainer Jay’s Deep Sleep Guide” (Established in 2018) https://www.youtube.com/@DeepSleepGuide).

The survey items consisted of quantitative and qualitative multiple choice or descriptive questions (Supplementary Data 1). These included demographics, medical history, sleep patterns, major sleep complaints, comorbid or underlying symptoms, thoughts about sleep health, subjective sleep quality, and a variety of inquiries relevant to psychological and behavioral changes before and after consuming sleep content for a certain period. Subjects had used sleep content for a duration of “less than a month” to “more than 2 years” with a frequency ranging from “monthly” to “daily.” This study followed the CHERRIES checklist guidelines to address essential items, such as survey design, informed consent processes, and data handling, to improve the reliability and reproducibility of the e-survey results.

Contents of videos

The content was designed and produced as a sleep aid for Koreans with sleep difficulties by experts in collaboration with sleep medicine doctors (Jung-Won Shin, Hyeyun Kim), an internationally accredited meditation teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience (Jaesung Yoo), a classical music producer, a sound engineer, and others. Each piece of content was developed based on scientific evidence (at least 5−30 research references) and delivered on YouTube with functionally different categories such as sleep coaching (e.g., sleep hygiene education), bedtime-guided relaxation therapies (e.g., mindfulness, breathwork, imagery, myofunctional therapy), and neoclassical music with sleep-friendly designed soundscapes (e.g., strings with brown-noise rain sounds, calm piano on minor scales with beach ambience).

Bedtime sleep meditation routines

Various relaxation therapies, such as mindfulness, breathing, imagery, and autogenic training, are used as a bedtime routine for 15−20 minutes. Every piece of content is evidence based (e.g., Buteyko breathing for insomnia with asthma and apnea, self-guided deep touch therapy for relieving anxiety and stress, slow-paced breathing for improving heart rate variability and balance in the autonomic nervous system) and delivered by an internationally and nationally certified trainer.

Bedtime stories & soundscapes

Passive mental imagery techniques can be used with a series of sleep-friendly sounds and neoclassical music (rather than vocally guided imagery) as sleep aids. It includes various kind of broadband noises and narrative-based soundscapes that help users immersed in the flow of the story with sounds rather than into their intrusive thoughts or emotions (e.g., sleeping in first class on an airplane for travel, walking on the trail of snow in a small village, and sleeping on a hammock at the peaceful beach).

Bedtime entrainment stimulation

Auditory stimulation may help to synchronize the user’s brain waves, respiratory rates, and/or heartbeats to calm, relaxed, and sleepful states. Evidence of this is based on open-loop auditory stimulation (non-phase-locked auditory stimulation), cardio audio synchronization, auditory beat stimulation, and brainwave entrainment using binaural/monaural beats or isochronic tones.22

Bedtime music therapy

Music therapy may be beneficial for people with insomnia accompanied by psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and burnout. It consists of guided meditation followed by a gentle song of the vocalist combined with sentimental music that helps alleviate emotional distress.

Statistical analysis

SPSS (version 22.0; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for data analysis. Continuous variables were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD), and comparisons between pre-intervention and post-intervention were performed using independent t-tests. Categorical data were analyzed using the χ² test and Fisher’s exact test.

RESULTS

Clinical characteristics and patterns of usage

Between November 20th and 27, 2021, 411 participants completed the survey. After excluding participants who did not provide consent for research purposes (n = 2) and those who did not report any subjective sleep complaints (n = 28), the final dataset consisted of responses from 411 subjects.

The participants consisted mainly of females (86.6%). Among the users, individuals in their 20s comprised the largest group (59.1%), followed by those in their 10s (18.2%), 30s (16.1%), 40s (4.6%), and 50s (1.9%). Fig. 1 illustrates the symptoms, severity, and duration of sleep disturbance in participants. Half of the total participants reported difficulty falling asleep with instability in maintaining sleep or experiencing early awakening (50%), while 41% of participants only complained of difficulty falling asleep; 70.3% had a duration of sleep problems lasting more than a year and 66.4% rated their sleep problems as severe. Some of the participants reported experiencing other sleep problems, including snoring (15.1%), sleep paralysis (19.7%), nightmares (29.9%), daytime sleepiness (22.4%), parasomnia (5.6%), and restless legs (16.8%); 6.3% had psychiatric disorders, including panic disorders, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, 1.5% had other medical comorbidities, such as chronic pain, thyroid disease, and tinnitus, which could potentially affect symptoms of insomnia; 17% of the participants had reported taking hypnotics and herbal medications, while only 6.1% had received psychological counseling for insomnia. Most participants (60.8%) indicated that the causes of their insomnia-related symptoms were both psychological stress and poor sleep hygiene; 28.7% answered that their symptoms were due solely to psychological stress, 9% to poor sleep hygiene, and 1.5% stated they had no identifiable causes of their insomnia-related symptoms. Most of the participants had used YouTube content for a duration of 1−2 years (47%), followed by 6 months to 1 year (25%), 3 months to 6 months (10%), > 2 years (8%), 1−3 months (7%), and < 1 month (3%). Of the 411 participants, 126 (24.7%) reported using it daily, 108 participants (21.1%) used it at least three to five times a week, 19.2% used the platform more than five times a week, and 11.7% used it one to three times a week. A significant majority of users (77%) reported overall convenience and satisfaction with the platform.

Fig. 1. Characteristics of the symptoms of insomnia in participants.

Changing in insomnia-related symptoms after using YouTube

Fig. 2 shows the changes in the insomnia-related symptoms of participants following YouTube-delivered MBIs. After YouTube-delivered MBIs, significant improvements were observed in sleep-onset latency, sleep maintenance, daytime dysfunction, and difficulty waking up in the morning (P < 0.001). Participants rated their sleep quality on a scale of 0 to 10, where a score close to 0 indicated poor sleep quality and a score close to 10 indicated good sleep quality. The average sleep quality scale showed improvement after interventions (pre-intervention, mean ± SD, 4.08 ± 1.08; post-intervention, mean ± SD, 8.12 ± 1.13; P < 0.001).

Fig. 2. Changing of daytime and nighttime sleep characteristics.

Pre-I = pre-intervention, Post-I = post-intervention.

We compared the clinical features and YouTube usage patterns of participants who experienced improvement in sleep quality and those who did not. An improvement in sleep quality after the intervention was defined as an increase of ≥ 4 points in the sleep quality score after use compared to the score before use. Participants who experienced an improvement in sleep quality after using YouTube-delivered MBIs exhibited more severe symptoms of insomnia, including difficulties falling asleep with arousal symptoms during sleep, and insomnia-related symptoms attributed to psychological stress. They used YouTube content more frequently and actively applied the techniques they learned from the content, such as meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, visualization, and sleep exercise therapy, to their daily routines, compared to those who showed no improvement (Table 1).

Table 1. Comparisons of clinical characteristics and content usage between participants with and without improvement in sleep quality.

Characteristics			Improving	Not or slightly improving	P value
Participants			268 (65.2)	143 (34.8)
Baseline characteristics
	Female		236 (88.1)	120 (83.9)	0.287
	Ages				0.897
		10s	47 (17.5)	28 (19.6)
		20s	162 (60.4)	81 (56.6)
		30s	43 (16.0)	23 (16.1)
		40s	11 (4.1)	8 (5.6)
		50s	5 (1.9)	3 (2.1)
	Sleep quality scores
		Pre-intervention	3.313 ± 0.938	5.840 ± 1.890	< 0.001*
		Post-intervention	8.31 ± 0.938	7.78 ± 1.350	< 0.001*
	Symptoms of insomnia				0.011*
		Challenges falling asleep	102 (38.1)	67 (46.9)
		Inability to maintain sleep or early morning wakefulness	11 (4.1)	9 (6.3)
		Both of them	149 (55.6)	58 (40.6)
	Severity of insomnia				< 0.001*
		Very mild	2 (0.7)	2 (1.4)
		Mild	11 (4.1)	15 (10.5)
		Moderate	58 (21.6)	50 (35.0)
		Slightly severe	154 (57.5)	65 (46.2)
		Severe	43 (16.0)	10 (7.0)
	Causes of insomnia				0.001*
		Psychological stress	84 (31.3)	34 (23.8)
		Poor sleep hygiene	16 (6.0)	21 (13.7)
		Both of them	167 (62.3)	83 (53.0)
	Duration of insomnia				0.877
		< 1 mon	4 (1.5)	3 (2.1)
		1–3 mon	16 (6.0)	9 (6.3)
		3–6 mon	12 (4.5)	8 (5.6)
		6 mo–1 yr	44 (16.4)	26 (18.2)
		1–5 yr	124 (46.3)	69 (48.3)
		5–10 yr	42 (15.7)	19 (13.3)
		> 10 yr	26 (9.7)	9 (6.3)
	Taking hypnotics and herbal medication		52 (19.4)	18 (12.6)	0.098
	Receiving psychological counseling for insomnia		19 (7.1)	6 (4.2)	0.285
Usage of YouTube-delivered sleep intervention contents
	Period of use				0.991
		< 1 mon	8 (3.0)	5 (3.5)
		1–3 mon	19 (7.1)	9 (6.3)
		3–6 mon	27 (10.1)	15 (10.5)
		6 mon–1 yr	65 (24.3)	38 (26.6)
		1–2 yr	127 (47.4)	65 (45.5)
		> 2 yr	22 (8.1)	11 (7.7)
	Frequencies of usage				0.045*
		Less than once a month	1 (0.4)	2 (1.4)
		Twice to three times a month	5 (1.9)	5 (3.5)
		Once a week	4 (1.5)	2 (1.4)
		Once to three times a week	35 (13.1)	25 (17.5)
		Three to five times a week	62 (23.1)	46 (32.2)
		More than five times a week	67 (25)	31 (21.7)
		Daily	94 (35.1)	32 (22.4)
	Convenience of use				0.724
		Satisfied	184 (68.7)	94 (65.7)
		Average	74 (27.6)	42 (29.4)
		Unsatisfied	10 (3.7)	7 (4.9)
	Actively using what you learn in sleep techniques (meditation, yoga, breathing, visualization, sleep exercise therapy, etc.) in your usual		213 (79.5)	99 (69.2)	0.029*

Values are presented as mean ± standard deviation or number (%).

^*P < 0.05.

DISCUSSION

Our study analyzed a survey of subscribers to YouTube-delivered MBIs that had multicomponent approaches, including education on sleep hygiene, other mindfulness-based relaxation techniques (bedtime sleep meditation routine, bedtime stories & soundscapes), and music therapy. This is the first study to report the use of mindfulness-based expert-led YouTube content for sleep among the general population. First, in the survey, the majority of users were predominantly young and females. The most prevalent type of sleep disturbance reported was difficulty falling asleep with sleep maintenance or early morning waking up, and the most common cause of insomnia-related symptoms was found to be a combination of psychological stress and poor sleep hygiene. After using YouTube content, the proportion of participants (approximately 70% of the total participants) experiencing positive changes in sleep characteristics, such as increased sleep duration, decreased sleep latency, and improved sleep maintenance without arousal were observed to increase. Furthermore, the proportion of participants (approximately 60−80%) who showed improvement in daytime symptoms, such as difficulty waking up in the morning and daytime fatigue, also increased. Second, participants were categorized into two groups (those with and without improvement in sleep quality) based on their self-reported sleep scores for sleep quality (ranging from very poor = 0 to very good = 10). Among the total of participants, 65.2% showed a significant improvement in sleep quality, defined as an increased score of > 4 points compared to their baseline score. This group exhibited more severe insomnia symptoms and the duration of their symptoms was longer than that of those who had no or only slightly improved sleep quality in terms of baseline characteristics. Participants with severe insomnia initially reported that their sleep quality was very poor, indicating that there could be a substantial difference in their sleep quality scores after using YouTube. However, after using YouTube content, it can be observed that the sleep quality of this group improved more than that of those who had mild symptoms of insomnia.

In a recent cross-sectional survey of 12,151 users of the popular meditation app Calm, over two-thirds of participants indicated that they began using the Calm app to enhance their sleep, and more than half reported experiencing relief symptoms of anxiety or depression.23 There are several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that have investigated the feasibility and efficacy of smartphone apps or web-based platforms on mindfulness.18,24,25 In recent RCTs using Calm app, during the intervention period, participants in the meditation group showed greater improvement in symptoms of anxiety and depression,24 and another study employing audio resources, such as narrated stories and music, available on the Unmind app, demonstrated significant enhancements in sleep disturbance, with effect sizes falling within the large range, and self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, alongside difficulties in work and daily functioning, as well as overall mental well-being, exhibited effect sizes within the medium range.18 Another study, which used audio CDs, was conducted as a 12-week, in-home MBI. The focus was on relaxation and guided imagery with the goal of promoting stress management among 30 African-American pregnant women.26 The intervention consisted of three distinct audio CDs, each lasting 20 to 30 minutes, containing tutorials on relaxation and guided imagery. The participants reported significant perceived benefits, such as heightened relaxation abilities, reduced stress levels, alleviation of anxiety, and improved ease of falling and staying asleep.26 In our study, participants reported not only improving sleep disturbance but also their daytime fatigue. In addition, participants who experienced an improvement in sleep quality after using YouTube-delivered MBIs reported more insomnia symptoms related to psychological stress than those who did not or had only a slight improvement. Mindfulness meditation aids individuals in distancing themselves from daily concerns, reducing repetitive thinking, and promoting focus on breath and bodily relaxation, thereby reducing pre-sleep arousal levels.27 In our study, YouTube contents include narrated sleep programs and meditations specifically designed to enhance sleep, featuring relaxing music and soundscapes that could divert attention from the cognitive processes that hinder sleep onset, such as worrying about sleep, vigilance, or obsessing over potential threats. Additionally, several recent studies have shown that mindfulness-based interventions for insomnia are more effective in patients with insomnia who have poor mental health.15,16 Moreover, mind-body approaches could serve as more acceptable and accessible alternatives to traditional mental health treatments, especially for individuals facing disadvantages who might not otherwise seek or receive conventional mental health care.28

In this survey, the participants expressed very high satisfaction and found it convenient. A similar outcome was observed in a recent study that assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of audio resources available in the Unmind app. Unmind is a digital platform tailored for working adults that aims to assess, address, and enhance their mental health and overall well-being. It is based on evidence-based practices such as CBT, mindfulness meditation, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In this study, 82.1% expressed satisfaction, rating their intervention as either “satisfied” or “very satisfied,” while 84.3% rated their intervention as “good” or “excellent.”18 This aligns closely with earlier interventions assessed using the Unmind MHapp.29 Many adults who do not have a diagnosed insomnia disorder complain of sleep difficulties. There has been a notable increase in demand, accessibility, and media attention around standalone interventions, both before and during sleeping hours.23 Considering our study and other studies that have used mindfulness-based interventions without structural interventions and standalone tools, it seems might be more feasible than dCBT-I. Compared to CBT delivered through apps and other structured interventions, standalone tools may offer a more user-friendly experience because they do not require active learning or a substantial time commitment. This may represent a significant advantage in using social media platforms such as YouTube. In a survey conducted on Calm app users, it was found that more than 20% of individuals experiencing poor sleep or insomnia reported using Calm specifically for sleep when faced with acute or immediate sleep disturbances. This suggests the need for more research on the effects of using meditation apps as needed.23

Interestingly, both the Calm app survey and our study demonstrated that the frequency of app usage, as well as the active application of learned sleep techniques (meditation, yoga, breathing, visualization, sleep exercise therapy, etc.) in participants' regular routines, were associated with a higher probability of reporting alterations in mental health and sleep, as well as improved sleep quality. Considering that social media, especially YouTube, is easily accessible to many people, our YouTube-delivered MBIs can potentially be more beneficial than the structured education and treatment of dCBT-I. Additionally, as mindfulness meditation was originally developed as a program for daily use rather than specifically for bedtime, freely incorporating meditation techniques learned on YouTube into everyday life can significantly contribute to improving sleep disruptions.

There are some limitations to this study. First, the outcome variables before and after the MBI intervention were measured simultaneously using a single survey, which may have introduced several potential biases. These include response shift bias, hindsight bias, measurement timing bias, halo effect, and lack of temporal clarity. Such biases may influence participants’ self-reported perceptions, as they may reinterpret their baseline state considering post-intervention effects or may be influenced by the timing and format of the survey. Future studies should consider using separate time-specific assessments to improve temporal clarity and reduce the influence of these biases. Second, the participants were not precisely diagnosed with insomnia; they only reported poor sleep and their clinical features varied. Some participants complained of other sleep symptoms associated with sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and sleep paralysis. However, considering that most of the participants reported insomnia-related symptoms, including difficulty falling asleep when lying in bed, it is likely that they had insomnia or insomnia concomitant with other sleep disorders. In addition, the duration of YouTube content usage, periods of insomnia symptoms, and the use of hypnotics or psychological counseling varied, resulting in heterogeneity. The survey included patients with acute and chronic insomnia. However, we demonstrated the effectiveness of YouTube content for both groups. Considering that in the Calm app survey, some people used the app for acute insomnia symptoms and, as needed, the broad applicability of our content and its lower adoption barriers compared to more structured interventions could prove beneficial as an early intervention, potentially preventing mild issues from escalating into chronic insomnia disorder. A few participants received hypnotics or psychological counseling, but we found no significant differences between the improved and non-improved groups. However, we did not include detailed questions about hypnotic use or psychological counseling. YouTube-delivered MBIs may serve as additional support for patients aiming to reduce or discontinue hypnotics and may also provide additional benefits alongside psychological counseling. More research is required to explore this issue. Third, this study lacked a standardized protocol for MBIs, specifically regarding the frequency and duration of participants’ engagement with YouTube content. Without a structured approach to monitor the “dose” of MBI exposure, such as tracking the exact time spent or the number of sessions completed, it is challenging to determine a dose-response effect. This limitation restricts our ability to evaluate how different levels of engagement impact study outcomes, which could influence the interpretation of the results. Future research should implement specific usage protocols and track participant adherence to gain a clearer understanding of the effects of varying MBI doses. Fourth, the participants in this survey were predominantly female and young, which may limit the generalizability of the findings across different populations. In other apps-based studies, a similar trend was observed, with a dominant representation of females and age groups that typically ranged from their 20s to 40s. These findings suggest that younger age groups find YouTube usage more accessible than older individuals, and that women may face greater susceptibility to developing sleep difficulties than men.9,30 We confirmed that YouTube content was feasible for these specific groups; however, additional research endeavors could strive to enlist study participants from diverse demographic backgrounds. RCTs are required to ascertain the effectiveness of YouTube-based MBIs in enhancing sleep among individuals experiencing sleep disturbances, including those diagnosed with insomnia.

Through this survey, we confirmed that expert-led YouTube-delivered MBIs can be helpful tools for individuals with sleep disturbance. Considering people’s easy access to and familiarity with social media, especially YouTube, this could be a useful application. Specifically, this tool appears to present fewer obstacles to acceptance compared to more rigid interventions, such as CBT-I, and may be beneficial for individuals with low motivation or psychological stress, as it does not require focused attention or the acquisition of new skills. This tool is notable for its ease of use. Individuals with sleep disturbances might be able to use this program on YouTube as needed and apply it in their daily lives, potentially helping prevent the aggravation of insomnia symptoms and the progression to chronic conditions. Strategies promoting the use of expert-led YouTube videos featuring sleep experts could enhance their wide availability, which in turn contributes to socioeconomic benefits.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Supplementary Data 1

Survey questions