Making money while you sleep may seem easy but it can be tricky in reality

Web Desk

21st Aug, 2023. 12:25 pm
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If you’ve been exploring comfortable ways to earn income, you might consider trying out “sleep streaming,” a novel trend where individuals broadcast live footage of themselves beneath the covers on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch, leading to the potential to make thousands of dollars.

Nevertheless, despite the attractive financial gains, engaging in this occupation may impact your mental health and overall well-being, based on the experiences shared by existing sleep streamers who have encountered the mixed realities of this emerging trend.

Renowned Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who recently faced charges of inciting a US riot, managed to accumulate tens of thousands of dollars by sleeping during a continuous month-long stream in March. Similarly, streamer Amouranth revealed that she can earn up to $15,000 from a single sleep stream.

Streamers believe that this trend offers viewers a sense of community and entertainment while creating a platform for them to fall asleep in the virtual presence of others.

The concept of observing someone sleeping has been around since the early 2000s, with the reality show “Big Brother” gaining a large online audience through its 24-hour live streams that captured housemates sleeping.

In 2004, the National Portrait Gallery even released a one-hour video of footballer David Beckham sleeping.

In recent months, various sleep streams have emerged, where viewers pay to keep streamers awake by triggering loud noises, alerts, flickering lights, or other disruptions, resembling interactive video game scenarios where the streamer is striving to fall asleep.

Sleepfluencers like Jakey Boehm and StanleyMov have embraced this trend of earning money by staying awake, enabling them to cover their expenses.

Despite the relatively easy income, StanleyMov highlights the challenges streamers face in catering to viewers’ demands.

“When I do sleep streams, it’s often to create content for YouTube afterwards. Getting zapped becomes content for the channel,” he explained.

“Some people might have a fascination with seeing others in discomfort or pain. It’s almost like a primal instinct.”

However, StanleyMov mentioned that he’s currently taking a break from this trend due to concerns about mental health and burnout. He emphasized that he handles all aspects of his content creation himself, which has added substantial pressure over the years.

Is this seemingly straightforward moneymaking trend worth the struggle?

Dr. Lindsay Browning, a sleep expert and author of the self-help book “Navigating Sleeplessness,” presents two perspectives.

She explains, “Science demonstrates that consistently getting a good night’s sleep has numerous benefits. However, real life doesn’t always align with that. Parents with sick children, for instance, often can’t achieve consistent sleep.”

Browning, who specializes in working with individuals suffering from insomnia, suggests that sleep streams might not be ideal initially. But she adds, “If you view it as something done once every couple of weeks to earn a significant sum, then why not?”

For many, the sense of community, along with the occasional electric shock, could be what draws people back to streamers like Amouranth and Kai Cenat even when they’re asleep.

“People watch it for comfort,” Stanley noted. “They feel like they’re not alone.”

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Making money while you sleep may seem easy but it can be tricky in reality

Web Desk

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