General tips for falling asleep often entail a combination of drinking or not drinking certain beverages, avoiding naps or not napping for too long, taking medicines or supplements, exercising and/or relaxing, breathing or laying a certain way, maintaining a regular routine or doing things at a certain time, limiting electronics, light, diet, room temperature before bed or in the bedroom…All the do’s and don’ts are exhausting enough, especially if the efforts outweigh the intended benefits. However, one recommendation you won’t find on many lists is ASMR media (or just ASMR for short), a recent, but effective phenomenon in the world of sleep-inducing tricks and habits.
If you’re familiar with white noise, ASMR can be more intense and more sensory-oriented. ASMR is an acronym for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, which are pleasant tingling, static, or goosebump-like sensations triggered by particular sights or sounds. Some compare the tactile feelings to a brain massage, or even a brain or ear orgasm and the emotional responses tend to be euphoric and sedate.
ASMR media is either audio or audio-visual productions that cater to triggering/inducing ASMR sensations.YouTube, Twitch, and Spotify are big outlets for it. What makes it unique are the sights, sounds, and even equipment used to produce the sensory responses. ASMR content creators will use either two microphones or binaural microphones and techniques to simulate a three-dimensional environment. The triggers they perform can be sounds or actions like:
- keyboard/typing or button-pushing sounds
- finger, nail, or surface tapping, touching, tracing, or scratching
- manipulating soft-noise items like paper, fabric, bubble wrap, containers of liquid, rice, sand, etc.
- personal attention (i.e. grooming/self-care, putting on makeup, performing a check-up or exam, speaking compliments, conversations, or positive affirmations)
- soft or repetitive voices, whispering, or mouth sounds
- a combination of triggers in a roleplay/cosplay
ASMR also has a “word-of-mouth” quality to it. The phenomenon took off around ten years ago, so science is still trying to dissect it and explore its effects. But what’s been gleaned from early research and anecdotal reports is generally positive:
- ASMR is an interesting combination of both arousal and relaxation. The physical sensation is typically accompanied by feelings of happiness, calm, or sleepiness.Some people also report pleasant feelings of relaxation, calm, sleepiness, or well-being.
- Its best-known application is as a treatment for insomnia. In one small survey, 82% of respondents in a survey reported that they used ASMR to induce sleep.
- ASMR may ease people to sleep by reducing stress, improving mood, or distracting them from intrusive thoughts.
- It can help the brain release endorphins and neurohormones, promoting relaxation and theta brainwaves and leading to deep, healthy sleep.
- ASMR appears to activate regions of the brain associated with calming, sleep-inducing hormones like dopamine and oxytocin.
- People who enjoy ASMR often report reduced anxiety, fewer headaches, lower blood pressure, and more. It even seems to promote chronic pain relief.
- Even Google has taken notice. In 2016, searches on their browser for ASMR tended to peak around 10:30 p.m., regardless of time zone, when people are winding down for the evening. “ASMR sleep” was also one of the top related terms.
If you want to give ASMR a try, here are my favorite ASMRtists:
On YouTube and Spotify
Gibi
Recommended recordings: New to ASMR? Click Here! Her video for newcomers; Pulling Stuff out of Your Ears, various stickpoint objects are stuck in her microphone, or in your ears, and she gently removes them; Fixing Your Malfunctions, you’re a computer/machine/robot in need of tuning up; Patterns on Your Face; Unintelligible Whispers
The links are to YouTube but you can search the same titles to find them on Spotify.
FrivolousFox
Recommended recordings: Plucking, Poking, and Petting; Inaudible/Unintelligible Whispers
The links are to Spotify but you can search the same titles to find them on YouTube.
I have a couple Spotify playlists specifically for ASMR if you’re ready for more ASMR experiences:
ASMR-Whispers, Tingles, and Tickles – includes a variety of ASMRtists, including Gibi and FrivolousFox
Gibi playlist – exclusively Gibi content
Only on YouTube
Jodie Marie
Recommended recordings: Doing your Makeup/Personal Attention/Brushing/Trigger Words; Just Relaxing with You/Gentle Ear Triggers, a simple roleplay where the two of you have a relaxing sleepover.
Daisy Banaisy
Recommended recordings: her alien roleplay, you were abducted onto the alien’s ship; you become friends and travel the universe together.
Softlygaloshes
Reommended recordings: her alien roleplay, you end up on the alien’s plant and her character cares a lot for you; her astronaut roleplay, you are a sick alien she examines and helps.
I also have a YouTube playlist featuring all the listed creators and more.
A few more tips
- I recommend using headphones or earbuds to best experience the effects of ASMR. Make sure both ear parts are working. You might even consider investing in headphones for sleeping. Make sure they’re charged before extended use; some may “talk” to you when the battery is low.
- Once you’ve started ASMR on your preferred device, limit any further light exposure by either turning off the screen or setting the device facedown. If you don’t want it running all night, you might set a sleep timer.
- The only downside to streaming ASMR directly online is that the ads may wake you up if you don’t have an ad-free subscription to the service or auto-play is left on.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/autonomous-sensory-meridian-response#benefits
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/asmr-videos-youtube-trend/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/asmr
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