Are you familiar with the “autonomous sensory meridian response,” aka ASMR? This article will tell you about it and how it may help you sleep better! Keep reading!

What is ASMR?

ASMR is a relatively new phenomenon that has just been identified and given a name in the past ten years. This sensory experience has become more prevalent recently, so you’ve probably heard of it. Many people worldwide have said that it helped them sleep better, and others are interested in learning more about it. ASMR is an acronym that can describe a wide range of conditions, events, and feelings. People with ASMR say they get a solid yet pleasurable tingling sensation, usually in the head and neck, in response to specific sounds or images. Some people report having it in response to tactile or olfactory cues, while the vast majority of people report experiencing it in response to aural or visual signals.

How Does ASMR Work? 

A wide variety of sensory experiences may elicit these powerfully calming effects. One standard stimulation is watching people go about their daily routines. Chores around the home, reading, personal hygiene, and even eating may trigger it in some people. The sound of running water may also induce it in certain people. Plastic crinkling and nails striking a rough surface are other famous stimuli. The most common way to trigger it is to whisper. Self-care activities like getting a manicure or a haircut are common triggers.

How To Induce ASMR?

The most frequent ways to induce it are by watching videos; YouTube is plenty of ASMR videos or audio recordings created for that purpose.

How Does ASMR Make You Feel? 

It has physiological as well as psychological effects. The tingling usually starts in the scalp and spreads to the back of the neck, the arms, and the legs. Consistent with these physiological feelings are the following:

  • A wave of calm and serenity.
  • A deep sense of comfort and well-being.

The likelihood of this sensory phenomenon affecting a given individual varies. Experts haven’t been able to figure out why this is happening, so they have to guess. More importantly, we have no idea how many people are vulnerable to it. Several experts have found anecdotal evidence that the condition is more common than was thought before. Online ASMR videos have become very popular in the past few years, which suggests that a large number of people may be able to enjoy this enhanced sensory experience. Around ten years ago, people realized that it could help them relax, feel better, and sleep better. Since then, it’s popularity has gone through the roof. 

What Are the Different Types of ASMR? 

The different and most popular forms of ASMR include, but are not limited to: 

  • Whispering
  • Blowing
  • Crinkling
  • Munching
  • Humming
  • Grating
  • Tapping
  • Page-turning

Potential Benefits of ASMR for Sleep

The usefulness of it in treating sleep problems like insomnia has not been well studied. The extent to which it can help people with sleep problems is still being researched. Several studies have shown that listening to it at night could help you fall asleep. The research found that sleep assistance was the most common reason itwas used. Based on the results of a credible source, 81% of ASMR practitioners said they do so before going to sleep.

Will ASMR help you fall asleep faster? We don’t know for sure, but there are several possibilities that recent studies and user reports have shown.

Suppressing Worry

Users who have experienced ASMR’s relaxing benefits report feeling considerably more at peace and less stressed afterward. Many people who have triedit have reported feeling calmer, more at peace, and even slowing their pulse rates. It was found that feelings of relaxation and excitement often go hand in hand with lower heart rate and other signs of physiological arousal—results like these highlight the complexity of potential physiological and psychological responses to it. Anxiety is a common issue that prevents individuals from sleeping. Thus, it seems natural that many people who try it say it aids sleep.

Motivating and Uplifting

Several people with ASMR have said that the experience made them feel better on an emotional level. Evidence is emerging to support this, suggesting, at the very least, a temporary improvement in mood and a decrease in depression symptoms like sadness. Mood disorders like sadness and anxiety are associated with significant sleep disruptions. The degree to which worry and melancholy disrupt your sleep is unknown. One other way that ASMR might help you sleep is by making you feel less tense or anxious before bed.

Parting Thoughts 

So, can ASMR help with sleep? The answer is that it may – but further research is still awaited. Claims that ASMR helps with sleeping are consistent with what we know about how it works. People have thought, for example, that ASMR stimulates parts of the brain that are linked to chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin, which are linked to sleep and relaxation. Eighty-two percent of ASMR users report that it aids sleep. However, we hope for more studies and research on the topic to gain further clarity.