While mindlessly scrolling through youtube, you may have noticed videos with the letters ASMR in the title and probably had no clue what they stood for. That’s not uncommon for most people, since ASMR is a fairly new label for experiences most people don’t even realize they have.
ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response. ASMR is best described as the feeling of “tingles” or a pleasant sensation focused behind the ears and at the back of the neck. Several common “triggers” of asmr include: hair brushing, tapping on objects, whispering or gentle murmuring. Most evoke soothing images that allow the listener to unwind and drift to sleep. Many ASMR videos use binaural microphones or microphones designed to mimic how the human ear captures sound. This allows the user to get an ear to ear sound experience from their earphones.
There are a wide variety of “ASMRtists” on Youtube, each offering something different. Some do role-plays like librarians with page turning sounds or spas offering facials and scalp massages. Others focus just on specific sounds like wood carving or crinkling. Some popular channels are ASMRrequests, GentleWhispering, and ASMR Massage Psychetruth.
So the next time you want to catch up on some zzzs, try an ASMR video to help send you to sleep.