Introduction to ASMR and Its Benefits
If you’ve ever felt a warm tingling sensation in your scalp when someone brushes your hair or whispers into your ear, you’ve likely experienced ASMR.
Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is scientifically described as the experience of tingling in the scalp or other body areas that occurs when stimulated by certain types of touch, sights, or sounds. Most people feel a sense of warmth, calm, and general well-being after an ASMR experience.
Scientists have been unable to successfully determine exactly how such external experiences lead to this classic sensation and the calm that follows.
Researchers scanned the brains of ten individuals in 2018 and found that areas of the brain most activated by ASMR experiences were those linked to peaceful feelings and social engagement.
It’s possible that ASMR experiences release neurohormones (chemical messengers in the brain) that we know contribute to relaxation, social engagement, and even sleepiness, such as endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin. ASMR experiences have been shown to reduce depression, enhance relaxation, and promote sleepiness.
Understanding Sleep Disorders and Issues
Sleep disorders and issues are incredibly common. Researchers say that around 30% of individuals worldwide have some type of insomnia. Insomnia can involve difficulty falling asleep, awakening too early, or awakening too often during the night.
Lack of sleep not only contributes to daytime sleepiness; poor sleep also contributes to many physical and mental disorders, including depression, diabetes, obesity, dementia, and heart disease.
Not surprisingly, stress, worry, and anxiety can contribute to sleep problems. When your mind is full of the day’s worries or just full of extraneous thoughts, sleep is more difficult. Things like reading on tablets or phones and watching television before bedtime can further delay the onset of deep sleep.
ASMR can reverse insomnia and enhance sleep because it promotes the relaxation needed to drift off at bedtime. Researchers who study the phenomenon have discovered that ASMR promotes relaxation, helping as many as 80% of those using it to fall asleep faster and have an enhanced sleep quality.
ASMR as a Natural Sleep Aid
Most ASMR users say that simply listening to an ASMR audiotape for 5 minutes helps promote relaxation and sleep, reducing the perception of stress and enhancing mood.
Because it does not involve the use of sleeping medications and is highly portable, ASMR becomes a much safer way to experience restful sleep without a morning hangover or other adverse effects of sleeping pills.
No one knows exactly how ASMR enhances sleep; however, researchers in a January 2023 study in the Journal, Frontiers in Neuroscience, reported that ASMR activated the nucleus accumbens in the brain.
This area is emerging as an important regulator of sleep. Interestingly, simply listening to calming music before sleep did not have the same effect. Using ASMR, individuals fall asleep more readily and attain longer, deep sleep.
Popular ASMR Triggers for Sleep
ASMR can involve a number of sensory experiences. The more common experiences involve some type of sound.
Scratching and crinkling sounds commonly create an ASMR listening experience. Listening to gentle whispering or speaking softly can induce similar effects.
Others include blowing sounds, gentle tapping, typing, writing sounds, the crisp sounds of pages turning, buzzing, chewing, humming, clock ticking, cat purring, and the sound of water droplets dropping.
Visual and situational triggers for ASMR can include role-playing in which a person is paying close attention to you, watching someone put on makeup, or having someone talk to you with direct eye contact.
Physical triggers can include having your hair played with, receiving a massage, or having your ears brushed with a makeup brush. Some enjoy watching others receive these physical treatments and feel an ASMR experience when doing this. Anything that transports you to a comfortable memory can trigger ASMR.
Creating Your Personalized ASMR Experience
When deciding to use ASMR to enhance sleep, you should first determine your specific preferences. You may feel a sense of calm when hearing someone chewing gum, or it may only agitate you.
Your background may mean that having your hair brushed evokes a much stronger sensation because it reminds you of a more peaceful time in your life. Be sure to explore the various categories of ASMR out there, including those demonstrating physical attention, nature sounds, or role-play scenarios.
ASMR isn’t always about a specific sight or sound. It can involve a multisensory event that evokes this ASMR response for you. You do not have to feel any tingling sensation at all to simply “know” that a sensory experience suits you or enhances your sleep.
Once you know the areas of ASMR content that help you, you can curate a specific playlist or ASMR routine that works for you. Choose from a variety of ASMR videos or audio tracks that you find are your most effective ASMR sensory experiences.
Incorporating ASMR Into Bedtime Rituals
Your personalized ASMR playlist can become another tool for you to get a good night’s sleep. Just as you have certain hygiene routines you do before bedtime, you can employ an ASMR playlist routine to settle your nervous system in preparation for a more restful sleep experience.
If you already have a meditation, breathing, or yoga routine, you can augment any of these with your ASMR playlist. The goal is to feel calm and relaxed just before you lie down and close your eyes.
Some quick tips for using ASMR for sleep:
- Prepare for bed in other ways before engaging in an ASMR experience
- Do your physical relaxation work first, such as breathing, meditation, and yoga
- Have your personalized playlist ready by your bedside so you don’t have to get out of bed afterward to turn it off
- Consider falling asleep to an ASMR playlist on a loop so you can drift off without having to turn anything off
- Be sure to personalize your playlist so it maximizes your experience
Conclusion
ASMR is a unique experience that has the potential to enhance deep relaxation and sleep through mechanisms we are only now beginning to understand. As you embark on your own personal journey toward better sleep, you might find that ASMR offers a unique experience and a chance for you to gain optimal sleep health without medications and their side effects.
