ASMR .. The secret to a good nights sleep?

ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response a term used to describe a tingling sensation over the scalp and down the neck .. you may have experienced at the hairdressers or a makeup counter. It is usually triggered by soft speaking, gentle touch or watching something relaxing such as painting. Many people have experienced this since childhood but not been sure of what it is called, I think my earliest memory of AMSR is when we used to trace pictures on each others backs in the playground at Primary school... Soooo relaxing.

Although currently there is little scientific evidence the ASMR community provides a lot of anecdotal evidence to support it's effectiveness to aid sleep especially in people with PTSD, depression, anxiety and imsomina some scientists belive that ASMR may block certain stress receptors in the brain resulting in a very relaxed and restful state. It has even been suggested that the personal attention aspect of ASMR could be linked to why primates groom each other!  

There is a very strong ASMR community on YouTube with many ASMRtists producing really professional content specifically to trigger tingles by creating  videos with story readings, guided imagery, role plays... You name it there is a video for it and some videos reach over 9 million views! There is a strong emphasis that these videos are purely for relaxation, no mucky business. Although it isn't for everyone and for some people listening to soft speaking or whispering is just darn creepy ! However it does help a lot of people get a really good night sleep which is surely a great thing. 

I discovered these videos after using the Headspace app and was searching youtube for something similar as it really helped me fall asleep. I'm totally addicted now! If I've had a stressful day the best solution for it is putting on my headphones and immersing myself in a video.

I have put a list of my favourite ASMRtists below if you are interested :)

Rachel 

Peachesandcreambb 

x 

Gentle Whispering

https://m.youtube.com/#/user/GentleWhispering

Accidentally Graceful

https://m.youtube.com/user/accidentallygraceful

Whispers Lily

https://m.youtube.com/#/user/whisperslily

ASMR Angel

https://m.youtube.com/user/TheASMRAngel

The One Lilium

https://m.youtube.com/#/user/TheOneLilium

Springbok ASMR

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC-r8XyqbggZobMiNsqgWkDg