Is ASMR good for your sleep?

ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or soothing videos and sounds. Some people like to listen to this to fall asleep better. But is that good for your sleep? In this blog, we explain.

What is ASMR?

ASMR is the abbreviation for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. By this we mean soothing videos and sounds that trigger a response in your brain. It is a phenomenon that has been on the rise since 2010 and became wildly popular thanks to countless online ASMR videos.

ASMR is described as a nice feeling in your head and is often induced by soft sounds or whispering voices. ASMR videos or sound recordings can be about anything, but almost always revolve around interesting sounds, often close to the microphone. Consider whispers, tapping or rubbing the microphone, or even reenacted scenes such as barber visits.

Some studies have now been done on ASMR, but there is no real hard evidence yet that it works. Of course, the so-called “placebo effect” can cause you to sleep better.

Can ASMR help you fall asleep?

The reaction to ASMR is very personal. Even if you don’t feel a physical response, an ASMR video can help you fall asleep. It’s not bad to try it out for a while. What kind of ASMR you listen to can also make a big difference.

The experiences range from a tingling sensation that seems to creep across your body through your back, general calmness, weird jitters, a relaxed feeling in your head to less stress. For some, it comes a little easier, while others do not experience the benefits as relaxing, are more likely to become irritable and indicate that it even causes stress. So it seems that you may or may not be sensitive to ASMR.

Whether it helps and whether our brains really benefit from it will certainly be studied further in the coming years. In any case, there are plenty of videos or recordings on YouTube or Spotify to indulge yourself and discover if you are among those people who experience ASMR as a blessing.

Is ASMR healthy for my sleep?

While the effects of screens and the impact of blue light on falling asleep have since been researched and demonstrated, albeit inconclusively, it is strange to see ASMR emerging as a soothing alternative to catching sleep.

Could there be a connection to the digital zeitgeist? Which puts the solution and the threat to healthy sleep in the same corner? Who knows …

Would you like to introduce your senses to ASMR and thoroughly distract the thoughts in your head for a while?

Open your Internet, surf to YouTube and use ASMR as a search term or perhaps follow this shortlist provided to you by Mien De Vriendt. She wrote an article about ASMR in the newspaper De Standaard on February 18, 2021. You can read the article titled“Sleep-inducing bliss.

5 popular ASMR channels

• Gibi ASMR One of the most popular “ASMRtists” who focuses mainly on soft ghost-rolling(3 million followers).
• ASMR Darling Also one of the most popular channels, but for fans of whispered role-playing (2.5 million followers).
• Ephemeral Rift Kafkaesque channel that has achieved true cult status, balancing between ASMR and comedy.
• 959mari Channel that specialized in … soap peeling. As it turns out, one soap is not the other. Without speech, quite hypnotic.
• ASMRSurge Cross between ASMR and DIY TV with focus on crafts.

Alternative: White Noise or white noise

Don’t feel like watching movies but listening? It’s possible … because there is such a thing as “white noise” or “white noise” sensation.

All audible frequencies coincide, as it were, just like white light. For example, white noise is said to form a kind of blanket of sound for some people, making it easier to fall asleep.

Especially in situations where strange noises or surroundings make it difficult to fall asleep, such as first nights in a hotel or when hospitalized, it can be helpful to find relaxation.

Babies and young children also seem to respond positively to it. Other sound colors also exist, such as “pink noise,” or pink noise. With pink noise, you hear a mixture of more intense low notes and soft high notes. Because the human ear is more sensitive to treble, many people experience it as more pleasant than white noise.

Yet the picture is more nuanced than it long seemed. A study published in the scientific journal Sleep tested what happens to sleep when people use pink noise to mask city noise. The results were surprising: the combination of ambient noise AND pink noise gave the worst results of all. Ambient noise already shortened deep sleep by an average of 23 minutes. Pink noise did not help, and it also reduced REM sleep by an average of 19 minutes.

What stood out in that same study: simple foam earplugs restored 72 percent of the loss of deep sleep and performed statistically similar to a completely silent night. A low-tech solution that does more than an app.

This is not to say that noise during sleep is necessarily harmful. The distinction lies in the situation: are you using it to drown out noise, or as an atmosphere in an already quiet environment? Those two contexts require different approaches, and science is beginning to sharpen that distinction.

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Do you fall asleep better because of sound?

It is possible that music, ASMR, white noise or some other type of sound will help you sleep better. Not only might you fall asleep faster, you may also experience a better quality of sleep. I do recommend that you use a timer. Over time you may become dependent on the sounds, which can’t be the intention either.

During the sleep stages, the so-called “sleep spindles” are created: among other things, they allow your brain to “shut off” from the outside world, preventing the sounds in the environment from waking you up. A monotone or rhythmic sound could then serve as an additional blanket. White noise or pink noise can be found through streaming services such as Youtube and Spotify.

According to Sleep Foundation, there are even devices that can play these sounds specifically for a particular audience.

Best ASMR devices to fall asleep with

• Best overall – Hatch Restore
• Best value for money – LectroFan White Noise Sound Machine
• Best on the go- HoMedics SoundSpa
• Best for babies and children – Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine

Conclusion

ASMR is a term used for sounds and videos with distinct sounds that stimulate your brain and can induce a calming feeling. It doesn’t work for everyone and it certainly hasn’t been scientifically proven to be effective, but of course, you can always try it. It’s best to use a timer, that way the sound doesn’t keep playing during your sleep.

You can also try other sounds such as music, podcasts, white noise or pink noise. These can help you fall asleep, especially in new places or uncertain situations.

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