Chewing. Whispering. Hair brushing. Nail tapping. Back scratching.
No, it’s not a list of reasons you got detention back in high school, its a list of sounds and actions that people perform in YouTube videos to help you feel calm and relaxed … and it works!
Today there are more than 13 million ASMR videos on YouTube. From short clips of people eating snacks into a microphone, to lengthy videos of people having their hair played with or styled, this ‘trend’ has become extremely popular and I completely understand why.
I began watching these videos back in 2015 when I was really struggling to sleep. It was during a point in my life when I was extremely anxious and stressed. I was also living with my ex whose snoring had become unbearable.
Fortunately, I discovered ASMR and it really did help!
So, WTF is ASMR?
ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response.
In English? It’s a tingling sensation that is triggered by sound or visuals.
Imagine it like a massage; relaxing tingles spread through your body, only these tingles aren’t sparked by a persons touch, but instead by relaxing sounds and visuals, such as whispering, or finger nails tapping on a table, or some people get tingles from watching towels being folded!
Not everyone experiences the tingly sensations, some people aren’t receptacle to it. But those who are (like me!) get to enjoy a pleasurable feeling of well-being and calm as tingles spread through our body.
The Evolution of ASMR
Back when I began watching these videos it was mainly females. They would do very simple role-play videos, usually pretending to be a make-up artist doing your face or a nurse doing a check-up. Most were filmed on basic cameras, even iPhones.
These days however the ASMR community have hugely upped their game. Whilst still dominated by females, many men have become ASMR-artists. Today most artists create sets, use green screens, expensive props, have incredible cameras and most importantly extremely high-tech binaural microphones that can pick-up even the drop of a pin. This means their role-play videos have become even more immersive, which yup, means even more tingles!
Old skool videos tend to be low-fi and have a lot more white noise, which weirdly gives me lots of tingles, so I personally love both the oldies and the new professional style vids.
The Power of ASMR: How Tingles Helped Me
Let’s jump back to 2015. Whilst my ex was descending into deep LOUD sleeps night after night, lying right next to me, I was tossing and turning, unable to switch my brain off from worrying AND unable to switch off his incredibly loud grunts.
I was beginning to feel like I would NEVER be able to fall asleep again; it was affecting my moods, my job and it was putting a huge strain on my relationship with my partner.
Then I discovered ASMR. I initially began watching videos of people brushing hair or pretending to give the viewer a make-over by looking into the camera and brushing the lens with a make-up brush. I remember feeling tingles from the sound of the hairbrush being pulled through the hair, or from watching the make-up brush swoosh across the screen. Suddenly my worrying thoughts disappeared and instead I was focusing on the glorious tingles I was feeling. Before I knew it my body and eyes would feel heavy and I would drift into a sleep.
I began listening/watching these videos on a nightly basis to help me sleep and sometimes I would even listen to them if I was feeling stressed.
Related: 10 Spiritual Practices that Don’t Involve Meditation
ASMR for you!
It’s almost become a type of therapy and recommend it to anyone who is having trouble sleeping or who is stressed, anxious or just needs something to help them switch off for a little bit. Although we’re in the early days of ASMR studies, so far results have shown that it is in fact a stress buster for many!
I’ve picked out my favourite artists and selected 15 of their videos that I believe to be de-stressing, relaxing, calming videos. These 15 performances are pretty much my all-time fave videos and I’ve probably watched them all a hundred times each … I hope you enjoy!
Gentle Whispering
Maria is practically the mother of ASMR. One of the originals who started off doing six minute videos recorded on her phone, now has almost two million subscribers, an archive of over 400 videos and was even featured on Ellen. Born in Russia, Maria moved to the US in her 20’s and began watching ASMR videos to help her through depression.
In 2011 she launched her own channel and it quickly took off, no doubt due to her Russian accent which now gives millions of us (literally) seriously strong tingles. Whilst Maria’s newer videos are much more professional looking and high quality with some really unique role-playing (check out this Prom Dress ASMR role-play) she has developed a much more American-Russian accent these days and personally I prefer the old-skool videos, like these three below.
Whispers Red
Emma is from the UK and is another long-time ASMR-artist and a massive ASMR advocate, often appearing on TV shows encouraging people to give it a go. Funnily enough she has done a collab with Maria from Gentle Whispering and it is one hell of a video, featuring the two artists whispering in your ear in their very own ‘sound treatment’.
Emma also has a collab with another tingler favourite of mine, Somni Rose, this one is focused on un-intentional ASMR; this is when you receive tingles from every-day experiences!
Somni Rose
Somni Rose has her own channel. For it she records every video twice; one in her native tongue of Espanol and then again in English with her beautiful Spanish accent which gives me all the tingles. I’ve definitely noticed the stronger an accent, the more tingles I get, so I love videos in the English language spoken with a foreign accent.
DesyMagic
ASMR in foreign accents, but how about foreign languages?? Desy of Desy Magic, tends to do a little intro in English but all her videos are in Italian. Despite not being able to understand 90% of it, her voice gives me all the tingles and she does a lot of nail tapping which really relaxes me.
Whispers Unicorn
Ashlie thinks outside the box when it comes to ASMR. Her Kidnapping video (below) has had multi-million views. I really didn’t think an immersive video that involved being kidnapped would be relaxing, but Ashlie makes it work!
Other unusual videos include Ashlie giving you tingles whilst being extremely sassy! Such as an eye-brow waxing role-play where she pretty much tells you your eye-brows suck. Another fave is an ASMR Gynaecologist video she created (below). No-one enjoys a trip to the Lady Doctors, but Ashlie makes a trip to the Gynae sooooo relaxing.
Be Calm with Becca
Becca goes all out with her role-play videos, they are some of the best I’ve seen on the ASMR scene, this girl is pretty much an actress! But for some reason, her hotel tour video (below) is one of my favourites, I find her hand movements along with her quiet voice, so relaxing.
ASMR Requests
ASMR Requests was the first ASMR channel I actually subscribed to! I pretty much became obsessed with Ali and her lovely American accent. It was her high-tech and super surround sound videos that began to help me fall asleep. The below was my absolute favourite, I remember feeling like I was actually having make-up applied to my face.
Creative Calm
This collab with SophieMichelle ASMR is a calming Doctor role play that never fails to give me tingles. Despite loving ASMR in foreign accents, these two beautiful and very eloquent British accents are soooo soothing to listen to.
Olivia Kissper
Olivia’s hair brushing and Indian head massage video (below) was the very first ASMR video I ever watched! Lying in there in bed, unable to sleep, I’d been watching a YouTube video about make-up and the below video popped up on the side bar. It caught my eye and so I gave it a watch.
Within minutes I was feeling relaxing blissful tingles. It’s poor quality and it even picks-up exterior traffic noise, but it’s still one of my faves that I sometime return to for some proper old school ASMR.
What do you think of ASMR? Any of the above videos giving you tingles?
I’d love to know in the comments below or hit me up on Instagram
Peace, Love & Gratitudex Hannah x
@the.butterfly.coach
[originally posted on my personal blog – lifeisbananas.co.uk]
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