Can ASMR treat insomnia and help you sleep better?

I struggled with insomnia for many years and found unexpected relief in the popular YouTube trend

Sleep is crucial for the human body, helping to support healthy brain function and maintain our physical wellbeing. When we’re burdened from the stress of life, a proper night of sleep can feel like restarting your body and mind.

Research says that, on average, an adult requires at least seven to nine hours of sleep every day, but the level can differ from person to person.

But what happens when we aren’t able to sleep? What happens when we stay awake almost entire night to the point where it affects our functionality? We call it insomnia.

Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that can affect anyone. A person affected by insomnia often has trouble falling or staying asleep. This can happen for any number of reasons, ranging from stress and anxiety, poor sleeping environment, certain medications, and other mental and physical health conditions. But insomnia can still grab ahold of you, even if you have the perfect environment to relax.

Most experts believe that insomnia stems from episodes of depression or trauma, but it can’t always be traced back to one issue. Sometimes, it can be a number of reasons keeping you awake.

For nearly ten years, I have been suffering from chronic insomnia. When it first started, my parents mostly blamed it on late-night TV or computer time. It wasn’t until later, when I had to seek professional help, that I even learnt about sleep disorders.

At first, I couldn’t get to sleep for a set amount of time. But, as I grew older, it got worse. Even when I closed my eyes in the dead of night, I would be unable to fall asleep. Most of the time, thoughts kept racing through my head constantly. But even when my mind was blank, sleep still eluded me. Sometimes, I felt like Christian Bale’s character in The Machinist, or Edward Norton’s character from Fight Club.

Medication didn’t help and I constantly scoured the internet for possible treatments. One day, in 2020 during the pandemic, I came across a video on YouTube. It didn’t seem particularly special. It was just a person normally speaking about their daily activities in a very low tone into a high-quality microphone. But something about it soothed me. As I kept watching and listening, I fell asleep. It was a longer than usual sleep for me and, perhaps most shockingly, it was at a reasonable hour.

Later, I learned that the video was an example of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR. For some people, certain sounds, like a soft voice, triggers a gentle tingling sensation in the scalp and down the back of the neck that is relaxing.

The term ASMR was coined by Jennifer Allen in 2010, when she experienced the sensation but didn’t know what it was. She scoured health forums to look for people who had experienced the same sensation, but realised that the information on the topic was scattered. She formed a Facebook group of the same name where people could share their experiences and discuss it.

Since first experiencing it myself, I’ve found that many insomniacs consume ASMR content to help them relax, feel a sense of calm, and get to sleep.

There are thousands, maybe millions, of ASMR videos online and even dedicated ASMR content creators due to the huge demand. But not all of these videos will work for everyone. Different people have different ASMR triggers. If you’re looking to uncover yours, you’ll have to do a bit of digging. ASMR sensations can be caused by sound, visuals, direct physical contact, or certain real or acted out scenarios.

Some of the most common types of ASMR are whispering, humming, scratching, tapping, crinkling, etc. This is why the most popular type of ASMR is audio, especially on YouTube. Artists often use props to enhance the audio stimulus through the microphones, such as the sound of shampooing or cutting hair.

Visual ASMR focuses on what would look pleasing to individuals, using specific textures or elements that may seem surreal to others. There is an entire series dedicated to such an experience, called Oddly Satisfying videos with cleaning and washing utilizing pressure washing and hydraulic presses.

Touch ASMR does not necessarily mean that you have to experience direct physical contact with someone. The sensation can be created by watching someone receive, for example, a massage.

The most popular ASMR artists tend to combine all these to create dynamic content that has helped them to retain viewers and build a community. Artists such as Gibi ASMR, Latte ASMR, Gentle Whispering ASMR, Ephemeral Rift, Goodnight Moon, and many others have hundreds of videos that are popular on YouTube.

An honourable mention should also go to Bob Ross, who is considered an unintentional king of ASMR. Ross, a painter and art instructor, hosted The Joy of Painting, where he taught painting to his public TV audience from 1983 to 1994.

The show mostly featured Ross painting landscapes while speaking in a calming, nurturing tone of voice while incorporating inspirational messages to his viewers. The programme became popular for its relaxing and comforting vibe, with many tuning into the show as a late-night capper. When The Joy of Painting was broadcast on Twitch and uploaded on YouTube, it introduced an entirely new generation to the show, with many finding that it led to ASMR responses.

But can ASMR be considered a treatment for insomnia? Scientifically speaking, ASMR activates certain regions of the brain associated with calming, sleep-inducing hormones such as dopamine and oxytocin. It can help to reduce anxiety and stress overall and there is a variety of ASMR content that can give you a possible positive trigger that can help.

Personally, ASMR has helped me to sleep better, but it has not fully cured my insomnia. It has given me some relief and has allowed me to learn to live and function day to day with this disorder. I still have trouble sleeping, even when I watch ASMR videos, but some nights would have been unbearable without them.

If you’re suffering from insomnia, you should seek professional help. It is a serious disorder that can damage your health and wellbeing. But if you can find your triggers, ASMR content can also give you some respite.

 This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.