I thought I’d share one of the tools I use for insomnia. I discovered ASMR about a year and a half ago. Actually, I’ve had it all my life and didn’t know it had a name until about a year and a half ago.
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It is described as a pleasant sort of tingling sensation one gets with certain sensory stimuli. I get it in the back of my head, but some people get it in their neck, shoulders, and down their spine.
ASMR is NOT a sexual response, and not everyone experiences it. I’m sure some people can get turned on sexually by ASMR videos, but it’s not normally that kind of response. It puts me to sleep. I’ve experienced it in real life, such as someone reading off a contract to me, and nearly fell asleep because it triggered an ASMR response.
Many things cause ASMR response, but many of us get it with certain voices. It’s different with everyone who experiences it. One voice may cause ASMR in me, but have no effect on someone else. Many of the common sounds that stimulate an ASMR response are tapping, crinkling, gum chewing, and other noises. But some people get it with other senses, too, such as tickling. I only get it with certain voices speaking softly, the consonant sounds are what trigger ASMR (“P” “K” “CH”and “T” sounds in particular), and crinkling plastic, such as candy wrappers. Everyone is different and has different triggers.
Using ASMR videos every day can lead to loss of the response. It’s also not smart to become completely dependent on it for sleep.
My favorite ASMR artist is in the link below, she’s probably the most popular one. A few people have noticed (me included) that our ASMR response with voice is much better from someone who speaks English as a second language, rather than a native speaker. I experience ASMR listening to Maria’s (GentleWhispering) Russian videos, too.
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a40025/gentlewhispering-maria-internets-most-fascinating/
If a male voice does it for you, then a good one to start with might be “Ephemeral Rift” on Youtube.
Most ASMR artists do a variety of videos. Role play, How-To videos and Recipe videos are common. All are very relaxing.
chiquie39 