ASMR: what it is and how it manages to reconcile sleep and relaxation

ASMR is a phenomenon that has spread more and more in recent years and which consists of watching but, above all, listening to videos that combine sleep and relaxation. Let's try to find out better what it is.

ASMR is a particular category of videos that encompasses different types of content and helps to relax and sleep. These productions, more and more widespread on Youtube , are characterized by the set of images, sounds and whispers of which they are composed. Their effectiveness is confirmed by the many comments that appear under each video and they seem to be a real panacea for those suffering from insomnia and for those who can't relax. But let's try to better understand what ASMR means and how these videos work.

ASMR: meaning and characteristics

ASMR literally means Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response and it is a response of the body to a solicitation. In fact, the sensory stimuli received by the body are capable of generating sensations of pleasure and, in some cases, even tingling.

This sensation, caused by listening to these particular sounds, as well as arousing well-being, spreads from the head to the rest of the body, following the spine. Many people who have approached this practice have compared it to a sort of orgasm , even if the perception has nothing to do with the sexual sphere. In any case, the particular sensation you get while listening to an ASMR video is called tingles, precisely tingling, and lasts about a couple of minutes.

How ASMR works

What makes ASMR work so effectively are definitely the tingles , which are a key feature of videos. These are mainly caused by noises and sounds. The situations that cause these tingling, however, can be different, some of which are:

– Draw
– Fix a screen
– Coloring a figure

However, it is not yet clear what causes these pins and needles. Some argue that it is the context in which ASMR videos are listened to , while for other currents of thought it is the way we place ourselves with respect to listening. In any case, the sensation caused by these videos begins on the scalp and then descends towards the base of the neck, also affecting the spine. In fact, those who have tried this experience have described it as a combination of positive sensations that are transferred to the epidermis.

The benefits of ASMR

As we all know, emotions and the brain still represent a great mystery for science and society. In any case, however, this practice offers benefits in several respects.

In fact it is an excellent alternative solution for insomnia because, even if it is not yet known how, noises manage to induce drowsiness and relaxation . For these reasons, ASMR can be a pleasant practice to undergo and to try, especially in the evening or at night.
As proof of this, in recent times, there are more and more videos that concern the difficulty in sleeping and that through practices such as cooking, drawing or simply speaking into the microphone producing different sounds, aim to reconcile sleep.