If you are reading this and judging me with all your inner power, I do not blame you. If I were you, I would too, but hear me out. ASMR grows on you like poison ivy grows on walls. It is the strangest thing until it isn’t.
For those of you wondering what exactly ASMR is, let me enlighten you. ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It is a pleasant feeling and includes tingling sensations that usually begin on the scalp and continue down the back. It can be compared to synesthesia, paresthesia, and frisson. A few years ago, ASMR got its fame on YouTube and suddenly ASMR artists also known as “ASMRtists” started pumping out videos, gaining thousands of subscribers.
From a young age, I knew I liked sounds. I liked the sound of my third grade teacher flipping books, I enjoyed the sound of shuffling shoes on the floors of people writing on dry-erase boards, and the sound that people made when they crunched their veggies at lunch. It was somehow soothing to me. I was about 14-15 years old when I came across a video of candy wrappers being crinkled by an ASMRtist called “Ephemeral Rift”. At first, I was confused out of my mind. I thought I had entered a side of YouTube for people with sound sensitivity (I guess I was not that offbase looking back). Being pleased by the sounds, I continued to watch similar videos that YouTube recommended and before I knew it, I was hooked.
Why do I listen to ASMR?
In the beginning, I just genuinely enjoyed the sounds. However, as I continuously listened, I realized that I forgot about the world when I would watch and listen to these ASMR videos. It was like an indescribable escape from the real world. I won’t sit here and tell you I had an awful life and ASMR was the only existing phenomenon that could save me. However, it was a nice feeling to simply forget for a second.
Especially now, there are so many ASMR options to choose from. If certain sounds trigger you in a good way, you can find videos dedicated to those sounds. Nowadays, I watch ASMR before I go to bed. In fact, sometimes I fall asleep to it. Plus, the ASMR community is the only unproblematic community on YouTube. There is never any drama, and I find that very relaxing.
Why should YOU listen to ASMR?
Before this becomes a persuasive essay, I want to remind you that I am not sponsored or being paid to say this. I genuinely love ASMR and would recommend it to literally anyone. If you have ever noticed that you have a liking for specific sounds, go get on youtube right now and look up ASMR for that sound. I promise you will not regret it. I know being on your phone before bed is not that great for you, but since the nature of ASMR is so calming I would not even compare it to other applications that a phone is used for. Nothing about ASMR is stressful. Nothing about ASMR is nerve-racking. You just put on your headphones and relax. Another reason I would recommend listening to ASMR is because it works really well for calming nerves. If you deal with anxiety or even restless sleep or insomnia, ASMR is possibly the best thing you could do for yourself. It is at least worth a try!
For my peace of mind (and potentially yours) I will drop a few ASMR youtube channel recommendations that I personally love and find myself going back to for ASMR. Take these with a grain of salt because they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I highly recommend them!
My recommendations for ASMR Youtube channels:
- Chyna Unique ASMR
- Gentle Whispering ASMR
- Katherine Rose
- Dean ASMR (mainly lip-gloss sounds)
- Zach Choi ASMR (food)
- Amalzd
- W magazine
Hopefully, this article encouraged you to try getting into the ASMR world. If you are already in it, I hope you got some good channel recommendations out of this. Relax away!