Insomnia is something I have struggled with for a few years of my life, but it has caused extreme fatigue and has also worsened my mental health. Living in dorms did not help especially with my next-door neighbors shouting every night and the people who lived above me stomping until the early hours of the morning. Even living off campus has not been forgiving to my sleep schedule because as I progress in my degree, my classes begin to be more time consuming.
I either lose sleep from working on my assignments until two in the morning or my stress and anxiety cause me to toss and turn for most of the night. The best tactic I have found to battle my insomnia over the years is taking melatonin, but I found that as I increased the dosage of melatonin, my tolerance for it also increased. My body began to rely on the melatonin pills, so it stopped producing my natural melatonin. I knew that it wasn’t healthy to take Nyquil every night unless I was sick, and I had also tried yoga and meditating. Although both helped me relax, nothing seemed to help me fall asleep more easily.
That was until, last summer, when a friend recommended that I try ASMR for the simple reason that it helps depression, anxiety, and insomnia. I decided to try it out because it was my next best option at that point. ASMR, for those who don’t know, is an acronym for autonomous sensory meridian response. According to sleep.org, ASMR is “a feeling of euphoric tingling and relaxation that can come over someone when he or she watches certain videos or hears certain sounds.” These visuals or sounds are called triggers. Some of my favorite triggers include tapping, soft mic scratching, finger fluttering, and intense whispering.
Every “ASMR-tist”, as they are called in the YouTube community, has their own specialty but most of them experiment with all different kinds of ASMR. Some like to stick to specifically focusing on your triggers, while others enjoy doing role play whether it be of a favorite character in a book or TV show or of a doctor, hairdresser, or some other occupation. I started out with the videos that focus on your triggers, but recently I have been watching more role play.
The only downfall of ASMR is that if you watch it too often, you can become immune to tingles. This has only happened to me a few times, but luckily there a few fixes. One is to stop watching or listening to ASMR for a few nights and your tingles will come back within a few days. Another fix is to watch the ASMR videos that are made specifically for immunity. These usually include more intense triggers that are supposed to give you more tingles. Sometimes, if you have developed an immunity, this may not work so it is just best to take a few nights off from watching or listening to it.
ASMR has nearly cured my insomnia and has helped fixed my sleep schedule. I watch ASMR videos on YouTube to help me fall asleep but only when I need it, which is most nights. Sometimes, I even watch or listen to ASMR when I am feeling depressed or anxious. It helps coax me out of my panic attacks and promotes a healthy mindset when I am going through a depressive episode. Since I’ve started watching ASMR, I’ve noticed my mental health has been better and I have been a calmer person.