11 ASMR videos that will make sure you have the best sleep ever

By Jill layton

February 9, 2017

By Jill layton

February 9, 2017

If you’re someone who has trouble sleeping, this strangely relaxing brain sensation might be for you. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, has been a thing since around 2008. It’s known around internet communities as being a “brain orgasm,” “brain massage” or “spine tingle.”

And even though it really is just as weird as it sounds, people swear by it.

ASMR is a deeply relaxing and comforting feeling, “usually experienced through a relaxing tingling in the scalp and the back of the neck and can extend into the rest of the body,” according to the ASMR Lab. The feeling is achieved by watching various role-playing videos of people whispering and performing some sort of task.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to experience the tingling though. It’s like meditation — for some it works and for others it doesn’t, but the soft-spoken videos can help calm the anxious parts of the brain. Finding your own personal trigger could also help. Some common triggers are whispering, scratching and tapping, blowing, pages turning, concentration on a task, touching the head and Bob Ross.

Seriously, Bob Ross is considered to be a common ASMR “trigger” (and TBH, it makes sense).

ASMR is difficult to explain to people who are unfamiliar with it, so the best thing to do to familiarize yourself with this unusual phenomenon is to watch the videos. But watch at your own discretion — many people have reported not being able to sleep without the videos.

Here are some of the best ASMR videos on the internet to ensure a solid night of sleep:

1This girl’s voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qscmiLap-g?start=4&feature=oembed

This is one of the most popular ASMR sleep videos. Once you feel drowsy, it’s recommended to close your eyes and focus on the sounds rather than the screen.

2Zen garden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCFALoEfBGw?feature=oembed

There’s no talking in this video, just someone moving sand around in a weirdly relaxing way.

3Guided relaxation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrSXo4tdQEI?feature=oembed

An ear massage for sleep, this video focuses on one woman’s super quiet voice (and a visual of her cat).

5Mind cessation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q1nko9Jgaw?feature=oembed

If anything can help you fall asleep, it’s definitely a British woman whispering words at you.

6Hypnosis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGrEvre0RYk?feature=oembed

Make sure your volume is turned up for this one (we didn’t even realize speaking so softly for such an extended period of time was possible).

7Hair play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIoGGMi-lk8?feature=oembed

Twenty minutes of watching someone get her hair played with is almost as good as the real thing.

8Unintelligible words.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IljIGSDrW6Q?feature=oembed

You won’t be able to understand her words, but that’s the point — to focus on relaxation and not on what she’s saying. But good luck not trying to figure out what language she’s speaking. (Is it even a language?)