Dr Oz: New Sleep Solution Internet Craze
Dr Oz loves finding safe, natural alternatives to sleeping pills that will help you get to sleep faster. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) has been making waves on YouTube, and now even doctors are taking note.
Dr Oz: What is ASMR?
The goals of relaxation and sleep are promoted through the use of common, everyday sounds that can make you feel at ease so that you can drift off. YouTube Whisperers rely on hypnotic sounds such as whispering, tapping, brushing, and other everyday noises.
Sleep researchers are studying the unorthodox technique, and they are going to take some time to draw any meaningful conclusions. But ASMR could have an impact for the 70 million Americans who have trouble sleeping.
Dr Oz: Common ASMR Triggers
Dr Oz explored the popular new ASMR method that some insomniacs are using to quiet their brains and drift off to sleep thanks to commonplace sounds.
Dr Oz said that most of the videos are made by women, and he thinks that the majority of people using them are women. Typical sounds include:
- Whispers
- Fingernail Tapping
- Crinkling Wrappers
Dr Oz: Free ASMR Videos
Vicki, a woman who says ASMR works for her, said she used to have trouble getting her mind to quiet down after a busy day. She told Dr Oz that her mother used to play with her to help her fall asleep.
Now she can use these free online videos to help her recreate that childhood sensation and get to sleep. She said that the videos give her feelings of euphoria and calm. There may even be some tingling and goosebumps.
Dr Oz: ASMR Vs Sleeping Pills
How does ASMR compare to other sleep aids? For one thing, it’s free, so cost is not an issue. It is not habit-forming like some medications. If you do become reliant on it, there is no hangover. And it’s not another medication you have to take in your day.
Vicki told Dr Oz people should not use ASMR in the morning or while driving, because it could be distracting. She uses the therapy before bedtime. She lights candles and puts in headphones as part of her nightly routine.
Dr Oz: Head Massager Relaxation
Dr Oz did an informal test with his audience. He gave a portion of them Head Massagers to use for relaxation, and he said that the sensation it creates is similar to what people claim they get from ASMR.
In the audience, Dr David J. Langer, chief of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, said this treatment seems to legitimately work for some patients. His theory is that a primitive aspect of the brain could be stimulated in the opposite way that nails on a chalkboard make us upset.
Dr Oz: ASMR Whispering
Two audience members were set up in Dr Oz’s impromptu ASMR lab with headphones and laptops so they could try out the therapy. He had the women watch a popular ASMR video of a woman whispering.
One woman said the video was soothing and calming. “It just put my mind at ease and just in a different state,” Latisha said, adding that it helped distract from her own thoughts and focus on the speaker.
Dr Oz: Bob Ross Painting ASMR Trigger
The late PBS painting teacher Bob Ross is also believed to be an ASMR trigger. That’s hilarious, because I used to nap to his show during high school. Another audience member thought that his videos were a great way to help her relax and let go before bedtime.
Dr Oz concluded that ASMR may change the brain without us realizing how or why. It seems to be calming, and he would recommend it for insomniacs.
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