On the occasion of World Sleep Day, we have put together a selection of original, funny and unexpected ASMR, a technique used by many to help them relax and fall asleep.
Pets, medical themes and Pokémon, laughter and brain-tingling to follow.
If you’re not familiar with ASMR, chances are you’ve been living without 4G — or in a cave — for the past few years.
Because these videos have been so popular that they are the third most popular YouTube query in the world, with around 14.5 million searches per month using the keyword.
In these videos, we hear whispers, tapping and other noises using the mouth or muffled objects.
These “auditory triggers” provoke a relaxing euphoric trance-like state (according to the scientists), a kind of semi-cerebral, semi-auditory sensation for those who are receptive. And many people use it to relax and fall asleep more easily.
Among the videographers specialised in the production of this kind of content, which titillates the ears, some are banking on a rather original or unusual approach.
We have selected three such accounts.
Medical-themed videos
ASMR Darling is the username for the channel Isabella ASMR, where Florida resident Isabella Pontbriand, who describes herself as a “sleep actress,” posts her videos.
While there’s a wide variety ranging from going to a barbershop to a suit-fitting, many have a medical theme including everything from going to the dentist to having a cranial nerve exam.
One even role-plays getting a covid-19 test and another a covid-19 vaccination registration.
Spotted by .coda, Pontbriand told the publication that she gets help from her medical student boyfriend for the scripts.
Griffin, the French bulldog who eats popcorn on TikTok
If you like dogs, watermelon and ASMR, then Frenchie Griffin is the account you can’t live without. This little dog licks, chews or nibbles tofu, watermelon, apple, bell pepper, and even popcorn. Sometimes his brother joins him.
If French bulldogs aren’t your pet of choice, then perhaps Mad Max Fluffy Road is the one for you. This fluffy American corgi excels in the art of eating appetisers in front of a microphone.
Charmander by the fire
Last but not least, The Pokémon company has started to use ASMR. The company has published such videos on its Japanese YouTube channel.
In one we see Charmander sleeping next to a fire. This orange-bodied Pokémon rekindles the embers from time to time with its own tail that serves as a fire starter.
Why does an animal capable of lighting a flame find it necessary to sleep by the fire? We don’t know. However, fans of crackling sounds will be delighted: the video lasts 30 minutes. These images have been viewed more than 2 million times.
