It must be a couple of years now, that I've been using ASMR videos to get to sleep at night. I've even gone so far as to stockpile around a thousand of them on my hard-drive (yes, literally a thousand), in anticipation for the day that YouTube either shuts down or implements some sort of DRM technology that prevents downloading. That's right, I'm the online equivalent of one of those hillbillies who's building a doomsday fortress—a digital prepper, if you will.♠
♠ Somebody remind me that I've got to do a post on prepping.
Anyway, I've noticed in the last few months that knowledge of ASMR seems to be seeping into the mainstream. I think around half of the podcasts I listen to, have either mentioned it in passing, or had semi-in-depth discussions on the topic. Unfortunately, everybody seems to be of the opinion that ASMR is something for insecure young adults who are searching for some sorta entertainment safe-space. I have never once heard anyone mention its viability as a sleep aid. Frustrating, considering that virtually every ASMRtist♣ I follow, talks about this as being the primary application for the material they produce. I wonder how many poor bastards are lying awake out there, having not even given ASMR a shot, because they don't realise that a majority of it is made specifically for people in their predicament.
♣ Yes, that's seriously what they fuckin' call themselves. I know, I know; I shouldn't be surprised that people think it's a big fuckin' joke. They might as well just call themselves ASMRseholes and be done with it.
Of course, not every ASMR video is for everybody; and you're probably going to have to sift through a lot of shit to find something that works for you. I personally dislike videos where people eat or play video games, and I especially loathe videos where people play video games while eating. I also find videos of people applying makeup unbearably tedious. On the other hand, I'm quite happy to sit and watch someone run their nails over a wooden tabletop for fifteen minutes, until I finally nod off.
Oh, and it'd probably be remiss of me not to mention that there's been a sizeable number of women who've come into ASMR from doing online sex shows, giving rise to a sub-genre known as "ASMRotica". Yep, seriously, that's what it's called. Which means YouTube is now littered with soft-core "tease" videos, some of which are stand-alone productions, and some of which link to accounts on PornHub, or entire PornHub-esque sites featuring nothing but hard-core ASMR videos. So, yeah, that's probably not helping the public image any, either.
But anyway, with that off my chest, it's time I got to the meat of the issue. Headphones. I find that ASMR is only effective when I wear them. I started off using the little earbuds that come packaged with every phone and tablet you buy nowadays. However, if you've ever rolled onto your side with one of those things in your ear, you'll have some idea of how your face feels after sleeping on one for six hours. Also, there were a couple of nights where I woke up with the cord wrapped around my neck. Consequently, I decided to buy some big-arsed over-the-ear bluetooth headphones. For ten bucks. And while they might look like something DJ Barbie would wear, they do work reasonably well … or they did, until the side with the bluetooth receiver started making a high-pitched whine. It's not loud, but it is annoying. Especially since it constantly cuts in and out. eeeee-eee-eeeeeeeeeeee--eee----eeeeeeee-ee-eeeeeeeee and so on and so forth.
I'm thinking I might replace them with a "good" set, but honestly, I don't know dick about headphones; and I don't feel like throwing a hundred plus quid at something that isn't going to last any longer than the ten dollar piece of fluro plastic I've got now. I'm even considering getting a set of SleepPhones, since half the ASMRseholes ASMRtists I listen to are hocking them. I just dunno. There's no way they could be "that" comfortable, and they'd have to be hot as fuck in summer, wouldn't they? Maybe I'm just a tight-arse, but I hate the idea of gambling a hundred and fifty bucks on something that might turn out to be a complete heap of shit.
So—long story short—I thought I'd write this post, and see if anybody had any experience or knowledge when it comes to the subject of wireless headphones. Any input is appreciated.
As a bonus, I thought I might post a couple of my favourite ASMR videos (don't forget to wear your own headphones). They're both "role-plays", meaning that the person in the video acts out a scene, which you—the audience member—is meant to be a part of. The first one is the single most effective video I have in my collection. I've started watching it over a hundred times, but probably only ever seen the ending on a half-dozen occasions. I usually conk out around about the time when she starts counting the shells. Also, there's nothing I can point to about this video and say "this is what I like". This girl's done at least five of these mermaid-themed role-plays, and so far, this is the only one that does anything for me.
This second one is nowhere near as effective as the first, but it is the funniest—and most imaginative—ASMR video I've ever listened to. It starts out as your regular holiday type fare, but very quickly starts to take creative liberties with the Christmas canon. Oh, and the Korean (I think) grammar, is the absolute icing on the cake ("Please take a sit. Oh, you have many snows all over you."). I briefly considered making sub-titles for it, but then I remembered how time-consuming and fiddly sub-titles are to make. Enjoy.
3 comments :
I listen to audiobooks to sleep. Books I've already read (sometimes ten or twenty times), that I know how they go, and always ones with a British accent, as US accents are too grating to fall asleep to. I prefer to just use the speakers on my iPad - and since my marriage has been rocky, hubby's been sleeping in the other room, which is fine I think by both of us for the most part since we can do what we want in bed without worrying about annoying the other.
But last week we went away and were staying with someone in their spare room and thus shared a bed. It was fine, he slept like a log as he always does. I used my Apple AirPods instead of just having the speakers on and we were both fine. Surprisingly the Airpods did not fall out of my ears and nor were they any more uncomfy than any other pair of earbuds I've owned, and they have the added bonus of being wireless, so no tangles. My main complaint about them is that you can't adjust the volume at the Airpods themselves, you have to use the volume controls on your iPad/phone with them. They work just fine and dandy with my Samsung phone as well, so I'm actually a pretty big fan.
Prior to this I had some Samsung Level U headphones which were great, until they broke, and honestly more annoying than the AirPods. And yeah, I do spend a decent amount of time sleeping on my side, so if they were going to bother me, they would have then. THey are pretty pricey though and I wouldn't want to lose one (I've had mine for six months and never had one fall out of an ear, but I have certainly dropped them after taking them out about a billion times).
There's something called Kokoon as well https://kokoon.io/ which I haven't tried, but look promising because they are shaped for side sleeping. Worth considering.
I really ought to try your AMSR vids and see how they go though.
I still find this AMSR business very strange. I find tapping and so on quite annoying so it tenses me up and the soft voice seems a bit creepy. I didn't watch both videos all the way but I'm fascinated by what they're saying - it's kind of poetic in parts and overall almost what I'd call art
I read and fall asleep very quickly. I only have a hard time sleeping if I've had a few drinks and/or have had too much social stimulus
No idea re: headphones
it's kind of poetic in parts and overall almost what I'd call art
You mean the content, the delivery, or both? I envy your ability to fall asleep effortlessly, Squib.
Suze, that's interesting about the AirPods. I had no idea they were compatible with anything other than iOS devices. I looked at the Kokoon, but it's a crowd-funding thing that hasn't actually been produced yet, so I'll just wait see on that one.
If you are interested in looking into ASMR, just remember to spend some time sampling the different stuff that's on offer before jumping to any conclusions. The first ASMR channel that consistently worked for me was Whispers Red. She used to do a lot of slow, rhythmical tapping and scratching, overlayed with low, motherly vocals. But now, 90% of her videos are her talking about healing crystals and cruelty-free cosmetics and other new-age hippy stuff, which I find more annoying than sleep-inducing. I'm sure some people love it though.
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