In 2009, a woman named Jennifer Allen went on a mission to discover why, sometimes, she’d experience a tingling sensation in her head and neck when she heard certain sounds. Naturally, she turned to the internet to see if other people might have experienced this same phenomenon.
The feeling, nameless at the time, was described on a steadyhealth.com forum thread titled, “Weird sensation feels good.” Allen would then become the person credited with naming the phenomenon “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response” or “ASMR.”
“ASMR is a perceptual sensory phenomenon, likened to meditation, which encompasses a pleasant and calming ‘tingling’ sensation localized to the scalp and neck in those able to experience it,” according to the NIH article, “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response: What is It? and Why Should We Care?”
“People looking to experience ASMR turn to the website ‘YouTube’ where videos have been produced that utilize these triggers.”
By many accounts these videos seem to lull viewers to sleep.
Rest and sleep deficiencies are by far some of the most concerning health issues facing U.S. troops. While, anecdotally, service members will tell you they can sleep anywhere, anytime, the data would suggest otherwise.
Approximately “85 percent of active duty military members have been diagnosed with a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea or insomnia,” according to Sleep.org. “Not only can a sleep disorder cause extreme fatigue, but it could also affect their jobs and their safety.”
Perhaps it’s time to give ASMR a shot. After all, in the ASMR communities exist numerous subcultures: eating, unboxing, tapping, whispering, roleplaying, and more. It’s no surprise, then, that there is a subculture dedicated to military ASMR videos. Here are some of the best renditions that are guaranteed to have you out cold, drooling peacefully into your pillow.
Those who enjoy an unboxing video with no talking can drift off to this MRE variant.
If you like eating videos, otherwise known as “mukbang,” here’s a different MRE version.
This one is for viewers who like a stern voice and appreciate World War I history.
For those who like personal attention and a little bit of history, try a World War II role-playing nurse.
If you prefer tapping, scratching and soft speaking, this should do the trick.
Then, of course, there’s a silly, extensive whisper about aliens and Area 51.
And lastly, this video is for insomniacs who enjoy a lengthy storyline with complex sights and sounds.
Sarah Sicard is a Senior Editor with Military Times. She previously served as the Digitial Editor of Military Times and the Army Times Editor. Other work can be found at National Defense Magazine, Task & Purpose, and Defense News.
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