Interested in participating in some ASMR research?
I am collaborating with members of asmr-research.org on an on-line survey that may be the first published, global, demographic study about ASMR.
The survey is not only for those who experience ASMR, but it also for those who don’t experience ASMR or may not even know if they do experience ASMR. Comparing these different groups of people will help us to understand ASMR even better.
Using a laptop, tablet, or phone at bedtime is pretty common these days. And watching an ASMR video to help relax the brain before nodding off is becoming even more common.
But there could be a problem with this method of relaxation.
Several studies have shown that being exposed to light from a computer screen at bedtime can interfere with sleep onset and/or sleep quality.
So how do computer screens interfere with sleep?
If someone wanted to measure oxytocin levels during an ASMR experience, or compare oxytocin levels in individuals that do experience ASMR vs individuals that don’t experience ASMR – how would that be done?
There are two methods for directly measuring oxytocin.
The first method would be to measure the oxytocin in a person’s brain and spinal fluid. The upside of this method is that these levels are probably most accurate for any effects oxytocin may be having on behavior. The downside of this method, as you might have guessed, are the safety issues and expenses with doing this.
The second method would be to measure the oxytocin in a person’s blood. The upside of this second method is increased safety and decreased costs compared to trying to access someone’s brain and spinal fluid. The downside of this second method is that it is not known if the oxytocin measured in someone’s blood is an accurate reflection of the oxytocin in someone’s brain and spinal fluid.
Until now.
A recent research study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry has determined if blood levels of oxytocin are an accurate measurement of brain and spinal fluid levels of oxytocin.
The study also looked to see if the levels of oxytocin were associated with anxiety.
What did they find?
I wrote a recent post about the potential involvement of the neurotransmitter GABA in ASMR.
Well, some scientists have recently published a study which has determined that GABA is responsible for deep sleep.
This means that if ASMR does raise GABA levels, then this neurotransmitter may help to explain how ASMR helps individuals to fall asleep and/or attain a deeper, more satisfying sleep.
The study was published in Nature Neuroscience, which validates the quality and importance of the research.
It is not a real surprise that GABA is involved in sleep. It has been known for a while that GABA is very good at getting neurons to quiet down.
So what did this study specifically determine?
ASMR and hypnosis have a lot of similarities.
The process for both can involve eye gazing, soft and almost monotonous vocal tones, methodical sounds, significant trust, and rhythmic movements of hands or objects.
The outcome for both involves being relaxed. ASMR is a lower level state of relaxation and hypnosis is a deeper state of relaxation.
The person inducing the relaxation in both situations is often a real or simulated expert, giving focused one-on-one attention, with a trustworthy disposition and a non-threatening nature.
Overall, it would seem likely that anything known about the biology of hypnosis may be relevant to the biology of ASMR.
So what is known about the biology of hypnosis?
A recently published article highlights one molecule that is probably involved in hypnosis, and it is a molecule that I have also theorized is central to ASMR (see my Origin Theory of ASMR for full details).
The title of the article reveals the molecule, “Hypnosis, attachment, and oxytocin”.
Newsweek has just published an article about ASMR.
It is a lengthy and well written piece by Joe Kloc which focuses on Bob Ross as a painter, a person, and of course, as a seminal figure in the experience of ASMR for many individuals.
Ilse Blansert is also prominently featured, providing illustrative quotes that tie in well throughout the story.
The article does not address many scientific theories about ASMR. But I found the information about Bob Ross so well done that it did feel like a fresh piece of journalism about ASMR.
Here are some (but not all) of the most interesting bits from the article.
It has been widely reported that many individuals find ASMR helpful to reducing their anxiety, insomnia, and depression.
If there was one neurotransmitter that was known to reduce all three of these disorders then it might be appropriate to theorize the involvement of that neurotransmitter in ASMR.
Well, the neurotransmitter gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) may be a terrific candidate.
GABA is a neurotransmitter that is widely released throughout the brain. It is well understood to have an inhibitory effect on most neurons. Another way to view this is that GABA tends to calm, comfort, and soothe other neurons.
Is GABA involved in treating anxiety disorders? Yes. Drugs like Xanax and Valium are benzodiazepines which are anti-anxiety medications. These kind of drugs reduce anxiety by enhancing the effect of the patient’s natural amounts of GABA.
Is GABA involved in treating sleep disorders? Yes. Benzodiazepines are also widely used to treat insomnia and other sleep disorders.
So are benzodiazepines widely used for depression? No. The most common type of medication used to treat depression are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs increase the amount of the patient’s natural amount of serotonin.
So GABA has not been viewed strongly as being involved in the therapeutic role of SSRIs for depression.
But a recent research publication in the journal Science challenges that view.
Many individuals report that ASMR is helpful to falling asleep. So let’s discuss what makes it so hard to fall asleep, and how a new research finding adds a new perspective.
The first major reason can be summarized as “internal stimuli”. Your brain is receiving stimulatory signals due to things happening inside your body. This may include stressful thoughts due to reflecting on the day’s events, signals of physical pain due to an injury or chronic disorder, or altered chemical balances due to ingestion or exposure to medications, drugs, diet, or toxins earlier in the day.
The second major reason can be summarized as “external stimuli”. Your brain is receiving stimulatory signals due to things happening outside your body. This may include high or low temperatures, strange or threatening smells, physical stimulation of an uncomfortable mattress or a bug bite, or noises coming from inside or outside your immediate sleeping environment.
This last reason, noises, may be the most common type of external stimuli which inhibit us from easily falling asleep.
A new study published in a top science journal, offers an additional explanation of why this is, and may also indicate another reason why ASMR may be so helpful to falling asleep.
Author Julie Young and ASMR artist Ilse Blansert are collaborating on the first book from a major publisher about ASMR titled, “Complete Idiot’s Guide to ASMR.”
Julie has experienced ASMR for a long period of time and brings her extensive author experience and deep interest about ASMR to this endeavor.
Ilse is an ASMR artist (AKA The Water whispers) with over 120,000 followers on YouTube, so you can expect she will be providing some of the best understandings and perspectives about ASMR to be found anywhere.
I’ve updated my “Origin Theory of ASMR” to version 2.0.
It now provides much more specific answers to these questions:
ASMR University 