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Here at Breakfast Criminals, we take nighttime rituals seriously. Having a nighttime routine is just as important as having a great morning routine.
Some of my favorite evening rituals are:
- Dim the lights after 9pm (I use Himalayan Salt Crystal lamps).
- No social media or doing anything work-related after 10pm.
- Stop doing everything at least 30 minutes before you want to be asleep. For example, if I want to be asleep by 12.30am, I drop everything I’m doing at 12am and start my winddown rituals.
- Don’t eat at least 3 hours before sleep. It helps your body naturally get ready for sleep.
- Have winddown rituals you’re excited about! Mine include:
- A turmeric latte
- Water with magnesium (it relaxes the entire body and is especially great when traveling)
- An indulgent face oil and a gua-sha massage (I use this rose quartz gua-sha)
- Taking a hot shower or a bath with epsom salt and essential oils
- Using my chi swing machine (one of the best investments in my wellness!)
- Reading in bed
- Writing 3 things I’m grateful for today in my journal
But what if you’ve tried it all and still can’t fall asleep?
ASMR to the rescue. When we heard about ASMR videos as a popular tool to help with falling asleep, we were instantly intrigued.
What is ASMR anyway?
ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, a tingling sensation that usually begins in the head and can continue down the neck and spine as a response to certain sounds.
How does ASMR happen?
ASMR occurs when you encounter certain “triggers”. ASMR sounds that might make you feel good are tapping, whispering, or even watching someone cook. They also can be personal attention and role play – yes, I’m serious. Everyone has different ASMR triggers and there is bound to be one for you –just look through the variety of our favorite ASMR YouTube videos below.
How does ASMR make you feel?
Experiencing ASMR by watching ASMR videos is meant to help melt stress and anxious thoughts away, along with helping you relax. Not everyone experiences tingling sensations when watching ASMR videos, but they have a calming and relaxing effect no matter what.
What the heck?
To someone who has never seen or heard of ASMR before, the concept can sound very strange and confusing. It’s worth trying it out for yourself!
Can ASMR help with insomnia?
Yes it can. I personally have listened to Gentle Whispering ASMR on Spotify when falling asleep, and it works wonders (once you overcome the “WTF? This is so weird! I’m weird! Am I going crazy?” stage.)
Does ASMR work on animals?
Turns out, it does.
Here’s our writer Ellen Morris’ experience with ASMR:
“Since I stumbled upon ASMR about a year ago, I have been hooked! As someone who has insomnia, ASMR videos have become an essential part of my nighttime ritual. I watch at least one video each night as the final part of my nightly routine in order to help my constantly running mind, finally unwind. If I’m feeling particularly stressed and unable to fall asleep, I love to put on an ASMR video that is long enough for me to fall asleep while watching. Since finding ASMR, nights that take me longer than 20 minutes to fall asleep have been rare. My quality of sleep has improved immensely, which has helped me in almost every aspect of my life!
Not only do I love to watch ASMR videos to help me fall asleep, so does my cat, Boo. When he was sick a few months ago, he had to make multiple trips to his vet which is over an hour’s drive. In his 15 years, he has always hated the car and rides always ended with him being angry, stressed, and yelling at whoever would listen. However, on these past vet trips I played one of my favorite ASMR Youtubers The Lune Innate in the car for him hoping it would calm him down a bit.
The videos worked wonders! He was relaxed, and even slept the whole car ride with an ASMR video playing on my phone in front of him. He fell IN LOVE. He loved the video so much that he tried to get as close as he could to the phone, which had him resting his head directly on the phone screen. If an ASMR video can help a 15-year-old grumpy cat fall asleep in less than 5 minutes, then who wouldn’t like an ASMR video?”