Have you ever felt a tingly sensation when someone has whispered in your ear? Have gentle sounds in your ear ever made you relax or feel sleepy? If so, you’ve probably experienced something called ASMR.

Chances are, you may have heard of it. Over the past couple of years, this experience has become a popular trend on popular social media sites like Instagram and YouTube. So called “ASMR videos” feature people whispering or speaking softly into microphones.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is described as a pleasant feeling on the skin, usually at the back of the scalp which can travel down one’s spine and even into the legs. Listeners are recommended to listen to videos with headphones because of the “binaural” aspect of the audio, which means that the audio can travel between ears to induce a stronger sensation.

There are numerous variations of ASMR “triggers” which are the sounds that induce the pleasant feelings. A quick search on YouTube will turn up everything from scratching/tapping sounds to eating food sounds. Some of the most popular ASMR triggers include hair brushing, face touching, and tapping sounds.

While not everyone may feel tingles from listening to sounds, many people use ASMR videos to help with studying or falling asleep. If you are interested in seeing if you can experience ASMR, do some exploring around YouTube. It may take some time to find a trigger that induces tingles, but when you finally do, it will be worth it. Start with videos that have a variety of sounds by doing a search for “ASMR finding your trigger.”

There are millions of ASMR videos out there to be explored. Take some time to listen, relax, and fall asleep.