This question came in from a curious reader of the JKASMR blog: “is ASMR bad for sleep?” I’m a fan of ASMR, but I also don’t like making any assumptions. Let’s examine both sides of the argument.

It is bad for sleep because:

• you might be listening to the wrong types of videos that don’t have triggers that put you to sleep, thus actually making you sleep worse.
• you might have the free version of YouTube, which means one thing: ads. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re drifting off only for a dumb ad promoting the latest movie with explosions in it to jolt you back.
• it might creep you out. While there are triggers that put you to sleep, there might also be “anti-triggers” that make you feel more awake. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can’t help but hear every single sound at night and not be able to fall asleep.

It is good for sleep because:

• it just works. The science behind this isn’t that well understood, but it’s to do with the specific sounds that just help relax you that isn’t always possible with “normal” sounds.
• there is variety. Some people like listening to the same thing every night, using it as a cue to help them get to sleepy land. Others like the variety which helps them relax and get ready for a good night’s rest.
• the people who make them care. The sad fact is that there are a lot of people who feel lonely out there. Sleep ASMR can help those people feel less lonely. The voices that come through YouTube are often friendly and these people do care about you.

So there you go, two different sides of the argument. If you ask me, ASMR isn’t bad for sleep, but everyone’s got to make their own decisions.