The 10 Best ASMR Videos to Get You Sleeping in No Time

You’ve heard about Cardi B tried it. You saw the Zoe Kravitz beer ad. But what is ASMR, exactly? Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a heady way of saying “brain tingles.” For lots of people, certain sounds—anything from soft-spoken voices to the cracking of an egg—elicit a relaxing sensation that helps them calm down and fall asleep. In fact, one of the first studies to investigate the phenomenon found that people who experience ASMR showed significantly reduced heart rates while watching ASMR videos compared to people who do not experience ASMR.

But with millions and millions of ASMR videos on the internet, it’s hard to know where to start. Plus, the culture of ASMR can seem kinda strange at first. Role plays? Personal attention? Lip smacking? You might find that while you love cooking ASMR videos you can’t stand whisper vids. So, to kick off your ASMR journey, we picked a wide range of the best ASMR videos on YouTube to get you sleeping in no time.

If you’re brand-spanking new to ASMR, please let us introduce you to the queen herself, Gentlewhispering, aka Maria. Maria has created hundreds of calm-inducing videos that span far and wide—from roleplays in doctors’ offices to cooking up a Blue Apron in her own kitchen. While her whole channel (which has amassed over 1.8 million followers) is worth a deep dive, this video is a great place to start since it focuses on sleep. Good luck getting through more than five minutes of it without dozing off.

If you’ve never watched an ASMR video, a trigger video is a smart jumping-off point. Essentially, the ASMR artist will introduce a series of sounds or “triggers,” which get as specific as tapping on a ceramic piggy bank to lip smacking while chewing gum. In this case, Batala uses a binaural microphone (which creates a 3D stereo sound experience for listeners wearing headphones) to provide 15 mouth sound triggers, but she has plenty of other vids highlighting different things, too.

Latte, another artist with hundreds of videos and over 1 million subscribers, has developed a pretty professional production style through the years. The makeup artist roleplay is a tried-and-true ASMR trope, and this is a prime example of why. Sure, wearing makeup to bed goes against everything we’ve ever learned about our skin, but in the ASMR world, it makes total sense: ASMR helps us go to sleep and the closeness of makeup roleplays lead to all the tingles.

Another ASMR fave? The unboxing vid. It provides ample opportunity for creators to do what they do best: investigate and tap on new objects. In this one, Chyna Unique tinkers around with KKW products including lipstick, gloss, blush and more using her long lavender nails to ring in that extra ASMR tingle.

English YouTuber WhispersRed (whose real name is Emma) is similar to Maria with a deep library of videos, from the seemingly bizarre (ear candling roleplay, anyone?) to the completely banal (in a good way). This one in particular made our list as it’s a guided sound bath meditation for anxiety that uses Tibetan singing bowls, along with other songs, and a spoken meditation.

No, this video is not a roleplay. Dr. Emma Gray is an actual psychologist who is studying how ASMR may trigger endorphins that help people relax. And while she’s testing her hypothesis, she’s making videos with her calming voice.

If you were always curious about reiki, energy therapy meant to decrease stress and increase relaxation, why not try it remotely? The Lune INNATE’s channel is mostly focused around energy, holistic practices and personal power. If you’re looking to go deep, spiritually, this is the video and channel for you.

We’re not sure how Mary (aka SouthernASMR Sounds) got a hold of an actual library scanner, but we applaud her. With her southern twang, attention to detail and great sense of humor (if you like this video, you should also check out her casually organizing the shelves at the dollar store), Mary’s videos are not only relaxing, but entertaining.

If you love a good period piece (think: Outlander), Diane of Moonlight Cottage is for you. Not only does she bring you the ASMR, but she does it in a way that makes you feel like you stepped back in time. In this video, the viewer enters the old timey candle shop where Diane, the shopkeeper, sells you the waxy goods. And yes, there’s a quill pen involved.