There’s nothing more irritating than climbing into bed at night and closing your eyes after a long day, only to stay awake tossing and turning for hours. Having a bad night’s sleep is a good way to ruin the upcoming day ahead, leaving you groggy, unfocused and generally not pleasant to be around.
This has happened to me more times than I can count, and I’m sure most people can relate. However, around a year and a half ago I discovered the perfect trick for falling asleep, and it works pretty much instantly. I now do it every single night, and I wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
Some people like to listen to white or brown noise to help them drift off. These low-frequency humming noises are meant to help you relax and fall asleep, and they can be really helpful if you live in a noisy area, as they basically help to mask any other disruptive sounds.
I’ve tried this and while I can understand how it helps some people, it didn’t work for me at all. This is when I came across the ultimate sleeping hack – listening to scientific podcasts, ASMR-style.
I am well aware that ASMR is not for everyone. Standing for autonomous sensory meridian response, ASMR is the deep relaxation and pleasant scalp and neck tingling that some people feel in response to quiet sounds such as whispering, or quiet sounds combined with gentle movements, according to the Sleep Foundation.
You’ve probably came across videos of people whispering into giant microphones, chewing, or tapping their nails against things, and quickly scrolled past in disgust. But I’ve found it to be an amazing sleep tool, especially when the person in question is talking about the universe.
My favourite podcast is Let’s Find Out on Spotify, which consists of a man reading about scientific phenomenons, historical figures, and everything in between, in a barely-there voice. He’s usually reading from a book, so you get those page-turning sounds in there too. When you listen on the lowest possible volume, I can guarantee you’ll fall asleep instantly.
I don’t know what it is about these podcast episodes that just makes me instantly switch off. I have never recalled a single fact he’s read out, although I’m sure they’re very interesting. I think it’s just a combination of the content I don’t really understand, the low voice and the page-turning, but it works every single night.
Good sleep is so important, as we’re all aware, so if you have been struggling, then I highly recommend getting stuck into some ASMR science. Each morning, I wake up feeling so well-rested, and I am certain that this is due to it.
