Hello everyone, here we are back again. Two weeks ago we finally had a small break through with the blue light experiment. I’m not still doing it because I don’t want it to potentially mess anything.But this week I stumbled upon a soap shaving video and got really excited about doing an ASMR piece. There’s always been specific noises I enjoy hearing in order to relax like rain or even some wind blowing, but I forgot how big of an ASMR fan the world is. After doing plentiful research I decided and got to work.

ASM-What?

ASMR, which means autonomous sensory meridian response, is defined as “a feeling of well-being combined with a tingling sensation in the scalp and down the back of the neck, as experienced by some people in response to a specific gentle stimulus, often a particular sound.” This part of research was sort of rocky considering there isn’t much information on ASMR. There hasn’t even been enough experiments to actually know if it helps with insomnia patients. Steven Novella, a clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine, suggested that these may be a type of pleasurable seizure or a way of activation our pleasure response. How do you know if you’re really experiencing it though? Well I’m not really sure. I played an array with videos, looking out for that “tingling sensation” and a few times I would think I felt it but other times it was iffy. I couldn’t tell if was actually working or if maybe I just liked the noise. So… is this even real? Well, it hasn’t really been proven so it’s really just up in the air. There was an experiment done that showed activation in brain areas that are associated with reward and emotional arousal. Thats about it. Some say it works, others say it’s to compensate for the loneliness within the gen z population we won’t really know until several experiments are finished. These ASMR videos and sounds can include up to anything. Whether you would like someone whispering into a mic motivational catch phrases or (what became my personal favorite) listen to someone repeatedly tapping on a mic there is almost something for everyone.

Game Plan.

ASMR is subjective so there are no real steps or rules on how to do it. I figured I wanted to create something short and easy that way it can be replicated if necessary. So, the first step was to figure out exactly what kind of ASMR is was that I enjoyed. As I scrolled through YouTube I got a little overwhelmed especially after a 30 minute mukbang (eating a lot of food in a short amount of time) ASMR video I had just finished watching. But I finally settled on the microphone tapping as it had a steady sort of beat that I seemed to like and also I guess it was the one that creeped me out the least. The second step was deciding how long I was going to listen for. I decided on 15-20 which gives me time to finish all my work and didn’t really put a dent in my schedule. Thirdly, I decided I needed to make the environment of the room as sound proof  as possible because I didn’t want anything to mess with the “sensations”. So I settled on using noise cancelling headphones which isn’t a requirement but I do recommend.

Did it work?

Well, the first night I couldn’t tell if I had just had a long day or if ASMR was truly magic. Within 10 minutes of have the headphones on and clicking play on a 3 hour loop of microphone tappings, I was out for good. The second day however I tossed and turned quickly becoming irritated with the tapping and actually just preferring silence. Could this potentially be because I don’t have ASMR triggers? It could have but I refused to give up so early. SO I decided that maybe switching it up everyday would be in my best interest.  After day three and 15 minutes of ice chewing I quickly began to realize ASMR is nothing like the sound of rain in the background. I actually discovered I had preferred the quiet if anything. As the week progressed I continued doing it but simply for the mere fact that I felt obligated to finish. I guess it was so boring sometimes I would just go to sleep but overall it didn’t do much. Overall I would rate it a 2/10 only because the concept is kinda interesting and also I wasn’t really triggered by anything so I can’t give a full opinion. I was disappointed for sure and thought maybe the volume was the problem or the temperature in my room but I just needed to accept the fact that it wasn’t for me.  Regardless (sorry to any ASMR advocates), I’m sure there better and less annoying remedies out there.

 

Sources

https://www.vox.com/2015/7/15/8965393/asmr-video-youtube-autonomous-sensory-meridian-response

What is ASMR?

https://www.sleep.org/articles/what-is-asmr/

I guess we meet again, right back at square one. Still tired, and still waiting till the night before to write this. These past two weeks I’ve tried two methods but one in particular was a little challenging so I figured I would give it a go. As college students one thing we can never run from is technology. Whether like me checking canvas in the middle of the party or binging the latest season on Big Mouth in bed, we can generally say we spend a decent amount of time in front of the screen. So this weeks blog focuses on blue light. As a member of the bifocals society I’ve heard this word many times but I never thought about out how it could attribute to my sleeping patterns. This was especially challenging again because I’m a night owl, its when I generally have the most motivation to get stuff done. So I realized it was time to replan my whole life because if I’m going to be putting away all electronics an hour before bed, I needed a strict schedule.

 

Blue Light for Dummies

If I’m being honest I was kind of dumb when it came to blue light, please don’t judge but I sort of thought I just had to turn my brightness down, but after 30 minutes of hardcore research I felt like an expert. Light is made up of these electromagnetic particles that travel in waves that emit energy; the shorter the wavelength the higher amount of energy it releases. Every wavelength is represented by a color and then put into one of the six groups: gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet rays, visible light, infrared light, and radio waves. Which then make up the electromagnetic spectrum. The human eye though is only sensitive to visible light which includes violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. So what makes blue light so special? Well, because of its extremely short wavelength it emits a lot of energy that our eyes simply cannot protect us from.

    “So…what should we do.” There really is nothing we can do to completely eliminate blue light because it’s everywhere. From the sun to light bulbs in classrooms, it’s just not something we can run from. “How does this relate to sleep again?”  Because of the high energy that is released, it leads to the delay of melatonin, increases your overall alertness, and resets the body’s internal clock to a later schedule. It’s even worse for teens whose circadian rhythms are already shifting naturally, causing them to feel awake later at night. So all those sleepless nights you would lie awake scrolling through your instagram discover page, looking at soap cutting videos may have not been your fault.

Game Plan.

Not sure how many times I’ve brought this up but I am a night person. I also love laying in bed with my laptop open to whatever my latest tv obsession is while messing around on my phone. It’s a way to decompress while catching up on the latest celebrity drama. I know 75% of the time, I’m falling asleep while on my phone. So how in the world was I going to put it down an hour before bed. This also meant no more waiting till the crack of dawn to start my assignments. So, I sat down and wrote out a strict schedule that worked in a decent amount of phone time around my classes, extracurriculars and free time. I was already mad at myself for even choosing this, but then realized it may not hurt to cleanse myself from so much tech.

So What Happened?

The first 3 nights were the worse. The first night, I did my homework, showered and I just sat there. I counted the seconds going by, I paced around my room and yet I still could not sleep. My heart was burning to watch Snowfall and maybe FaceTime my friends but I didn’t want to screw this up. The second night I tried to prepare myself, so I decided to sudoku myself to sleep. Yes, I used 9 of my beloved printing pages to print on over 20 sudoku puzzles. Did it cure my boredom? yes. Could I sleep? no. I still sat there, forcing my eyes shut hoping to sleep. I thought to myself on night three, “Was this REALLY a blue light issue  or was I just addicted to technology?”. Surprisingly, night four rolled around and I was asleep pithing 10 minuets of laying down. The same thing started happening as the days moved on and I was eventually falling asleep and getting more than 5 hours of it. And everyone knows that getting more than 5 hours of sleep is a true blessing. It’s officially been 10 days since I started this and it’s safe to say I actually think it’s working. Im not sure how consistent I can stay with this because it does require a lot of discipline, planning and time management. I do plan to incorporate it somehow though, maybe not as drastic as an hour though. I also discovered new things about myself through this boredom and picked up a new habit. I realized I liked to journal before bed and that I liked hearing nature sounds while I sleep. Overall I encourage you guys to try it, you never know what you might find out.

I think sleep is something we can all agree is great. Seven plus hours of uninterrupted rest where you can dream about your wildest fantasies? Sign me up please. Like the title says, I never seem to get enough sleep. For example, here I am writing this at 2am while listening to Travis Scott because I was tossing restlessly in bed. But of course, throughout the day I seemed to be running on E. The idea for this blog is that I try out new sleep methods every week. Sleep methods that are hopefully provided by you guys in the comments. I’m here to try it so you don’t have to.Theres constantly new articles and studies being released on the most effective methods for sleep, but are these people being real with you? If not, I’ve come to save you & partially myself. I can now say sleeping is my schoolwork. Being my first week I decided to start off kind of easy. I read an article on Tuck (https://www.tuck.com/shower-before-bed/ ) about showering before bed. Normally I shower then eat dinner, do homework etc. But tuck recommends taking a lukewarm shower 60 – 90 minutes before bed. I almost didn’t do this simply because 1. I like boiling hot showers and 2) 60 – 90 minutes before bed? It sort of threw off the wacky schedule I had built. I now had to finish all my homework before I showered which I hated but grew to live with. It was like a reward system almost. Got your stuff done? Here’s your prize, a shower and some sleep.  

What’s the Science Behind It?

The article jumps right in and starts talking about the benefits of a warm shower before bed. It begins discussing how our circadian rhythm ,which is a fancy word for sleep cycle, relies on our bodies temperature to know when it’s time to go to sleep. At night our body temperature drops which signals to the brain that it’s time to sleep, so the brain releases melatonin. Taking a warm shower, then experiencing the “rapid cool down process” signal to our brain that it’s time to sleep. This isn’t the only reason though. The article then goes on to list different benefits such as how showers help you relax, cleanse your body and force you to step away for a while.

But Why Lukewarm…

I was thinking the same thing. What is so special about lukewarm water? Well, what I’ve learned through the article is that cold showers stimulate your body. The cold water engages your sympathetic nervous system causing you to go into “fight or flight” mode so this temperature is suggested normally for in the mornings. Hot showers have a similar effect, but you just raised your body temperature making it harder to cool down and taking longer for your brain to get that sleep signal. Therefore, lukewarm is the perfect in between and a plus is the slight steam helps act as a decongestant making it easier to breath at night.

Morning or Night: Does it Matter?

Well the article does say its truly personal preference. If you want to relax after a long day? Shower in the night. If you need a quick pick me up, shower in the morning. They even say you can have the best of both worlds and just shower twice a day.

So…Did it Work?

This is it, the final question. Did showering 60-90 minuets before bed work? Well I won’t say it didn’t but I can’t really say it made that much of an impact. I did feel better showering knowing that was the end of my night and I could truly relax. But as I crawled into bed each night I still lie awake most nights tossing and turning. I wondered if maybe I read something wrong or maybe missed something but maybe this trick just doesn’t work for me. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being “this is life changing, we may be onto something” , I would rate this a solid 3 probably. The first 2 or 3 days I did fall asleep a little bit easier. But once my body sort of caught onto the tricks I was playing I felt like I was right back at square one again; tired. I’m not saying I don’t recommend showers before bed because ultimately they’re an essential stress reliever that no matter what will have benefits. I just don’t think lukewarm water changes anything. Now there are some uncontrollable factors such as how I’m in a communal bathroom or sharing a room with someone I met 3 weeks ago. And maybe mentally I’m not comfortable enough yet. But generally sleep is sleep, so hopefully next weeks method can help aid me to good nights rest.

 

 

Theres two things that I’m super passionate about, sleep and music.

My first possible topic is about sleep. It’s something I’ve always loved but have trouble doing. So my passion blog idea is to track my journey as I try different, safe, and effective methods in order to get the best night of rest. I would include a short bio about the background of the method followed by how it worked for me on a scale of 1 to 10 and lastly would I use/recommend this method.

My second possible topic is about music. Every week a new artist would be highlighted in a new genre including rock, hiphop, etc. Each blog would include a short bio on the artist, why I chose them, and a short playlist of songs that I enjoyed. This topic would also be open to participation from fellow classmates by allowing them to submit suggestions for each artist.

 

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