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A Noise Lullaby

People sufferning from sleeping problems listen to ASMR to help them fall

asleep.

By Gloria Chan Yi Lam

A girl listening to ASMR videos when sleeping.
sui Lai-ying has been suffering from sleeping prob- Tsui also likes ASMR videos produced by a Hong Kong
lems since last year. She has developed a habit of lis- Youtuber, RUBYHEHAHA, who uploads clips of whispers.
Ttening to autonomous sensory meridian response Youtuber Hung Man-chong, has been posting ASMR
(ASMR) videos to help her fall asleep. videos on her YouTube channel under the name RUBY-
“When I fall asleep late, I feel tired the next day. I don’t
know why I cannot fall asleep. Then I sleep late and feel
tired the next day. I am trapped in this vicious cycle,” Tsui
sighs.
Tsui was introduced by her friend to ASMR videos last
year. She now listens to ASMR videos every night. She
sometimes listens to ASMR on the bus to help her relax.
According to Psychology Today, “those who experience
ASMR say that the sensation is triggered by soft noises,
such as a whispering voice, or repetitive visuals, like towels
being folded – essentially an array of seemingly ordinary
sights and sounds.”
“I did not expect listening to ASMR videos could help The most-viewed ASMR video
me (fall asleep),” the 23-year-old says. She used to rely on by Hung Man-Chong
steaming eye patches when going to bed. (Photo courtesy from Hung Man-chong)
Even though Tsui likes listening to ASMR videos, she HEHAHA since February 2020. She has more than 2,840
is not attracted to all kinds of sounds. She finds crackling subscribers.
sounds of opening food packages irritating. She prefers lis- “I found out that no one in Hong Kong was producing
tening to sounds of nature and whispering. ASMR videos. I would like to produce these videos spe-