Hello Neighbor!

My 13-year-old recently moved into the bedroom just above our master.  My husband and I didn’t realize what a mistake we made until her birthday sleepover.  There’s not a lot of sleeping during sleepovers, and apparently, not a lot of insulation between floors.

Around 2:30 am, I heard what sounded like marbles raining and jars rolling across the ceiling above.  This went on, so I went upstairs to discover pajamad teenagers, cross-legged on hardwood, sitting around, well, a large mason jar full of marbles.

What the girls were doing: stimulating their senses so they could get sleepy.  The official term: ASMR, Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.

It’s all over YouTube.  Channels upon channels of people whispering, crinkling paper, twisting lids, and tapping just about anything they can get their fingers on—tables, bottles, boxes, you name it. One may not react positively to certain triggers, but from the number of Likes and Followers, it appears plenty of people do react positively.  There’s apparently evidence suggesting this may help insomnia, anxiety, or depression.

I love the hair wash before the haircut, or that tingly sensation I used to get when my toddler daughters would whisper in my ear.  “ASMR” was coined in 2010, but before the name, there was the indescribable feeling.

80 thousand people have viewed a video of someone rubbing a sequined mermaid pillow.  This may astound you, spark your curiosity, or really bum you out.

The irony is, of course, that the thundering jar roll woke me out of a deep sleep.  It’s my kids’ world now.  I’m just living in it.

Katie L.