Relaxing Video to Help You Sleep - 40 Minutes of Highway Traffic
Insufficient or inconsistent sleep can be a major problem for many people, with ramifications that stretch beyond simply waking up groggy in the morning. If you're not getting enough rest, you're likely to experience increased stress, decreased focus and a lack of energy throughout the day, among other things.
For most of us, there's no easy solution to the sleeping struggle. There are plenty of medications and supplements available, with varying levels of effectiveness, but many try to avoid these for fear of side effects or dependence.
If you battle insomnia or some other sleep disorder, one remedy that might work for you (or might already be working for you) is white noise.
White noise is defined as "a constant noise (such as that the noise from a television or radio that is turned on but is not receiving a clear signal) that is a mixture of many different sound waves." In other words, it is a repetitive and usually dull combination of sounds that continues for an indefinite period.
Sound is typically a distraction (one that sometimes causes us to awaken), so it doesn't necessarily seem logical that listening to such an auditory effect would actually assist with sleeping. But Popular Science describes the phenomenon thusly:
When a noise wakes you up in the night, it's not the noise itself that wakes you up, per se, but the sudden change or inconsistencies in noise that jar you. White noise creates a masking effect, blocking out those sudden changes that frustrate light sleepers, or people trying to fall asleep. "The simple version is that hearing still works while you're asleep," says Seth S. Horowitz, a neuroscientist and author of The Universal Sense: How Hearing Shapes the Mind.
This is why the buzz of a fan, or the dull hum of a television left droning, can help some people stay asleep through the night.
It doesn't work for everyone but it might work for you. If you have trouble sleeping, and particularly if you find that noises around the house or neighborhood are waking you up in the night, you might want to try playing a consistent, relaxing sound like a wavy beach or soothing rainfall to get you into a peaceful rest and keep you there.
This video can also fall under the category of ASMR. ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, is a phenomenon that uses tingle triggers to initiate a tingling sensation that can be described as brain tingles, head tingles, spine tingle, brain massage and even brain orgasm or head orgasm. There are many types of intentional ASMR including, but not limited to, soft spoken ASMR, whisper ASMR, gentile whisper ASMR, role playing ASMR. Unintentional ASMR is also popular, with categories like medical ASMR, chiropractic ASMR, massage ASMR, salon ASMR, shave ASMR, head massage ASMR, clinical ASMR, scalp massage ASMR, painting ASMR, cooking ASMR, eye exam ASMR, and instructional video ASMR.