Blood Pressure and Asmr the Science of Relaxation

Blood pressure and asmr the science behind relaxation to what extent does the internet phenomenon autonomous sensory meridian response asmr physically induce relaxation blood pressure pulse rate breathing rate in senior ap students in central texas high schools literature review therapeutic possibilities of asmr in recent years the internet phenomenon autonomous sensory meridian response asmr has grown in popularity as indicated by its prevalence on media platforms. Asmr is an experience characterized by a tingling sensation that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine in response to a range of audio-visual triggers such as whispering tapping and hand movements. asmr is often compared to auditory-tactile synesthesia and frisson due to the aesthetic similarities.

Giulia lara poerio is a co-producer of asmr university. Asmr university is a website that provides professional peer reviewed articles surveys and podcasts with the intent to support the awareness research and understanding of the art and science of asmr. Poerio claims that asmr has risen in popularity due to way it promotes relaxation and sleep for those who need it poerio 2018 unlike other similar experiences such as synthesia and frissom the physiological basis of asmr has not yet been established. Poerio pursued two studies one large-scale online experiment; one laboratory study that tested the emotional and physiological aspects of asmr. Study allowed her to determine whether the effect of asmr videos depended on the ability to experience asmr and study 2 examined the physiological parameters underlying the psychological state of asmr poerio 2018 both studies indicated that people who were able to experience asmr were generally the ones to seek it out. Furthermore her findings suggest that asmr may have therapeutic benefits for mental and physical health poerio 2018 i have experienced extreme stress throughout my high school years especially now as a senior. A handful of asmr videos have helped to calm me down. This allows me to avoid medication or undue treatment. However i have found that therapists are unfamiliar with the internet phenomenon and do not recommend it to their own clients. Due to the recent popularity of asmr the stakeholders in place include therapists/psychologists and the people suffering from stress and/or anxiety. Another consequence of the recency of the phenomenon is the lack of research and rebuttals associated with the branching aspects of asmr especially physiologically. According to lucy jawad who is credible due to her extensive peer reviews asmr is extremely unresearched despite its potential therapeutic applications jawad 2017 she claims that asmr helps users relax deal with stress and get to sleep with greater ease.

Given the prevalence of sleep disorders anxiety and depression it is recommended that future research explores every possible avenue for asmr in regards to therapeutics jawad 2017 also these studies emphasize the importance of whether a person is susceptible to asmr and the tingles it elicits or not in regards to their physiological state. Physiological correlation of blood pressure to stress levels from a physiological standpoint D.W.Johnston discusses the effect of stress on blood pressure in regards to stress management johnston 1993 johnsons article is credible due to the extensive amount of peer reviews. He first gathered patients with mild hypertension and had them practice stress management by incorporating relaxation induced stretching exercises into their daily routines. His results found no remarkable change due to stress management and concluded that stress management for treating mild primary hypertension is ineffective in lowering blood pressure johnston 1993 the findings suggest that high blood pressure indicates high levels of stress and that a new form of stress relief is needed johnson 1993 due to the relaxing effects of asmr the recommendations to research its therapeutic qualities and the lack of effective stress management for people with high blood pressure i have found myself asking to what extent does the internet phenomenon autonomous sensory meridian response asmr physically induce relaxation blood pressure pulse rate breathing rate in senior ap students in central texas high schools if i am able to prove that asmr serves as a catalyst for relaxation in teenagers then psychiatrists can start recommending more natural healing and avoiding medication and if i introduce this phenomenon to teenagers experiencing similar circumstances they might explore more about asmr and find it beneficial to their own lives. Furthermore tying to the assumption that ap classes and stress levels have a direct relationship if seniors in three or more ap classes watch an asmr video then they will experience relaxation as indicated by a drop in blood pressure. The purpose of this study is to gain insight on the affect asmr has on the body on a physical level and if it correlates to stress/anxiety as seen by induced relaxation. a correlation between asmr and alleviated stress will allow for further remedies for anxiety that dont make a person medicinally dependent and provides scientific backing for legitimate psychiatrists to offer asmr as a solution or aid.

Furthermore it is believed that this intriguing phenomenon be investigated to explore its effects and potential as a therapy jawad 2017 emma barratt a co-producer for asmr university is credible because she is a nsw health research fellow and forensic psychologist at ndarc and the nhmrc centre of research excellence in mental health and substance use. Barratt used likert style questions to discover that 98% of participants largely sought out asmr as an opportunity for relaxation and 70% used asmr to deal with stress barratt 2015 furthermore many participants described additional details of seeking the effects of asmr where other interventions medical or otherwise had been unable to assist. The results of this study suggest that asmr also provides temporary relief in mood for those suffering from anxiety with many individuals consciously using it for this purpose barratt 2017 also beverly fredborg another co-producer of asmr university discusses the personality characteristics that co-occur with the condition asmr fredborg 2017 these include the several factors that distinguish asmr from other atypical sensory experiences such as frisson. She uses this correlation to introduce the fact that both phenomenon both trigger stimuli. However the fact that asmr has phenomenological characteristics that differentiate from frisson and synesthesia suggests that this condition is a valid topic of scientific inquiry fredborg 2017 she proceeds to reference her previous research in which they identified atypical patterns of functional connectivity as one potential factor for this condition. In the current study she examines whether personality traits play a role in asmr. Specifically she investigated whether individuals with asmr differed from matched control participants on five broad personality domains: openness-to-experience conscientiousness extraversion agreeableness and neuroticism fredborg 2017 while there are several qualitative studies out there that back the concept of asmr and not having asmr barratt having discovered that those who seek asmr are more likely to be affected and surveys research needs to be done that gains a perspective of the changes that happen on a physical level barratt 2017 there is a problem with lack of scientific backing for asmr physically helping with anxiety and despite ongoing research there is no physical correlation being tested for.

This problem has negatively affected patients of therapists and other medical professionals because they dont have access to this resource through doctors barratt 2017 a possible cause of this problem is how recent and new it is limiting the amount of scientific exposure it has gotten. according to both fredborg and barratt a study which investigates the physical correlation can remedy the problem fredborg 2017; barratt 2017 a strong indicator of stress level other than self report data includes blood pressure according to johnston in the study he did for hypertension blood pressure and anxiety johnston 1993 therefore in order to determine the effects asmr has on a physiological level blood pressure and self report data must be used in order to portray the correlation. those who describe asmr claim it to be an anomalous sensory experience which has thus far escaped the eye of scientific research.

There is a suggestion that asmr may be of use for providing temporary relief to individuals with depression stress and chronic pain. as asmr has received some media attention in recent months many have taken to public forums to explain their ability to induce asmr to ease symptoms of these conditions in cases where other routes of treatment may have been lacking or ineffective. to date there has been no rigorous scientific exploration of asmr nor of the conditions which trigger or end the asmr state barratt 2017 furthermore barratt recommends that future research steers away from self-report data in order to more solidly establish the understanding of the sensory nature of asmr for example through covert motor or physiological monitoring barratt 2017.