Have you ever felt a tingling sensation starting in your scalp that worked its way down your spine when watching the sea or the patterns made by the shadowed leaves of a tree on the ground? Or felt a sensation of calm wash down your body when you were listening to soft sounds, or getting a massage or a haircut? This is an autonomous sensory meridian response, and not all people experience it.
When talking about a meridian, it is best explained in terms of Chinese medicine. Meridians function as a network through which qi, or vital life force, flows. According to Chinese medicine, your body has twelve primary meridians.
An autonomous sensory meridian response thus refers to an automatic response to an external stimulus of a meridian.
For many people, it is a response to audio or visual stimulation, or due to receiving close personal attention. For others it can be connected to repetitive tasks or working with the hands. Many describe the feelings as positive. They may experience a tingling feeling starting at the top of the head which travels down to other areas of the body. They usually feel relaxed afterward.
Literature indicates that your brain has definite reactions during an autonomous sensory meridian response period. An increase in frontal lobe alpha waves was recorded in those undergoing an MRI scan, for example. You may also experience a reduction in stress levels, a reduction in heart rate, and experience feelings of calmness and relaxation.
Not everyone, however, experiences an autonomous sensory meridian response, and scientists do not know why. So, if you wonder whether you have ever experienced it, think back to whether you have ever experienced the chills when listening to music or seen, touched, or smelled something. If you have, then you may very well have experienced an autonomous sensory meridian response.
Not everyone responds to the same set of stimuli. One person may have this experience when smelling a certain fruit for example, while another may experience it when someone plays with their hair. Each person’s response triggers differ.
The most common autonomous sensory meridian response triggers include the following:
Your body’s stress response system, i.e., the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response, results in an elevated heart rate and, in many people, feelings of anxiety. Many people who experience an autonomous sensory meridian response have indicated a reduction in stress levels with research showing an accompanying decrease in heart rate.
A study from Northumbria University in the United Kingdom suggests that an ASMR may not only lower your stress levels but promote better sleep as well. Sleep issues are often associated with increased stress. Furthermore, an elevated heart rate, anxiety, and sleep issues all point toward symptoms of adrenal fatigue.
Literature indicates that those that score higher in neuroticism tend to be more predisposed to having an autonomous sensory meridian response. However, this association may only be because those taking part in trials may be those seeking help for mental health issues. In this regard, neuroticism merely refers to those more prone to periods of anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, and mood swings. These symptoms are also common with stress and adrenal fatigue.
In the end, though, all this means is that if you have a stressful job or suffer from anxiety or depression, an autonomous sensory meridian response may help alleviate the situation. Listening to audio or watching videos that bring on such an episode may thus benefit you.
As a result of the NEM stress response, an increase in stress hormone production in the adrenals changes several body functions and processes. An autonomous sensory meridian response seems to have a modulating effect on the NEM stress response. We see this with the feelings of relaxation and calmness experienced, as well as a reduction in heart rate. Anxiety and an increased heart rate are two issues one sees with a NEM stress response activation.
Furthermore, the feelings experienced during an autonomous sensory meridian episode are similar to those resulting from neurohormone release, e.g., oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins, in the brain.
One theory behind how this response works is that mirror neurons may result in the release of these hormones. The idea is, when you watch a video of someone undergoing a calming experience, your mirror neurons may react as though you were having that experience yourself.
Your NEM stress response is an automatic reaction in response to either external or internal stress. It can happen due to an injury, a perceived stressful situation, or even due to microbial activity within your body. Whatever the cause of the stressor, your NEM’s reaction is the same: an activation of your fight or flight response.
Your Neuroaffect Circuit, a part of your NEM, consists of your brain, microbiome, and autonomic nervous system. The three components use neurotransmitters to communicate. Chronic stress can lead to problems in your Neuroaffect Circuit.
Chronic stress can affect brain function. High stress hormone levels can affect your emotional response and cognitive function. It could also influence your learning ability due to increased myelin in the hippocampus.
Chronic stress may also affect your autonomic nervous system due to continuous stimulation and a constant state of sympathetic nervous system activation. Your sympathetic nervous system is responsible for your fight or flight response and forms part of your autonomic nervous system. Another branch of the autonomic nervous system, the adrenomedullary hormonal system, may, when stress becomes severe, release epinephrine to give your body the energy needed to fight stress. With continuous stress, the third branch of your autonomic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system, never gets a chance to slow down or rest to enable your body to recover.
Stress may trigger an immune response and higher inflammation levels. It can also cause an imbalance in gut bacteria and cause a leaky gut. This may disrupt your digestive process and influence proper nutrient absorption. These factors also influence adrenal fatigue.
While much research still needs to be done on the benefits of this response, it looks promising for those suffering from stress and adrenal fatigue. This is due to its moderating influence on stress and blood pressure levels.
These responses are not just a myth, although not everyone has them. By eliciting an autonomous sensory meridian response, you may find your sleep improving, your mood improving, and even your anxiety lifting.
If you would like to know about an autonomic sensory meridian response, the team at Dr. Lam Coaching can help. We offer a free** no-obligation phone consultation at +1 (626) 571-1234 where we will privately discuss your concerns and options. You can also send a request through our Ask The Doctor System by clicking here.
An autonomous sensory meridian response may benefit adrenal fatigue. This is because it induces feelings of relaxation while promoting better sleep. It also reduces anxiety. These are issues that many people with adrenal fatigue often have to deal with in their daily lives.
