Have you ever heard of ASMR? Or have you ever had trouble sleeping? If you have, then you might have come across the term before, or at least this is how Egyptian YouTuber Rola Embabi learned about it in the first place.

What is ASMR?

ASMR, which is short for “autonomous sensory meridian response”, is a static-like experience or tingling sensation. This usually starts on the skin on the scalp and moves down to the upper spine. And even though ASMR is not really based on scientific explanation, it has helped people relax and even fall asleep.

But how does it work? Well, ASMR can be triggered by various things. It usually involves someone whispering a story to you (hence the YouTube videos, but we’ll get to that later) which stimulates that tingling sensation. It’s not just whispering though; every day, stimulating sounds are also induced, like brushing, tapping, or wrinkling paper. 

This explains why there are so many videos on YouTube of people doing role-plays or just whispering to the camera. We mean, if this is what it takes to make someone struggling with insomnia fall asleep, no wonder ASMR videos get millions of views worldwide.

Rola’s Diary

But, back to our YouTuber, Rola. Just like many others having trouble sleeping, this was how she got introduced to ASMR. Throughout her quest for a peaceful good night's sleep, she realised that there was a huge lack of ASMR videos in Egypt and the Arab world. That’s when it hit her, and she decided to start making videos in Arabic.

Being a media management graduate with a passion for singing meant she had enough skills, creativity, and tools to start her YouTube channel. Rola simply grabbed her mic and camera and started recording. Now, after editing and posting her first Arabic ASMR video almost a year ago, she proudly has 22.6 thousand subscribers!

Even though ASMR videos are widely seen as taboo, especially in an Arab country like Egypt, Rola doesn’t let hate stand in her way. The young lady tried pursuing a career in media for a few months after graduation, but it just didn’t seem right; a desk job just wasn’t her thing, but YouTube was. And just like that, with dedication combined with passion, she started attracting more and more viewers, which soon translated into ads, turning YouTube into an actual full-time job.