On The Procrastination Pen there is the occasional foray into sites purposefully created for ASMR videos, but it is not the main purpose of these blog posts (well not so far anyway).
Occasionally, it is so much easier to just review a video from one of these sites as they’ve been selected previously for ASMR. So I do not have to find one from amidst the many noisy and poorly recorded videos out there.
However ASMR symptoms seem to be stimulated by many different triggers, such that many of these sites cater to people who are looking for a very different kind of video to the ones I would find restful.
Today, I am once again on a channel whose purpose in life is stated right up front “ASMR Sandwich Breath” is the channel. We’ve covered “sandwich breath” before. The whole ASMR world is now like a giant clique with its own terms and ideas (only a very few of which I understand).
The channel has forty eight videos. Fortunately for us all on a medical theme which is an area this blog has largely been focused on (although I do occasionally stray). Unfortunately a number of them have been covered before as they are still available on the original sites.
For that reason I am a bit nervous about today’s video, as I guarantee in a short while I am going to find it wherever it originally came from and will then feature it again.
This is today’s video:
Health Assessment Unintentional ASMR
It seems to be one amongst the rich seam of student videos which has been mined for material on this blog of late.
This one does not have the greatest sound, which makes me wonder why a curated selection of this sort would have nominated it, as we know absolute gems like the Vicki Scott video are out there. However I have chosen to run with it as well, so there must be aspects to it worthy of listening to.
The sound is far too muted, but the approach is gentle and calm which makes a positive difference. I’d be interested in finding the original if it is still out there as I do like to feature original videos (where they still exist).
As usual, where comments are permitted, a smattering of unwarranted nasty comments. I am getting in favour of videos that don’t permit comments for this reason.
The patient “Bernie” (probably misspelled) and the medical professional “Caitlyn” (also likely misspelled), not quite enough for me to go searching independently for the video.
There are playlists on ASMR Sandwich Breath and I could use them to guide selection of videos for this blog article. However, we are in danger of covering videos already featured elsewhere in this blog.
I think I will go for the tested technique of selecting videos which feature the same “patient” or the same medical professional.
I have to make some guesses, but I am pretty certain the following have the same medical professional:
HEENT Exam Unintentional ASMR
As with the previous video the sound is still a bit muted. However the approach remains calm and gentle.
This also features Bernie and Caitlyn – the spellings are fixed now until someone corrects me…
Musculoskeletal Exam Unintentional ASMR
Bernie and Caitlyn again. I notice that they even share nail polish colour (which might be coincidental, but I would have thought indicates this is more likely two students involved in an assessment video).
One of the commentators refers to a participant as “Brittany” so possibly I may have misheard the name here.
Neuro Exam Unintentional ASMR
From the comments, others have been looking for the original videos for this set and not been successful in finding them. So I am a bit reassured in featuring videos from a site designed to curate ASMR videos – it’s doubtful we would find them elsewhere.
We’re now thoroughly used to the approach of this exam. Some people could probably repeat the steps themselves from the sheer number of times they’ve seen videos of this type.
I think these are consistent enough to be in The Procrastination Pen Playlist
In deference to the commentator, I’ve labelled the playlist on The Procrastination Pen “Brittany and Caitlyn” it is here:
The Procrastination Pen playlist (featuring all videos covered so far on this blog) is here:
A number of videos, that were once in that overall playlist, became tiresome to listen to over a period of time. This is usually due to excessive noise of one type or another. All such videos are in the Archive Playlist here:
I only keep this list at all in case I weed out a video that is somebody’s favourite.
I hope you find the videos restful and that they help you to grab what sleep you are able to.
If you liked this article why not subscribe to this blog.
In writing this it is all too easy to assume that you have made the journey thus far with me and have some idea what this blog is for. However, it is to be hoped that people are meandering into the blog, from some search engine or other, all the time. If you have done that, this article may be your point of entry.
If so welcome.
I hope that those who have been reading (and subscribing) for a period of time will have patience whilst I tell you what you’re looking at.
The purpose is to generate a playlist – simply that. A great long playlist of videos from YouTube. Videos which, after careful listening and review have been found good for ASMR (or at the very least to be restful and relaxing, sufficient to nestle a person off to sleep when they have a stressful day to come and desperately need the rest).
The writing is actually the review process and I assume that a lot of people will just scroll to the end of the article and pick up the playlist.
Some people may take an interest in the review and take a moment to read and reflect on it or to vehemently disagree and to leave comments.
At intervals I will further edit the playlist to try to ensure that only the more restful videos are included.
This time we are starting with a video on a much more official sounding channel than some of our recent dalliances have been. No professional ASMR curation here.
The Exam for Shoulder Pain – Stanford Medicine 25
A rather nice piece of introductory music this time, although what it will sound like once you’ve heard it a few dozen times in the dead of night and you’re tired, irritable and have an important meeting in the morning, I’m afraid I can’t predict.
The medical professional this time is properly announced in the video Dr. Brinda Christopher Sports Medicine Physician FFSEM MRCP BSc MBBS. A rather dazzling array of qualifications there. The patient isn’t introduced.
But how does her voice sound and is the video very relaxing is what we have come to find out (well I have and I assume you have too as you’re reading this).
Certainly, Brinda has a very quiet voice, sufficiently quiet that the background aircon is quite apparent in this video.
The comments are quite enlightening with some comments from people seeking instruction for exams and some from those coming to this channel for ASMR videos. (I am not the first to find this video for ASMR purposes).
Although it is quiet it isn’t tops for ASMR with me. It is worthy of a review though and probably worthy of the Procrastination Pen playlist. (It might fall victim to a subsequent weeding, we’ll see).
The channel is Stanford Medicine 25. There are two hundred and forty-four subscribers at the time I’m looking at it. There are eighty-five videos as at today’s date and thirteen playlists. This video occurs in a playlist called Stanford Medicine 25: Musculoskeletal Exam.
This playlist consists of eight videos of which the above one is the very last in the set. Dr Christopher only features in three (of which the above is one).
The other two featuring Dr Christopher are:
The Exam for Knee Pain – Stanford Medicine 25
As usual with institutional videos (see the ones from Warwick) these are of a brand i.e. the same introductory images and the same image bottom right-hand side. (This last presumably in an attempt to preserve copyright of the entire video).
You might be intrigued (as I was) by the term crepitus, which is a noise coming from the joints on movement.
I’m not sure what the “patient” is called here, I thought that Brinda thanked “Chad” but it might just be my ears.
The last video with Dr Christopher in this playlist is:
The Exam for Ankle & Foot Pain – Stanford Medicine 25
In this we establish that the patient here is “Chad” the same patient in all three videos covered in this article. From the accent I would guess Chad is an American person. That’s in keeping with the institution location but is in quite a contrast to the more English accent of Dr Christopher.
These three videos obviously belong together, the same medical professional, the same “patient” the other five in the set (contained in the Musculoskeletal Exam playlist) less so.
Therefore, I think I’ll call this article at an end here and resolve to follow on with the rest of that playlist (and the channel) in future blog items.
The Stanford Medicine playlist on The Procrastination Pen is here:
The overall playlist of items covered so far on The Procrastination Pen is here:
The archive playlist of videos that were in the above playlist but found after lengthy review not to make the grade, is here:
I keep this in case subscribers to the Procrastination Pen have personal favourites that they want to hear.
The playlist of videos requiring age verification is here:
I dislike these as they expect me to login to verify my age. This interrupts the listening experience in my view. You may be happy with this interruption in which case this list is for you.
I hope that you find the playlists restful and I hope you get plenty of sleep.
If you liked this blog article why not follow this blog.
We are back to fairly safe ground this time. Firstly, this video is not found in a channel dedicated to ASMR (this blog focuses on unintentional ASMR videos for review material). Secondly, we are back to a Cranial Nerve exam which has featuredbefore.
Neuro PACES is the channel and it is fairly easy to cover as it contains in total five videos none of which is longer than ten minutes (in fact all are quite a bit shorter than that).
The Cranial Nerve Examination is this one:
Cranial Nerve Examination Example
A nice calm start but progress through the video does seem to be quite hurried. Dr Michael is the medical professional, Mr Foot is the “patient”
I would guess that in order to get the entire exam completed within five minutes Dr Michael really needs to be motoring along.
The video is quite a bit different to the Vicki Scott one in this respect.
As the video progresses, if anything, it gets even quieter but the pace never seems to slow down much. To me that is not too distracting and it is a good video for the Procrastination Pen playlist I think.
The patient here states that the sensation in his face is unequal. This is the first time we have come across this in any of the videos covered so far. Surprisingly there is no mechanism here for noting that concern, that seems unusual. In addition, the medical professional here does not echo back the concern. Reflecting the concern has been more typical in the videos we have covered so far.
A number of the videos seem to have been set up specifically for the neuropaces course organised by:
Professor Benedict Michael, Professor in Neuroscience, MRC Clinician Scientist and Honorary Consultant Neurologist
Professor Tom Solomon, Chair of Neurological Science and Honorary Consultant Neurologist
Dr Viraj Bharambe, Neurology Consultant
Dr Rosie Heartshorne, Neurology Registrar
I’ll make a guess that Dr Michael and Professor Michael are the same person.
Investigating the rest of the Neuro PACES channel we find that there are no playlists. Without a playlist order to guide the sequence of videos to review let’s begin with those videos dedicated to medical examination:
Lower Limb Examination Example
This features Dr Michael again, this time with Mr Jamieson. Again, this is a very gentle presentation. This one is pretty nigh ideal for our purposes and is a definite candidate for the Procrastination Pen playlist.
The patient here seems to be really struggling, the first time I’ve seen this featured in a medical examination video. The videos reviewed to date have always featured healthy people. I’m guessing these are usually student volunteers. This is quite a good vindication of what the process is supposed to be for i.e., verifying an unwell person’s condition.
For our purposes though it is a good ASMR candidate and like the previous one merely five minutes long. I’d say Dr Michael is as good here ASMR-wise as Dr James Gill which is quite a statement to make.
Neurology Lower Limb Examination for MRCP PACES. NeuroPACES.mov
The patient isn’t introduced in this video and Dr Michael starts off in much more robust fashion than in the previous two videos, (it’s quite a bit louder, as if he is trying to enunciate for a distant audience). There is a consistent background hubbub as if it is being filmed in a public area.
However, it still has its quiet and attentive moments which brings it back into a candidate for the Procrastination Pen playlist for me. It is still not quite as good as Shane Brun though.
In common with the other videos in this article it really motors though and is all over in five minutes. Overall therefore this one is not a great Procrastination Pen playlist candidate.
The Solomon System- NeuroPACES
This time the medical professional is flagged at the beginning Professor Tom Solomon PhD. FRCP of the Walton Neuro Centre NHS Foundation Trust & University of Liverpool
The “patient” is quite quickly introduced as Simon.
This is a longer video at eight minutes fifty seconds (though that is still not long in terms of the many videos we’ve reviewed in the past).
Professor Solomon has not got quite such a calm voice as Dr Michael sadly. I think again the problem is that he is presenting to a wider audience so his voice is louder. But at least there isn’t the background hubbub in this video.
There is quite a good description as to why some of the tests are actually performed and how to do these tests in the minimal time.
I’m not going to add this one to the Procrastination Pen playlist though.
NeuroPACES: The Walton Centre Neurology MRCP PACES Course
Another calm start, however it is just an intro video to the neuro PACES course. We get promotional material including funky music. This is not the kind of thing you want when you’re attempting to doze off.
This one is not going into the Procrastination Pen playlist.
The NeuroPaces playlist on the Procrastination Pen channel is here:
The overall Procrastination Pen Checklist (featuring all videos covered in the blog so far) is here:
The archive playlist of videos that were in the above playlist but found after lengthy review not to make the grade, is here:
I keep this in case people have personal favourites that they want to hear.
The playlist of videos requiring age verification is here:
I dislike these as they require me to stop listening and login to verify my age. You may find that you have more patience than I do in which case this list is for you.
I hope that you find the playlists restful and I hope you get plenty of relaxation as a result.
If you liked this blog article why not follow this blog.
As before, I should provide a brief introduction for those who do not know anything about:
a) this blog
b) this subject.
I’ve written on this before and it might be worthwhile reviewing that post for details.
In brief though, this section of the blog involves reviewing ASMR videos, or indeed any video that could be relaxing enough that when you are desperate for sleep it might encourage you to get some.
The result is a playlist of such videos and the opportunity to feedback as to whether my choices were appropriate that week.
The YouTube Channel this time does not have many subscribers two hundred and seventy subscribers in fact, so it is almost an unknown channel. Is this an ASMR find? Possibly…
The video is:
Head to Toe
This has a reasonably high level of background noise, possibly an open space perhaps (although the part we get to see is enclosed by curtains). The nurse is Keisha whose channel this is (more of that in a moment). The “patient” does announce her name which I think is “Mallory Myers” – that looks wrong to me but it is what it sounds like.
The comments as usual are a bit off the wall, even brutal, but fortunately if you came for the sleep then you will not be reading those (or even watching the video). It is all about the sound.
The video has the hallmarks of one of those we’ve seen previously i.e. created as part of an assessment process. For example this one includes the fake washing of hands and the insistence on drawing curtains for privacy that are already drawn.
I’ve concluded that somewhere there is a checklist that student assessment videos are unthinkingly adhering to.
These videos have a feeling of being “busy” i.e. trying to cram everything in that the assessor wants to see. This includes a number of technical terms I imagine very few patients would be bothered to hear about.
There’s also a long period of more-or-less nothing at the end when Keisha is doing the paperwork, presumably this is again a requirement.
The examination is lovely and calm, the background noise quickly stops being distracting. There are moments of shared humour and there seems to be reasonable rapport. This is a good Procrastination Pen playlist candidate.
It may have been recorded at Valdosta State University – the nurse’s shoulder badge at one stage appears to indicate this location. This university of course has a YouTube channel, with three hundred and four videos as at today’s date but it does not include any of those listed on Keisha’s channel.
There are seven videos as at today’s date with the above one being the most obvious candidate for ASMR. There are no playlists. However, with only seven videos we can probably take the time to review them all. (Well I can, and you can scroll to the end to listen to the playlist).
There are no videos posted more recently than eight years ago presumably that is how long ago Keisha was a student.
NG Tube
One thing that we can be absolutely clear about here is that there will be zero patient interaction. The patient appears to be plastic.
There is background noise, more insistence on fake privacy and cleanliness measures.
It is quite surreal watching the one-sided interactions in this video.
The notes state it is VSU college of nursing which seems to confirm my earlier guess about the location.
Nonetheless Keisha retains the quiet voice of the previous video and the procedures appear calm and measured. Even if it is apparent that a plastic model cannot actually swallow a tube.
There’s also an amusing point where the person videoing films their own fingers.
This video is a bit borderline. I’ll add it to the Procrastination Pen playlist but it may fall victim to a future weeding process.
The background noise seems worse because Keisha seems very quiet on this. The microphone is presumably not fully up to the task.
The “patient” has no legs which is almost as distracting as people talking and laughing in the background. The patient is plastic, which is a bit of a relief given the subject area. (I’d probably get some kind of YouTube content warning otherwise).
The camera-holding person is a bit of a fidget but given we’re here to listen (and to sleep) that is not such a concern. The sound isn’t amazing but it is unlikely to cause you to wake up in a hurry at 3am (unlike some YouTube adverts I can mention). Therefore, on-balance I think we can include it in the Procrastination Pen playlist (with the emphasis on potential future weeding activity).
Insulin Mixing
This also suffers from low volume. However, I am not so clear this will matter late at night when, necessarily, the volume will be way down in any case. (To ensure that you are not woken by the very playlist you were using to fall asleep in the first place). There is no patient in this video so it does not really qualify as an exam as such.
Keisha seems to be admirably measured in approach. I’m sure there must be classes on Zen meditation or something similar happening in the background to generate so many medical trainees this calm.
I’ll put this one in the Procrastination Pen playlist (even if only temporarily).
Wound Care
The one-sided conversation is nearly as surreal as the virtual door which you can neither knock upon nor close to “provide privacy”. The sound is slightly better apart from the traffic noise which makes itself felt. Once again this includes a plastic “patient”. At least he/she isn’t loud.
The snapping gloves noises are a bit of a wake-up though.
At nearly thirteen minutes it is amazingly long for a one-way interaction but I suppose the great thing about it is that it is quiet. Another video that’s on the Procrastination Pen playlist (possibly pending a future cull).
IM and SQ injections
I would guess this features two student nurses, our favourite, Keisha, and what sounds like “Sky Voss” but probably isn’t. This is filmed in a public area with minimal screening. So far so normal student assessment video.
At just over seven minutes it doesn’t hang around. As injections are not my favourite thing I’ll be watching from behind the sofa.
There is fake privacy and cleanliness again. There is also quite a lot of technical terminology, (as we saw previously). I’m presuming no standard patient would comprehend, let alone request this.
Fracturing the ampule was a bit of a shock (it is loud) but not as bad as the gloves snapping in the previous video. I’ll feature this video on the Procrastination Pen playlist for now.
I’ll schedule a playlist review shortly and remove any that no longer seem up to the desired quality.
IV administration
This is positively whacky; on this occasion the “patient” is a plastic arm.
The sound quality starts bad and seems to get a lot worse. It is like someone is trying to record the video with the microphone actually inside their pocket. There is almost no reception of what Keisha is saying. The presentation could be excellent but sadly it can’t be heard.
Hence this one needs to be rejected from the Procrastination Pen playlist.
The overall playlist of every video that made the grade after a review on this blog is here:
The archive playlist of videos that were in the above playlist but found after lengthy review not to make the grade, is here:
I keep this in case people have personal favourites that they want to hear.
The playlist of videos requiring age verification is here:
I dislike these as they require me to stop and login to verify my age. You may find that you have more patience than I do and so are prepared to give it a listen.
I hope that you find the playlists restful and I hope you get plenty of sleep as a result.
If you liked this blog article why not follow this blog.
There are twenty-two playlists in this channel some of which are extremely large. (The “Merck Manual Consumer Version” contains ninety videos for example. If I attempted to cover all of those it would not be not so much a blog post as a book on ASMR).
Since my last blog post they have changed elements of the Merck Manuals channel to state that it is not available outside the United States.
I hope it wasn’t something that I said.
If like me you’re not in the United States I am afraid that you are left with whatever remaining crumbs there are in terms of videos that are still available.
Contains seven videos which are still visible outside of the US. (Who knows how long you’ll be able to see even these. I suggest you go listen to them before it is too late).
How to do the Mental Status Exam | Merck Manual Professional Version
This is another video with funky start up music. I mean, really, don’t they know I’m trying to sleep?
The narrator here is way too loud sadly. Fortunately, that doesn’t last very long. The “patient” states that she is in Philadelphia in the Einstein Medical Centre. It’s not your standard ASMR stuff in that it is a little bit loud even in the medical exam portion.
I also notice that the medical professional asks how many nickels there are in a dollar and I realised that I did not know (in case you’re also not located in the US the answer is twenty apparently).
Some of these tests are a bit tough. It made me wonder about my own memory as I’m not sure I’d be able to pass such tests.
The video is just a bit loud I think and not great ASMR material so not one for the Procrastination Pen playlist.
How to do the Cranial Nerve Examination | Merck Manual Professional Version
It looks like startup funky music for videos in this playlist is going to be a theme.
Here the narrator is more muted and much more in keeping with what we’re looking for, I think. The video is designed to be for teaching/instruction so although there is an examination of a patient the actually dialogue between medical professional and “patient” does not feature in the video.
However, I think this one will make it to the Procrastination Pen playlist.
Cerebellar Examination: How to Assess Gait, Stance, and Coordination | Merck Manual
There is music at the start as before. Maybe eventually I will find a way to edit videos for their ASMR effects but that currently is not the purpose of this blog/playlist.
The narrator has learned his lesson after the somewhat loud presentation of the first video in this list. He is quite calm and reasonably quiet.
The exam proper appears without audio – the narrator is filling in what the stages in the exam mean. It is an instruction video that is also quite good for ASMR. This video will also be in the Procrastination Pen playlist.
How to do the Motor Examination | Merck Manual Professional Version
I notice that comments for these videos are turned off. Turning off comments stops some of the crazier contributions that we’ve seen of late but it also stops us working out if others are using these videos for their ASMR effects.
To me they seem a good find, this one included.
How to do the Sensory Exam | Merck Manual Professional Version
This is the longest video of the set, but it follows the format of the other videos seen so far. We’re entirely reliant upon the quality of the narrator here (especially to distract us from the music interludes). Fortunately, he has a good voice.
There are intrusions of parts of the genuine exam here. The only distraction with these interludes is the background noise. This is almost certainly the air-conditioning noise which we have become used to from other videos.
In this playlist whilst the medical professionals have changed between videos the “patient” remains the same.
Another good video for the Procrastination Pen playlist, I think.
How to Test Reflexes | Merck Manual Professional Version
Apart from the first video these have been consistent. Quite a good find this series and this particular video is worth making part of the Procrastination Pen playlist.
How to do a 4-Minute Neurologic Exam | Merck Manual Professional Version
This is exactly the same format as the other videos covered in this article. They were all posted six years ago. I notice that the notes tell me something about the Merck Manual:
“First published in 1899 as a small reference book for physicians and pharmacists, The Merck Manual grew in size and scope to become one of the world’s most widely used comprehensive medical resources for professionals and consumers. As The Manual evolved, it continually expanded the reach and depth of its offerings to reflect the mission of providing the best medical information to a wide cross-section of users, including medical professionals and students, veterinarians and veterinary students, and consumers. • Merck Manual Professional Version: http://www.MerckManuals.com/Professional”
I’m guessing that there is some financial consideration involved in its use. If it produces videos of this quality, I’m in favour (well until they totally remove my ability to see the videos in any case).
However, if the video recording guys are reading, please quieten down the funky music at the beginning (or better still go for a silent intro).
This is another one for the Procrastination Pen playlist, I think.
The overall playlist containing all the videos featured so far is here.
The above playlist has now grown quite large so I have started to weed out some of the less effective ones. However I realise that some people may consider them favourites so I have added the removed videos to an archive playlist.
However, if people who post videos keep taking those videos down again, or making them unavailable to a person writing a blog in the UK, then I may find the weeding is being done for me behind the scenes.
There is also the playlist for the small number of videos I have covered that require age verification. There has been limited demand for these so I doubt I will cover many more (unless I do so by accident).
I hope that you find them restful (and that you get some great sleep).
If you liked this blog item why not subscribe to this blog
As promised in an earlier blog item, I decided to follow up on “ROM and MMT” as a search term. This results in a great many videos with the kind of unpleasant noises in them which prove to be distracting.
There are however, a multiplicity of videos on this theme. It is a matter of persistence to find one which doesn’t have the air conditioning pretending it is a steel band.
UE Evaluation Review
The title is: “UE Functional Assessment ROM & MMT Screening Pinch & Grip, Edema & Pain”.
(I was pretty sure that was oedema – but obviously not.)
Janey is the medical professional in this one, Lisa is the “patient”. It is not as relaxing as Vicki Scott but is pretty calming. At only seven minutes thirty-nine seconds it is quite a good length for a medical exam. Fortunately, it lacks much in the way of obtrusive background noise.
Janey Detommaso is the channel. There is nothing posted here more recently than four years ago. This video is the shortest one. There are four videos and Lisa only features in this one.
With only four videos and none of these any longer than fourteen minutes thirty-four seconds, it’s worthwhile running through the others to see if they are any good ASMR-wise.
Shoulder & Elbow ROM and MMT
The title at the start of the video is “Range of Motion & Manual Muscle Testing ROM of the Shoulder, Elbow and Forearm” which is handy as that fits with the search term I was originally using.
In this one Janey is a bit loud from the start. The camera angle is a bit odd. It is probably just propped on a table somewhere. But it isn’t the visual aspect of the video that is the reason for us being here. At intervals, Janey tones it down a bit and actually gets to quiet. It is a shame she doesn’t do this the whole way through the video because when Janey chooses to do this she has a great voice.
Subsequently the filming switches to a bedroom – which leads me to suspect the whole video is part of some student assessment process. I would guess that otherwise it would be filmed in a medical establishment.
At fourteen minutes thirty-four seconds this is the longest of the four videos on this channel. There are twenty-three subscribers but no comments. It is conceivable (though not probable) that no one in the ASMR community has yet reviewed this one.
The sound on this one is really poor. It seems to have been filmed in a group situation in which people are paired off.
Other people are talking away in the background. It is difficult to distinguish the main track in this video. This really wrecks it for ASMR sadly.
This is not one for the playlist then.
The badge on Janey’s top seems to indicate it is at an establishment with the acronym TWU. This is potentially Texas Women’s University who seem to offer occupational health courses at Dallas and Houston locations.
It is a shame about that sound quality.
Hand & Wrist ROM/MMT
This video is twelve minutes fifteen seconds so it is the second longest video on this channel (and the final one available). Mr Hernandez crops up again (we saw him in the “Shoulder & Elbow ROM and MMT” video earlier).
Again, the interior appears domestic rather than medical. At the start of the video there is a strange flickering light behind the window Mr Hernandez is sat in front of. This is distracting, but only if you’re watching. As we’re all about the listening experience here, I’m ignoring it.
The sound is quite good, there is no background noise and Janey seems at her most calm here compared to any of the videos covered in this article.
This one seems well worthy of the Procrastination Pen playlist as it is quite relaxing.
The playlist for Janey Detommaso is here:
The overall playlist for all videos covered so far in this blog is here:
The archive list of videos that once made it into the overall playlist but upon reflection did not make the grade is here:
That list only exists in case I remove someone’s favourite video.
The playlist of videos requiring age verification is here:
Warning this list will cause you to stop in order to log on to verify your age. If you’re happy with that then this playlist is for you. Personally I just ceased watching any material that requires that logon.
If you liked this blog article why not subscribe to this blog.
For newbies to the blog, a quick guide. As an old codger I am finding it increasingly difficult to sleep. After messing about for a while with different solutions, I found that a number of YouTube videos were relaxing. Even if I could not get off to sleep, they distracted me from the anxiety of realising I would be tired in the morning.
Sometimes this was enough to get to sleep. Sometimes if I woke up in the night, it was enough to get back off to sleep again. Sometimes I could content myself with lying there just watching the video.
I came across the “unintentional ASMR” category whilst searching YouTube and discovered there is a whole resource of videos which engender ASMR effects in those who are fortunate enough to feel them.
This started an idea, what if I went in search of videos that might be suitable for ASMR or at the very least be relaxing enough for sleep. What if I tried to find videos that did not appear to be listed on existing ASMR channels. I would then have a long playlist of relaxing videos and maybe some of them would not have been found by some people looking for ASMR videos.
I thought that my research may help other people – those who perhaps do not want to spend time finding relaxing videos but just want to get some sleep for goodness sake.
As I come across more videos I review them, post them up here and add the good ones to an ever-expanding playlist. Every so often I review the playlist and archive those that have not stood the test of time. Hopefully, eventually, the playlist will just consist of quality ASMR videos. I always welcome suggestions for membership/deletions.
Today’s was covered previously but in that case consisted of a compilation video (which was the following three videos somehow welded up into one. I usually dismiss these compilation videos but in this case the join was largely unrecognisable so I let it pass. After this blog article I may well be weeding out the compilation video in favour of the following (On the assumption that they are any good of course)).
NEU_General Exam – Part 1
Those who read the previous blog article will be familiar with the participants. If you haven’t read the previous blog article, I’m pleased that you are a new reader and why not go take a look.
As usual we look at the video and we look at the YouTube channel where it is found (in the hope other juicy ASMR videos might be discovered).
The channel is redbreadproductions it has fifteen videos as at today’s date and it would appear that we have snaffled the only three worthy of greater attention. Yay us and onto the review.
This video is Part One of a three-part video series
The intro helpfully tells us it is the Northeastern Physician Assistant Program 2010, which appears to be this one.
Northeastern has its own channel replete with the kind of self-promotional videos which regular readers will now be familiar with.
However I was amazed to find this one amongst them:
It is not exactly a positive endorsement but hey it is early days yet – some ASMR videos have only been up for 5 years for example.
Our video has a rather too funky intro music track – it’s a shame but not the first time we have seen this.
The intro then goes on to say “The General Physical Examination”.
The whole video is only six minutes and twenty seven seconds.
It suffers with a humongous amount of background hubbub. It seems to be extremely loud and the weighing scales even more so. Clang, bang wallop and so on.
It sounds like the examination is next to a staff canteen in which some truly hot gossip item is doing the rounds. The kind of thing where it would be tempting to open the door and yell “shut up” quite offensively only the lull would last all of half a second and then resume even more loudly.
In any case, for our purposes, this is a tad distracting especially when the background discussion descends into laughter.
The rapport between medical professional and patient is excellent so the associated noise is even more distressing.
NEU_General Exam – Part 2
Thank (pick deity of choice) the background gossiping has abated – perhaps between videos the participants went out with some duct tape and taped their mouths up. The video is just over nine minutes, so a bit longer than previously, and is so much quieter and more attentive it is like we’ve started a whole new series.
The aircon is of course a constant companion but it is almost welcome after the unwelcome additional noise of that first video.
I also like the noise of the tuning fork in this one which I have never noted before despite watching a large number of similar videos.
NEU_General Exam – Part 3
Some of the conversation has returned – a little more muted like a room full of children a fraction of a second after an adult has really screamed at them. (Just like that event – expect the noise to build and build).
However, the medical professional’s voice is truly excellent. It would be great to find further instructional videos in which she features (preferably in a quieter room). However, I have not been able to do so.
I notice she says “doing good”. I assume this must be correct although I would have thought “doing good” was being saintly and in this context I would have thought it was “doing well” i.e. in good health. I am obviously too awake whilst writing this else I would not notice things like that.
That’s all folks. A brief one this time, so you can get back to work and stop procrastinating. More next time.
These three just barely squeeze into the playlist as the quality isn’t amazing – they may well be subject to a future weeding process.
I’ve created a NorthEastern playlist for them here:
The overall playlist of videos covered so far in this blog is here:
The archive playlist of videos that were in the above playlist but found after lengthy review not to make the grade, is here:
I keep this in case people have personal favourites that they want to hear.
The playlist of videos regarding age verification is here:
I dislike these as they require me to stop and verify my age, I cannot be bothered to do this when I am trying to sleep. You may differ, in which case this playlist is for you.
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Channels dedicated to ASMR are like the sweets of the ASMR world. Whilst sweets are an easy source of calories requiring no more than that you unwrap them; ASMR channels provide a range of videos pre-curated, edited and enhanced for ASMR effect. Sometimes I find a great video and I just can’t find anything like it anywhere else. I’m afraid the video this time comes from a channel which is (you guessed it) dedicated to ASMR.
Just like the aftermath of sweets though I have this sense of guilt about it since this blog has been dedicated of late to ordinary videos that just happen to have ASMR effects. Here we have some videos where someone else has decided that for me (i.e. done all the work).
Normal service will swiftly resume I assure you.
The channel is Roos it has two-hundred-and-seventy-three-thousand subscribers at the time of writing about it.
The first video is this one:
Unintentional ASMR | Full Medical Exam | Checkup
I’m sure this video is almost certainly edited to enhance its ASMR effect.
Thirty-seven minutes seventeen seconds so this is long for one of these edited videos.
I will try to upload more unintentional ASMR video’s from the medical field, because I personally like these the most. I suffer from anxiety and depression and these video’s help me a lot, so I want to make them more easy to find. Please subscribe to get notified with the latest uploads. Original video can be found here: Hope you will feel relaxed after this video. Xx”
There are no notes with the video which tell us about the content.
However the “patient” is introduced as Kate and the medical professional I think (it isn’t that clear) introduces himself as Leonard Alvier (probably nothing like that spelling) student medical practitioner. No helpful comments on this video (in fact one derogatory one). So all-in-all a limited opportunity to discover this video anywhere else (such as the original source for the video).
This is introduced as Head, Ears, Eyes, Nose, and Throat Exam. To be honest Leonard’s voice is not the most marvellous at the beginning (but that isn’t the first time we’ve come across that problem).
However, once the exam proper kicks off, this all settles down and it becomes a great deal calmer. At one point Leonard makes an error and has to repeat part of the exam, but this does not seem to significantly affect the progress. He also seems to get equipment problems (with a penlight) despite “changing the batteries today”. I wonder if that happens in a real exam? Errors like this seem to crop up in these videos which must show that they are filmed in a live environment and unedited after that.
The video finished rather abruptly in the middle of the Romberg’s test which causes me to speculate what happened then… (If anyone knows where the original is let me know).
I’ve seen a few now where the medical professional gets the patient to say ninety-nine during the exam.
It turns out “If it sounds louder over one area of the lungs, this is a sign of fluid (from pneumonia). We have patients say the letter E and then, if it sounds more like an A when we are listening to the lungs, this also can indicate pneumonia (because the fluid in the lungs transmits sounds differently).” So now we know…
This is a good one for the playlist.
The next one is this:
Unintentional ASMR | Medical Exam | Nurse Check Up | Demonstration With Ross
The notes are: “8 Feb 2021 #unintentionalasmr #realpersonasmr #medicalasmr
Unintentional ASMR
Nurse demonstration with Ross
I do not own this video, it has been shared for asmr purposes only!
#unintentionalasmr #realpersonasmr #medicalasmr”
I have no idea who Ross is so it doesn’t help in locating the original source. The introduction to the video states “Advanced Health Assessment Special Techniques: Cardiovascular & Peripheral Vascular System. Faculty Demonstration with Key Learning Points” sadly no guidance as to which institution it was filmed in. The medical professional here has a great voice. Ross does not seem to get a lot to say. “Ross” by the way occurs in other ASMR medical exam videos on other channels for example:
I am beginning to discover that we cycle back to the same videos via other channels as the process of discovering new videos continues. I will endeavour to point out duplicates as they come up. Let me know if you see any.
Cranial Nerve Examination | Nurse Check Up | Unintentional ASMR
The notes state: “7 Jan 2021 #unintentionalasmr #realpersonasmr #medicalexam
Ross is Back | Unintentional ASMR Nurse Examination | Full Physical
I don’t own anything. This video belongs to the university of Washington
#unintentionalasmr #realpersonasmr #medicalexam”
This indicates that the University of Washington is worthy of some future attention. (they, of course, have their own channel.)
Unintentional ASMR | Full Medical Exam | Med School
This one is familiar in that it comes up in a number of recommendations via YouTube when I am reviewing other potential ASMR videos there are four hundred and eight one thousand views at the day I am looking at it and a few of those are probably me.
We quickly find that Courtney is the “patient” which is interesting because there is another video where the roles are reversed and Courtney is the medical professional. And the medical professional here – James as it turns out – is the patient. The James and Courtney pairing will almost certainly get better coverage in a future blog post.
The branding is Prohealthsys, which has its own channel on YouTube.
That channel does not have the above video in it any longer. There seem a number of Dr Vizniak videos but a brief review isn’t producing much in the way of ASMR content. It might be deserving of a more in-depth review in future.
The video concludes with reference to the Prohealthsys website.
The video seems to be filmed in a gym rather than a hospital (or school) environment – there is a set of weights in the background for example. Mirrors in amongst the gym equipment give some view of the environment which is not directly in front of the camera.
The examination table has a set of books laid out under it on a shelf – which is an arrangement I have not seen in any other video to date.
There is the constant background noise that we are used to in hospital-like environments which I have always attributed to air conditioning – although they must be in a desert judging by how hard this sounds to be working.
Dermotomes an area of skin supplied by a single nerve
There was a reference to “Mid-clavicular line” it turns out there are a few anatomical lines.
Pictures seem to be the easiest way to show these
and
The medical professional has a nice steady voice not actually quiet and certainly no Dr James Gill. However I think this is a good one for the playlist.
On a connected theme is this one:
Unintentional ASMR | Full Medical Exam | Med School
Here Courtney gets to examine James – the reverse of the earlier video. In the video where James was the medical professional Courtney did not get to say a great deal and I concluded that the video was a reasonable one for the playlist.
In this one Courtney is the main participant and so talks all the time. Sadly her voice is too loud throughout for this to be properly restful. Whilst similar material is covered to the earlier video this really is not suitable for the playlist.
The remaining videos are off-subject for us and all posted greater than one year ago. It looks like Roos moved from medical exams to makeup videos at this time – perhaps this blog will change in a similar way eventually but I won’t guarantee it.
Fortunately, this means we can cover these videos swiftly and dismiss them as irrelevant to the subject we’re trying to focus on. I’ll feature them in case anyone finds them of interest. (If prompted I may even add them to the playlist).
This is not a medical-related video so it isn’t relevant to this particular blog post. Unless I change focus in the future I will not be cycling back to cover it again however I have included it here in case any ASMR readers find it restful.
Macadamia koeken met witte chocolade | Recept | Bettyskitchen.nl
Noisy, loud, boisterous, fast, no no no no. Not in the playlist
Unintentional ASMR | Victoria Jackson Cosmetics | VHS Commercial 90s
Unintentional ASMR | 80’s Makeup and Hair Makeover
I’m probably biased in my assessment as makeup videos have no interest for me. However I have considered videos which have an alternative theme to medical exam ASMR videos previously (and I am certain to do so in the future).
Let me know if you’d like a makeup playlist and I will set one up.
The Roos playlist on The Procrastination Pen is here:
The overall playlist for all videos reviewed on The Procrastination Pen (and found worthy of listening to) is here:
The archive playlist (for videos previously in the above list but weeded out because after long term review they were found to be wanting) is here:
I only include the above one for people who might have had the odd one of these as a favourite.
The playlist for videos which could have been in the master playlist (but require a logon to verify your age) is here:
(Personally, I don’t bother with these as the logon, when you’re trying to sleep, is a pain in the neck but you may be more patient).
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As I’m exploring the world of ASMR I keep stumbling upon areas that I did not know existed. This time I am exploring a new area for this sequence of blog articles.
It would appear that on some nursing courses (presumably as part of the assessment process) the students have to produce videos. I’m guessing that the course team then view these to determine how the education process has progressed. Sadly, these are not produced for ASMR purposes. However, on the upside, this does mean that there is a constant supply of them.
It merely leaves the process of trawling through them all to determine if any might make for gentle listening. Alternatively, you could leave that up to me (with your task merely being to browse a blog article once in a while).
If the browsing of a blog item is too much work, simply scroll to the end of any one of these articles to find the playlists, open one in YouTube, select shuffle, put on a set of sleep-safe headphones, lie back and let the unconsciousness take hold.
This one is from the nursing world – in fact the students featured here also feature in videos by other students. This is a rich field of material which I have no doubt will crop up numerous times in this blog.
Sterling Freeman here the “nurse” and Olivia Rabone the “patient”. Howard College 2019 apparently. Background air conditioning noise is something that regular readers will have come across before. It seems a hazard in a lot of medical examination videos.
I love that Sterling refers to providing “privacy” when no obvious measures were taken. This speaks of someone slavishly following some kind of checklist.
At five minutes fourteen seconds someone butts in on them – I have no idea what he says but it does interrupt the flow a bit. It’s brief though, so I’m disposed to ignore it.
This is a lovely calm medical exam, definitely Procrastination Pen playlist-eligible, I think.
The channel Sterling Luna has only six videos of which none are more recent than two years ago. There are no playlists. However with only six videos I suspect we can review them all and determine if they are playlist-worthy.
Four of the videos (including the one above) seem to feature Olivia so perhaps we will start with the remaining three of those four.
CN’s and musculoskeletal assessment – Sterling Freeman
If you’ve been reading these ASMR-based articles for a while then the process for a medical examination video is already familiar. (I wonder if ASMR fans would be able to perform one of these assessments based solely upon their viewing history).
This is equally good ASMR-wise as the last one and is going into that playlist.
Respiratory and Cardiac Assessment – Sterling Freeman
By this stage both participants seem a little tired of the steps they need to take. Olivia for example is bored with the date-of-birth question (assuming this video is in the correct order, in which case this is the third such video).
This has such a gentle approach to an exam, it is another for the Procrastination Pen playlist I think.
HEENT – Sterling Freeman
This one has the air conditioning that used to play base for Motörhead. My goodness, it is loud. However even though the video is brief you still get time to get used to the noise so I’m going to include this video in the Procrastination Pen playlist. Let me know if you disagree and I’ll remove it. It may well be subject to a future weeding process however.
NG tube insertion; enteral & parenteral complications
Olivia again. This time in somebody’s house which has the advantage that the air conditioning isn’t playing a lead role.
There isn’t much medical examination in this one. The dog decides to photo bomb at six minutes thirty nine seconds and continues to feature until six minutes fifty one seconds. I don’t see his name in the credits though which is rather unfair. Unfortunately, this one just isn’t there ASMR-wise so it will not be in the playlist.
Explaining GCS; CN, Neurovascular, and Musculoskeletal assessments
The medical exam does not kick off until four minutes thirty-one seconds the volume is all wrong – too loud. This is not a playlist candidate.
The complete playlist of every item featured so far on this blog is here:
The archive list (containing videos which were in the main Procrastination Pen playlist but, after careful examination, were found to not be as great as when first reviewed) is here:
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Recently I had a comment on one of these blog items: “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and I realised that is the theme I have unconsciously been following with recent blog items. The rhyme follows on “and Eyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose”. I have of course covered eyes before for example in the Moran Core blog item.
However, ears – that’s more of a challenge. So to this item which is – you guessed it – an ears exam specifically:
Ears & Nose Examination
This starts a bit louder than I usually like, the patient looks really quite anxious for some reason. This is another one with a dull background throb echoing constantly through the track – I’ll guess air conditioning. The comments indicate that I’m not the first to explore this in terms of ASMR though.
No clues as to where it comes from or to the participants either.
More terms that require defining:
Patent, in this context it means open unobstructed.
It’s only two minutes fifty five seconds and ends abruptly. So lets see what the channel has to offer.
MDforAll is the channel which states that the videos have been obtained from elsewhere, so presumably the content can be a bit random.
The channel contains sixty-seven videos as at today’s date some of which are non-medical. With this many videos we can afford to be a bit choosy about them. There are no playlists and so thinning these down to a handful may take some arbitrary choices.
Searching the videos, it would appear that there are some that feature the same professional and the same “patient” so perhaps we could stick with those. But given the channel is such a resource, perhaps we will be back in the near future to sample some of those other videos.
Pulmonary Examination
This one requires an age verification. At one time I used to include these in the Procrastination Pen playlist until I found that the playlist can occasionally be playing away and then abruptly stop and ask me to sign in to verify my age. Naff that effectively. So this one will not be in the playlist.
At three minutes and eight seconds it is a short one again. The voice is much better here I think so a shame it isn’t going to be included. However I have been debating creating an archive list of items that were in the Procrastination Pen playlist but on reflection didn’t make it. I think this is a natural candidate for that list.
Having watched the video I’m not quite clear what the fuss is about age-verification wise but I’m not about to go questioning YouTube’s policy – life is too short.
Neurological Examination
I notice that the professional here has a badge on her tunic but the visibility is so poor I can’t make it out.
However, the patient states that she is at “Mid Western University” the badge could be similar to the one on the medical professional but I cannot be certain.
The website seems to indicate it should look like this.
Midwestern University has its own YouTube Channel. Two hundred and thirty-three videos at the time I am looking at it but none of them seem to include these two people.
However, it looks a nicely populated channel and maybe worthy of a future visit for ASMR – applicable videos.
George Bush is the president at the time of filming so we know that this is filmed between 2001 and 2009.
Babinski:
(It seemed easier than a definition).
Neck Examination
The patient here is very relaxed. If it wasn’t for the background noise this would be ideal.
It’s only two minutes sixteen seconds and I think in this case it can be included in the Procrastination Pen playlist.
Upper Extremities Examination
This continues in the same way as those seen before. I have often reflected when reviewing videos that if there was a sound filter that worked against forced air systems (such as air conditioning) on the video sound track the quality of many of the videos we’ve seen (and heard) would be so much the better.
The medical professional is a bit loud here for me, but I don’t think it’s one to dismiss from the Procrastination Pen playlist. However, it might be one that gets weeded in the future.
General Physical Examination
Wow this is loud! We find that the medical professional is Karen Myers and she is a PA student. I think she says the “patient” is Mrs Dewer but it is quite fast and right at the start of the video so that might well not be correct. I think “PA Student” is a student Physician Assistant.
Nystagmus – eye movement sometimes termed “dancing eyes”.
The video settles down sound-wise (but you may still want to mute the volume a little bit). One of the problems of a playlist is that sometimes the inter-video volume isn’t that normalised – if you’re asleep when this happens it can give you a bit of a start.
Lower Extremities Examination
This starts a little quieter and is quite a good beginning.
If anything with time it becomes calmer – possibly the best one of the set so far. Definitely one for the Procrastination Pen playlist, I think.
Ears & Nose Examination
This is where we came in so eyes, ears and mouth we have covered and nose is covered here.
Cardiovascular Examination
Another one that asks for an age verification so it will not be in the Procrastination Pen playlist. There’s nothing particularly adventurous in this video so I’m not sure why. But as I’ve mentioned it is frustrating to encounter the age verification prompt if you’re half asleep at the time.
It is a shame because this isn’t bad in terms of sound so it might have made the playlist in other circumstances.
Abdomen Examination
Very short at two minutes fifty nine seconds. Perversely there is easily as much flesh on display here but no age verification prompt. Not that we’ll be watching in any case because it is the sound we’re after.
This is quiet – easily good enough for the playlist I think.
Given the age verification issue has begun to bite I have created a procrastination pen playlist for any that we encounter with that prompt. |(Some people reading might be bothered to try to watch them). I regard it as a pain in the progress of night-time listening.
The videos requiring Age verification playlist is here:
(I have moved any from the main Procrastination Pen playlist that I have noticed require this into the above list.)
The archive playlist of videos that were once in the main Procrastination Pen playlist but have been found (after repeated review) to not exactly meet that high standard is here:
I only maintain that list in case I archive one of your favourites.
The MDforAll playlist on the Procrastination Pen channel is here:
The playlist of all videos covered so far in this blog is here:
I hope that you find it relaxing.
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The Procrastination Pen 
