Sleep – Page 14 – The Procrastination Pen

Sleeping With ASMR

Following on from the previous blog post, there were a number of videos that I had not had the time to review in that article. I did promise (ish) that we might revisit the videos to see if any might be potential ASMR-generating or at the least restful and possibly sleep-inducing.

There remains a huge great list of videos still to review and so one extra post on this subject just isn’t going to cover it. Since then, I’ve also found that shorter posts seem to be more appreciated than longer ones such that it isn’t a fantastic idea to just plough on and subject you to page after page of video review.

In any case I suspect the driver for attending this blog at all is the output, which in this case is the playlist. In which case, stroll straight to the end where you will find it in all its splendidness.

So we return to ASMR Exams (the channel on YouTube).

By my back-of-the-envelope calculations, I think we had twenty videos which were neither reviewed nor added to any playlist (assuming they were any good ASMR-wise). I think five will do for this post, assuming that we find even one in those five worthy of addition to The Procrastination Pen playlist.

Let’s dive straight in:

Abdomen Exam (ASMR)

The professional’s voice is a little high-pitched to be truly restful. But at least it is quiet. A number of commentators dismiss this one as about as ASMR-y (potential official term) as a smack in the face with a wet cloth. However, the fact that the professional is a bit dithery does not (to me) discount this video. Although I suspect that the professional here may have struggled with whichever assessment, they were involved in.

At just shy of twenty-six minutes this is thorough indeed (although not excessively long in terms of videos that we have already seen on the blog).

The embroidery near to the left shoulder on the uniform of the medical professional states that the person is Maureen Bolmgren RN. In which case, given this is a quite tentative medical assessment this could have been when Maureen attended Middle Georgia State University. There is a channel for Middle Georgia State University with One Hundred and Four videos at the time I’m looking at it. This might be worthy of a future review.

Given a cuckoo clock kicks in at 18:24, I would guess that the examination is occurring in a domestic setting and so this is also indicative of a student assessment rather than a professional one. Incidentally that cuckoo clock is not at all restful. However, I will give the video the benefit of the doubt for the moment. It may get weeded out to the Procrastination Pen Archive at some future point.

If you search YouTube for Maureen Bolmgren you find this:

on a channel called MGA Nursing. This channel has forty-three videos and seems worthy of a future review.

Physical Assessment (ASMR)

Marina Bolshinsky introduces herself as the medical professional at the beginning.

Marina has a channel as well but it does not contain this video. The patient is Amber Rosenthal who it turns out is also a medical professional.

So this could well be an assessment video of the kind that we have seen before.

At 38:39 the video is a tad long and for me a tad loud. Other commentators have reflected the same.

We know the president is Barack Obama so it was filmed between 2009 and 2017. It appears that Amber and Marina would have been at Long Island University doing a Master’s degree at that time. Long Island University also has a channel which might be worthy of a future review.

This video also gets a bit dithery at intervals also a bit wordy with lots of nervous over-talking.

All told, this is not a great ASMR video and I won’t be adding it to The Procrastination Pen playlist.

Physical Assessment (ASMR)

There’s a helpful intro which states “Physical Assessment Head to Toe Examination Jamee Boutilier”. The “patient” is introduced as Jana. The university is also introduced but I can’t catch it. However, the shoulder badge reveals it to be Cape Breton University. which as we expect also has a YouTube channel (I might even review it at some point).

The video is chopped up into sections which when half asleep I doubt you will notice.

In fact, it isn’t startling in terms of ASMR but still worthy of The Procrastination Pen playlist I think. Future weeding might dispatch it, we’ll see how it settles in.

Physical Assessment (ASMR)

The health professional is Amy and the “patient” Tara (I think). They are in Missouri and it looks like a standard assessment video of the type we have covered before.

There is a University of Missouri offering nursing training in a number of locations.

They have a YouTube channel (as you would expect) with three hundred and ninety-six videos at the time I am looking at it.

Physical Assessment (ASMR)

Reading the comments on YouTube regularly as I do, I get the feeling that some people add one because they feel they have to, they don’t contribute anything worthwhile.

The medical professional is Kelly Lomack (I’m guessing the spelling again). She kindly tells us that she is a paediatric nurse at the University of Texas El Paso. The patient is Regan.

As expected UTEP has its own channel, Seven Hundred and Sixteen videos as at the time I’m looking at it – it’s a possible for a future review.

Kelly also has her own channel which may also be suitable for a future review.

It is considerably quieter than the previous one, thankfully. The patient appears to be as delighted at the activity as if she had a sack of coal for Christmas rather than the Ferrari she’d been dreaming of.

Right up to the point that she has to stand on one leg with her eyes closed, whereupon she loses balance. I have never seen this test before and it looks a tough one. At least it raised smiles all round.

This one belongs in the Procrastination Pen playlist.

The ASMR Exams playlist is here:

The overall playlist for items featured in this blog is here:

The videos which failed the grade after much listening are now in this archive list here:

I only keep the archive list in case I am removing some people’s favourites.

The playlist of videos requiring age verification is here:

I can’t be bothered to stop my listening to log on, this interrupts the experience for me. You may not mind this in which case this list is for you.

I hope that you find these playlists relaxing

If you like this article why not follow this blog.

Photo by Shona Macrae

Sleeping With ASMR

It came to me today that this series has been going on so long that I should provide an ongoing introduction to these articles, so that any newcomers will know what is happening. This needs to be brief enough though, so that the stalwart reader doesn’t get bored.

The aim of this particular blog series is to explore the use of ASMR videos for sleep. Specifically, to be helpful in the getting off to sleep and getting back to sleep when you awake in the middle of the night.

I’m assuming you have a device that can attach to the Internet somewhere near to your bed. On this device that you can open YouTube, browse to The Procrastination Pen playlist, click on shuffle, lie back and listen to the rest in peace. (This might require some kind of sleep-friendly headphones or similar).

My focus so far has mainly been on ASMR videos which have ASMR effects despite being designed for something else (most commonly medical exams so far). These are so-called “unintentional ASMR” videos. There are quite a number of these so I doubt we are going to run out of these any time soon. However, I do occasionally stray into the professional ASMR arena and select one of those videos that appeals.

Each article reviews a video or videos that came up on YouTube. These frequently are found through recommendation by YouTube. I then determine whether the ongoing playlist needs to be enhanced by addition of the reviewed video or that the video needs to be rejected. (In which case the video will still be clickable from the article itself – if you decide you rather like it).

You are free to recommend videos that you feel fit the bill or to disagree with my choices (I may even change the playlist in response to contributions).

At intervals, I review the playlist and pull out the less-successful videos into an archive list of those that seemed to make the grade but over time have not proven to be quite so restful. I use the Procrastination Pen playlist myself so I have a reasonably constant interaction with it.

Today’s video appears to have once been on YouTube on a different channel but was taken down for some reason. The comments indicate that it is a very welcome restoration.

The channel is ASMR Archivist and the notes state that its mission is “an archive for lost AMSR videos” (I assume that’s ASMR). This seems like the kind of place that we could enjoy.

That said, on exploring ASMR Archivist we find just one video (today’s video) and zero playlists.

So today’s article is going to feature just the one video.

Cate Darnell – Head to Toe Assessment

It is so popular that we find that it has an entry in the Internet Archive.

This indicates that it was deleted in 2020, but sadly not where it was deleted from – i.e. where its original home was.

As a consequence of being so popular we find that a similar thing has happened to this video as for the Vicki Scott video covered previously That is, the video is now posted in several places on YouTube. For example here:

On a channel called Sleep ASMR (which seems appropriate)

Our video is just shy of twenty-six minutes long so not the longest we’ve seen. It seems to start with “Miss Spagboll” (I’m sure I heard that incorrectly).

The badge on the patient is just not discernible enough to make it out however it could be Honors College which resolves as The University of Alabama in Huntsville. This has a channel UAH Admissions. This channel has forty-three videos and seven playlists but it appears this is all about marketing the university rather than medical examinations.

Possibly the Cate Darnell video once came from a Cate Darnell channel which has now gone.

Our video looks like an assessment video for a nursing university. We’ve seen these before of course. There is the normal level of background noise, air conditioning again, I think.

Cate has a brilliant accent and talks very quietly, just the sort of thing we are looking for in a video.

As usual the odd definition may help (well they do me – as I have no medical background) in this case bruit is an abnormal sound generated by a turbulent flow of blood.

I have no idea what Cate did next but for our purposes it is a shame that she did not produce a whole wealth of videos à la Dr James Gill.

The comments as usual are very helpful, one points out that details of Cate are online and that the video is over a decade old.

As many commentators state this is an excellent ASMR video. Definitely one for the playlist.

Sadly there will be no playlist for ASMR Archivist on the Procrastination Pen (there is only one video)

However, the overall playlist of videos covered so far on the Procrastination Pen is here:

(and now it includes the Cate Darnell video).

The archive playlist of videos that were in the above playlist but found after repeated 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 can’t be bothered to stop my listening experience to log on, this interrupts the listening experience. You may not mind this 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.

Until next time.

Photo by Shona Macrae

Sleeping With ASMR

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.

Until next time.

Photo by Heyphotoshoot on Unsplash

Sleeping With ASMR

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 featured before.

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.

The link at the end of the video links back to Liverpool university neurosciences research.

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.

Till next time.

Photo by Shona Macrae

Sleeping With ASMR

As promised in a previous blog post we are back again at the Merck Manuals channel. Last time we were covering the Ortho Exam playlist.

Relevant videos from this playlist/channel have already been added to the Merck Manuals playlist on The Procrastination Pen YouTube channel.

And into the overall The Procrastination Pen playlist:

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.

Parts of some playlists remain accessible.

The playlist:

The Neuro Exam – Merck Manual Professional Version

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 Merck Manuals playlist has been updated with these videos.

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

Photo by Shona Macrae

Sleeping With ASMR

There comes a point where I’ve been checking for ASMR videos for so long that I start to come back to items that I have covered before.

This one concerns me because I have seen it in my suggested videos list quite often so I am not certain that it has not featured somewhere previously in this blog.

If it has, then I apologise and I’ll ensure any duplications in the playlist are removed – I can imagine that would prove to be very irritating.

ASMR🏥🩺Unintentional – Physical Examination

I think a number of channels are carrying this video, at least it seems to come around in YouTube recommendations rather often. However, finding a duplicate with such scant information (I just have the first names of the participants) might be interesting.

Twenty-nine minutes of medical exam and the title calls it “Full Physical Examination” not only that but it tells us who originally supplied it i.e. Prohealthsys.

The “patient” in this one is Courtney, the medical professional is James. The location seems to be a gym. Courtney’s voice seems a little peppy for ASMR. James’ voice is better. Be warned though this isn’t going to be a James Gill. However at intervals it is quite gentle, which is better for us.

This is the first time I’ve seen the gown-held-like-a bikini-approach, although it is referred to in other videos as a technique to preserve privacy.

The Channel is A Quiet Place this has one hundred and seventy one videos and one hundred and thirty four subscribers on the day I’m looking at it. There are quite a few videos in here which I recognise and have featured previously elsewhere on this blog. There is also any number which I have not previously featured and so will probably crop up in future blog items.

Prohealthsys have their own channel this has four hundred and twenty eight videos but not the one above. Most appear to be featuring a Dr Vizniak who is not the medical professional in this video.

I would guess this is a Prohealthsys video which is an older one and has now been removed from the main Prohealthsys site.

Checking for “Prohealthsys exam” (via YouTube search) I find that there is the one above and a reversal of the roles in this one:

30 min Full Physical Exam Flow

This is on channel SuninSavannah which appears to have only this video on it.

This video also appears on Roos but with the title:

Unintentional ASMR | Full Medical Exam | Med School

It comes up so frequently in YouTube recommendations that I suspect it also crops up on other channels.

Courtney’s voice here is just way too loud, I mean talking to a football stadium loud. For some reason the air conditioning now sounds like it is supplying a blast furnace and there is a sound like a background trickle of water as well.

The presentation is also fast. If I’m wanting something for sleep, slow and measured is the way to go.

I have to confess to disappointment as following the James’ presentation I really wanted to like this video. But it wouldn’t be fair to add this to a playlist.

So one video only. There is no need to create a playlist for that.

The overall playlist for the 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 login to verify my age. You may find that you have more patience than I do.

I hope that you find the playlists restful and I hope you get plenty of a result.

If you liked this blog article why not follow this blog.

Till next time.

Photo by Ryunosuke Kikuno on Unsplash

Sleeping With ASMR

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.

Midterm practicum: NDT, PNF, Rood, & Brunnstrom techniques

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.

Photo by nine koepfer on Unsplash

Sleeping With ASMR

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.

The notes are: “21 Aug 2020 #asmr #unintentionalasmr

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.)

Fortunately this time the video has a tail section that tells us the nurse was Jessica-Burke-Lazurus BSN, RN Midwifery-DNP Student (well she was when it was filmed in December 2011).

The model is Rosson Wiebe PMHNP-DNP Student and it was filmed at the Center for Excellence in Nursing Education at the University of Washington for use on graduate health assessment courses. The closest channel I can find appears to be this one:

University of Washington GME

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.

Definition: Cerumen Ear Wax

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).

Unintentional ASMR | Winged Eyeliner Tutorial | Minimal Talking | Makeup

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

Nothing medical here

Unintentional ASMR | 80’s Make-up Look | Colourful Eyes | VHS

Not medical either

Unintentional ASMR | Make-up Tutorial | 80’s Make-up Kit | Soft Voice

Still not medical

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).

If you liked this blog article, why not follow this blog.

Photo by Amy Chen on Unsplash

Sleeping With ASMR

Continuing the mission to identify videos with possible ASMR effects (or at the very least ones that can lull you off to sleep) I have come across today’s video.

This one is acronym city – I doubt you’ll need to understand much of them to enjoy the video. However, if, like me, you find it annoying that you do not understand what things mean, here are a few of those that came up:

OSPE – office of standardised patient education

UAB the University of Alabama at Birmingham

HEENT Head Eyes Ears Nose and Throat

(Knees and toes, knees and toes)

Ahem, so with the preliminaries out of the way, let’s progress to the video and what it does for ASMR.

This is todays’ video:

The HEENT Physical Examination

Mark has an excellent voice, if a little nervous in this one. In fact, at intervals, he seems to be looking to the student for reassurance.

The channel (unsurprisingly) is Mark Pepin, MD, PhD (The photo on the channel indicates that this video was recorded some time ago – he’s older on the photo than he is in the video). In fact, the video was posted in February 2018.

The channel has fifteen videos in total and only some of these are to do with medical exams. This is probably a number of videos that might prove tedious to read about in a single blog post (attention spans being what they are at the current time).

There are seven playlists and to be honest, different ones appear appealing from our perspective. (This is another channel to return to I suspect). However, the playlist Clinical Physical Examinations

includes the one selected. There are ten videos in this playlist which does not seem excessive to cover here. (If you’re bored already scroll to the end of this blog post where you will find the relevant playlists).

The Cardiovascular Examination

Mark with Erin again, this time Erin is a clinical skills trainer. Mark is still good in this video, whilst Erin again doesn’t get to say anything.

It is going in the Procrastination Pen playlist.

The Pulmonary Physical Examination

I notice that Erin has an escalating involvement in these films – now she is helping with filming and editing. Heather Hallman PA and Shawn Galin MD are presenting in this one.

If anything, Heather Hallman has a better voice than Mark Pepin. Slightly energetic in places perhaps (for the purpose of getting off to sleep) but excellent for relaxation. There appears to be a background click playing in the video which is initially a bit distracting but is significantly better than some of the air conditioning noises we’ve had previously. Shawn’s voice is not the greatest fit for ASMR but he doesn’t get to say a lot here (thankfully for us).

This one is going in the Procrastination Pen playlist.

The HEENT Physical Examination

This is where we came in of course. Made at the University of Alabama at Birmingham they have a channel with a very large number of videos, thirty-three playlists – at least one of which is seventy-four videos long. This may be worthy of exploration in a future article.

At intervals the video is really deeply restful. As before it is Procrastination Pen playlist bound.

The Neurologic Physical Examination

Dr. Victor Sung and Erin returns. Sadly, Dr Sung is not so great in ASMR terms. I’m sure it’s a very instructive video but that isn’t why we are here.

It is also the longest one we have encountered so far, in excess of fifty-nine minutes.

If you persist with it, Dr Sung has a much gentler voice at intervals. So, the default voice must be Dr Sung in instruction mode. I’m not sure how I would subdivide the video to isolate only those moments. What we’re looking for is an exam video for Dr Sung which would also be a lot shorter.

This video is not going to make the Procrastination Pen playlist.

The GI/Abdominal Physical Examination

Erin again but with M. Tosi Gilford this time.

M. Tosi Gilford is not as good as Heather Hallman in terms of voice. However, the video isn’t loud or shouty. It is definitely an instruction video rather than a true examination and that is probably why the tone is different.

Once the actual examination proper commences it is a lot better. On balance I’ll include this in the Procrastination Pen playlist – although it might suffer archiving in a future weeding process.

Gastrointestinal H&P (Part 1/3): Taking the History

This feels a bit odd here and in fact is from another playlist in the Mark Pepin Channel i.e. this one:

This is Mark Pepin with Corey Duke. It’s got some kind of overlay happening in that the side of Mark Pepin is cut off entirely by the scenery in places. However, hopefully you will have your head on the pillow and you will not notice this.

It is remarkably calm given the subject matter (Corey in particular has a very good voice). Unfortunately, Corey does not seem to have his own YouTube channel because that would be one worthy of further exploration.

It’s shorter than the ones so far at seven minutes fourteen seconds.

The concluding sounds though are not at all restful.

Gastrointestinal H&P (Part 2/3) – Physical Examination

Introductory noises are rather familiar from other medical videos we have so far seen. But thankfully that is soon over. Then it gets very gentle, which is pretty well ideal for us. At four minutes thirty-three seconds it is regrettably brief (not that atypical) but is a very good Procrastination Pen playlist candidate.

Again, it concludes with a loud noise which it would be great to do without.

Gastrointestinal H&P (Part 3/3) – Presenting the Patient

This is more of a presentation. It is not loud though and there are no objectional background noises.

Until the end – when it gets all funky. I’ll put it in the Procrastination Pen playlist for now, but it might become a fatality at a future playlist review.

The Musculoskeletal Physical Examination: Part 1 – Upper Extremity

Mark returns with Erin Dorman again. We are back on form as for the first video of this article.

It is eighteen minutes thirty-four seconds long and so it is a more thorough exam. The background noise (air conditioning again) is none too intrusive.

This is very calm; not loud, and seems a good fit for the Procrastination Pen playlist.

The Musculoskeletal MSK Physical Examination: Part 2 Lower Extremity

This is a follow on from the previous video but this time with Mark and Erin standing.

As in the previous video the tone is great in this one.

There’s rather a lot of information in these. Usually when I am awake enough to take in the video content I learn something. In this case I felt a bit swamped. If you’re like me and the purpose is to use it to get to sleep, the approach seems to let all the technical terms wash over you. However, perhaps after a number of plays you may even learn something.

At just over nine minutes police sirens start, that is a shame but I still think I’ll keep this in the Procrastination Pen playlist – at least for now.

I notice that the list is flagged as last being updated four years ago, this seems a shame for our purposes as more contributions from Mark would definitely be appreciated. The Mark Pepin Playlist is here:

The playlist of all videos reviewed on the blog so far is here:

The archive playlist (of videos previously in the above list but which eventually were found to be less great than hoped – retained in case you still find them useful) – is here:

I hope that you find the videos restful.

If you liked this blog article why not subscribe to this blog.

Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash

Sleeping With ASMR

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.

Gingiva gums.

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.

PIP Joint (Proximal interphalangeal joints) the second joint of each finger when counting downwards from the finger end.

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.

Calcaneus – the heel.

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.

If you enjoyed this blog article why not follow this blog.

Photo by Kaiwen Sun on Unsplash