| The phrase "counting sheep" in the context of a | | | | fell asleep an average of twenty minutes sooner |
| ritual done before sleep actually has its origins in | | | | than they had when they were counting sheep, |
| ancient Britain. Shepherds needed to count their | | | | or concentrating on nothing at all. |
| sheep, to make sure each one of the herd was | | | | Scientists suspect that the mental task of |
| present and accounted for, before the shepherds | | | | counting sheep is just too boring for our minds to |
| could bed down for the night. As with expressions | | | | stay fixed on it for long. More complex and |
| of speech that have their beginnings in the | | | | pleasant tasks, such as imagining an ocean or |
| remote past, this tallying system has come down | | | | forest scene, for example, helps our minds keep |
| to us as an aid to help us sleep. | | | | focused until they are eventually lulled off to sleep. |
| Does counting sheep help us to go to sleep? Quite | | | | With our minds not focused on stressful thoughts, |
| a few researchers have their doubts. | | | | our muscles relax and we breathe more deeply, |
| According to the journal Behavior Research and | | | | and sleep naturally happens to us. |
| Therapy, scientists at Oxford University recruited | | | | This is not to say, however, that counting sheep |
| insomniacs and separated them into groups. | | | | to fall asleep is not a very effective technique for |
| These groups were monitored as they attempted | | | | some. People interested in sheep, or who find |
| various mental techniques to put themselves to | | | | them extremely cute and soothing, may use the |
| sleep. On different nights, some groups were | | | | old Cumbrian and Yorkshire sheep-tally system to |
| instructed to try counting sheep as a distraction | | | | their advantage. |
| from thoughts preventing sleep, and other groups | | | | Perhaps it was put best by Chris Idzikowsky at |
| were given no instructions at all. | | | | the Edinburgh Sleep Centre: "I'd actually go for |
| However, on the nights when all groups were | | | | controlled breathing as a mechanism, but counting |
| separately instructed to imagine a soothing, more | | | | sheep is as good as long as it doesn't irritate you. |
| engrossing scene, such as a beach, the subjects | | | | |