"When you can't sleep, count the sheep, and soon you can fall asleep."
The English pronunciation of "sheep" is very close to "sleep", so that it will be associated with sleeping when counting sheep, which has a certain suggestive effect, and at the same time avoids the psychological pressure caused by directly ordering yourself to sleep.
Rumor analysis
This doesn't work.
The word "sheep" and "sleep" in Chinese cannot be linked. Not only does this method not help you sleep, but it may also interfere with falling asleep. Because when counting sheep, you will unconsciously focus on counting, and the brain is in a state of excitement, resulting in more and more soberness.
Does counting sheep really help you fall asleep fast?
There are such scenes in many cartoons, where the characters say "one sheep, two sheep, three sheep...... and then start fighting eyelids and snoring.
However, in real life, does counting sheep really help you fall asleep?
There is no scientific research to prove it
Counting sheep can help you fall asleep
So far, there have been no scientific studies on whether counting sheep helps with sleep, but a 2002 study by psychologist Allison Harvey of the University of Oxford could provide some reference.
In this study, Harvey divided 41 volunteers with insomnia into three groups:
Image distraction group: Distract yourself by imagining a scene before bed that they find interesting and engaging, but enjoyable and relaxing, but avoid choosing scenes that are more stimulating and easy to wake up the brain (such as a thrilling car race). Most of the members of this group choose fantasy holidays, summer afternoons, or some natural scenes;
Simple distraction group: Do something simple, distracting before bed to avoid worrying and overactive thinking before bedtime. Because they were free to choose the method of distraction, in this group, 6 people recalled what happened today, 2 people counted sheep, 2 people meditated, 1 person recalled a favorite tune in their mind, 2 people chose to skip when unpleasant thoughts appeared, and 1 person focused on physical relaxation;
No policy group: No requirements, can fall asleep in any way.
All volunteers were asked to keep a sleep diary, self-assess the time it took to fall asleep at night, and record their thoughts before falling asleep (on a scale of 0~10, with 0 being "I don't have any thoughts and worries in my head" and 10 being "my mind is full of thoughts and worries") and emotional state (on a scale of 0~10, with 0 being "no pain or discomfort" and 10 being "very distressing and uncomfortable").
The study found that the average time to fall asleep in the image distraction group was the fastest, and the time to fall asleep was significantly shorter than before participating in the experiment. In addition, the emotional state of this group was also significantly better than that of the other two groups.
So do distraction tactics such as counting sheep have the same effect? Unfortunately, this group had a slightly shorter time to fall asleep than the no-strategy group, but there was no improvement in the data they had before they participated in the experiment. Therefore, distracting behaviors such as counting sheep cannot be proven to help fall asleep.
Left histogram: how long it takes to fall asleep; Histogram on the right: deviation score = the time it takes to fall asleep compared to before participating in the experiment - the time it takes to fall asleep during the experiment. (Black represents the image distraction group; Light gray represents the simple distraction group; Dark gray indicates no policy group. Source: Document 7
Twenty years after the study was published, Harvey spoke to CNN about his experience treating insomnia patients: "Methods like counting sheep don't usually work. We provide people with a list of options to choose from because everyone is different and not every time there is a way to solve the problem. ”
Dianne Richards, a sleep psychologist in Sydney, similarly discourages counting sheep to help you fall asleep, as for some people, counting tasks can put a strain on the brain.
"Trying to remember numbers can be annoying for some people." "And imagining a sheep jumping over a fence can be too exciting for some people." It might be better if you just imagined the sheep standing quietly and feeling the softness of the wool up close. At the end of the day, the task you choose must be valid for you and must be something that you find enjoyable and relaxing. ”
Where does the saying that you can't sleep and count sheep come from?
Since there has been no conclusive scientific evidence that counting sheep can promote sleep, where did this long-standing sleep remedy come from?
The prevailing view is that the custom of counting sheep may have originated in a simple and practical custom in medieval England.
In those days, shepherds had to count their sheep at the end of the day after a day's work. This is not only to ensure that all the sheep are safely returned to the pen, but also to confirm the integrity of the flock by counting the sheep, which is the end of the day's work for the shepherd.
When night comes, they can only fall asleep contentedly after completing the task of counting the sheep and making sure that the number of sheep is correct. This nocturnal ordering, because of its simplicity, rhythm and repetition, probably helped the shepherd to relax after a long day and eventually become a ritual to fall asleep.
With the passage of time, sheep counting has gradually spread widely as a cultural tradition and a sleeping technique.
It has also been suggested that the pronunciation of "sheep" and "sleep" is similar, and that this auditory similarity may add a layer of psychological cues to the claim that "counting sheep can help you sleep", making it easier for people to associate this behavior with a sleep-seeking state.
However, for those who speak other languages, counting sheep does not have the same suggestive power. As people will joke, for Chinese, if you want to hint that you go to sleep, you should not count "sheep", but "dumplings" that pronounce more similar to "sleep".
Useful sleep aids
Since there is no clear scientific basis for counting sheep to sleep, is there any scientific way to help sleep?
Harvey offers a few methods worth trying:
1. Envision a pleasant, engaging environment that engages as many senses as possible. For example, you can try to make your imagination as vivid as possible, asking yourself what you see, hear, smell, and even taste.
2. Come up with three things in your life that you are grateful for, and then say them to yourself before you go to bed.
3. Look back on the small blessings of the day, immerse yourself in those good feelings, and encourage yourself to sleep.
In addition, Rebecca Robbins, a researcher on sleep and circadian rhythm disorders at Harvard University, recommends using 4-7-8 breathing control to help eliminate distractions from the mind and improve sleep.
· Empty the lungs with air
· Inhale quietly through your nose for 4 seconds
· Hold your breath for 7 seconds
· Exhale vigorously through your mouth, purse your lips and make a "whoosh" sound for 8 seconds
· Repeat this cycle up to 4 times
But as Harvey and Richards said, everyone's physical and mental condition is different, and finding what works for you is the most important thing. Whether it's through imagining relaxation, gratitude retrospectives, or other breathing techniques, anything that makes you truly relaxed is the way to do it.
According to the "rumor" mirror
Such rumours are often unsupported by science and are simply based on a cultural tradition or personal experience. In the field of medicine and scientific research, there is no evidence that counting sheep can treat insomnia. Because rumors are psychologically suggestive and misleading, they tend to be able to spread quickly.
Reprinted from: Science Refutes Rumors