“I don’t like to go to bed, Noni,” Susie told her grandmother.
Together they pulled the covers off Susie's bed.
Why, Susie? - Noni asked.
I have to wait so long until I fall asleep... - the girl complained.
Counting sheep doesn't work on me! - answered the granddaughter.
“You probably don’t know the secret of how to count sheep correctly, Susie,” Noni suggested.
I count the sheep like this - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, every time one of them jumps over the fence. This is no secret to anyone!
Come on, let's figure it out, since everyone knows. In which direction do the sheep jump? - Noni asked, narrowing her eyes slyly.
Just like that, of course,” Susie ran her finger from the bed to the closet with clothes.
Susie made a face.
Grandma, are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes? - Susie asked, thinking about how her teacher used the word in class and explained to them that it meant someone was trying to trick you.
No, Susie, I'm not trying to show off. What I meant was that when you count the sheep that come to help you sleep, you should count them when they jump to your bed. And you said that you count them when they jump over the fence away from you.
Susie had no idea that her grandmother could say something so stupid. Imagine! Count the sheep that jump over the fence to the bed! Susie decided that she would still try her grandmother’s advice.
That evening, Susie's grandmother read her a bedtime story, straightened her granddaughter's blanket, turned off the lamp on the nightstand, and said:
Good night, Susie.
“Good night, Noni,” Susie said as she settled under the soft satin blanket, pulling it up to her chin.
Susie closed her eyes and tried to imagine the sheep jumping over the fence towards her bed. At first she couldn't do it. She was so used to sheep jumping over the fence away from her... But, after a little training, she was able to do it. The picture in her imagination became sharp and clear.
Susie counted every fluffy white sheep that jumped over the fence towards her.
One, two, three,” Susie counted. She noticed that the sheep were smiling.
The seventh, a fluffy brown sheep, jumped over the fence, stopped at the foot of Susie's bed and said:
The bed has long been ready
On the fairytale journey again.
Will sweet Dreams
Happily gilded.
Then, smiling, the little brown sheep bowed!
Several small sheep, with pink bows around their necks, jumped over the fence along with the large, snow-white sheep, smiled at Susie, and came to the foot of her bed.
These were sheep girls, they quietly cleared their throats, cleared their voices, and said in unison:
On fluffy clouds,
You'll have a good rest
Fear won't bother you
And you can easily sleep until the morning.
Afterwards, smiling, the sheep curtsied and batted their eyelashes contentedly.
Susie felt drowsy. Her eyelids became heavy.
Several more small sheep jumped over the fence and then ran away headlong.
Fighting sleep and the urge to roll over to sleep, Susie watched as the blue sheep ran, bouncing, towards the fence between Susie and the sheep. This sheep, in Susie's favorite shade of blue, jumped over the fence and stopped at the very head of the bed.
The blue sheep whispered softly into Susie's ear:
Soft pillows,
By the cloudy bed
Sleep time has come
I need to go to sleep.
With these words, Susie drifted off to sleep, with a smile on her face. Her grandmother yawned, she looked very sleepy.
Translation specifically for the site website
Since the new year 2015 is the year of the sheep (or goat), it would be right to start it with the myth associated with these animals. The site already has an article about and now it’s probably time to talk about sheep.
Perhaps the most common myth about sheep is that counting them helps you sleep. In many movies and cartoons, people count sheep before going to bed, but does this work in real life?
Why did people start counting sheep before going to bed?
It is not known for certain where this tradition came from. According to some assumptions, the myth came from shepherds who counted their sheep before going to bed to make sure that the entire flock was in place. The realization that all the sheep were safe supposedly calmed them down and helped them fall asleep. According to another version, the process of counting sheep was so tedious that the shepherds began to feel sleepy.
Do sheep help you sleep?
According to the results of research conducted at the University of Oxford, it turned out that Counting sheep before bed is harmful.
- Scientists selected 50 people suffering from insomnia and divided them into three groups:
- Those who had to mentally count sheep.
- Those who had to imagine a beautiful landscape.
Those who were asked to fall asleep as usual (to have something to compare the results of the first two groups with). As it turned out, people who counted sheep took the longest to fall asleep . At the same time, the subjects who imagined a calm landscape fell asleep on average 20 minutes earlier than people from the third group. The results of other experiments also confirm that counting sheep before bed is far from the most best idea
. Scientists suggest that counting sheep is such a tedious activity that it irritates us more than it calms us down.
How to count sheep correctly to fall asleep?
Despite this, experts say that the process of falling asleep is a purely individual matter. It doesn’t matter at all what you imagine before going to bed, the main thing is that “it” relaxes you. Accordingly, if you are a fan of sheep and mathematics, then this method may well suit you.
- Since in the 21st century not every house has sheep, and not everyone can imagine and count a flock in their head, people most often imagine sheep jumping one after another over the fence. Here's a quick guide:
- Lie down and close your eyes
- Imagine a clear night sky with moon and stars
- Imagine a lawn divided in half by a low white fence
- Imagine white, fluffy, kind sheep
- Imagine the sheep jumping over the fence one after another
Count every sheep that jumps over the fence. You need to count calmly, out loud or in your head. More detailed instructions
(with pictures) you can find it. There is also another, faster (and apparently more effective) way to count sheep, suggested by Mr. Bean:
- How to fall asleep faster and what not to do before bed?
- Take a warm, relaxing bath before bed.
- Create a clear schedule. People who are accustomed to falling asleep and waking up at the same time are much less likely to experience insomnia.
- Avoid fatty and sweet food. Doctors do not recommend eating fast food, ice cream and cakes before bed.
- Avoid phones and tablets in bed. The light emitted by devices stimulates the brain and does not allow it to relax.
- Avoid exercising at least 3 hours before bedtime. Heartbeat, as well as the excitement of the whole body after exercise will be too great to fall asleep.
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol at least a couple of hours before bed. Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, and even chocolate, can make it much more difficult for you to fall asleep. The same can be said about alcohol: even if you drink too much and “pass out,” you are unlikely to be full of energy in the morning.
- Avoid emotions before bed. Strong laughter, quarrel or enthusiasm will agitate your body, significantly delaying sleep.
- If you can't fall asleep right away, don't force yourself to sleep. Try getting up and doing something for a while, like reading a book. When you feel like you want to sleep, you can go back to bed.
A dream is a wonderful world, covered with silks and strewn with jewels. What could be better than healthy and good sleep? It will probably be very difficult to answer this question. Sleep is vital for us, and its absence sometimes drives people crazy, pushing them to do the strangest and sometimes incredible things. But what to do if you seem to want to sleep, but sleep just doesn’t come?
If anyone has ever experienced this condition personal experience, then he knows how painful and unpleasant it is. The minutes drag on unbearably long, at some point you feel pain in your head and heaviness throughout your body. By the way, any medications, as a rule, do not bring the expected relief. Of course, you will fall asleep, but when you wake up, you will not feel rested.
There are a lot of different herbal infusions, according to connoisseurs traditional medicine They help not only to fall asleep, but even to have a good night's sleep. Let’s not argue, especially since most likely they actually helped many. However, there are situations when absolutely nothing helps. Speaking of counting... Then we must count!
But the question arises - why these particular animals? Why not an ostrich or, say, a boa constrictor?
And it's true. Why?
So which animals are still counted before bed?
In fact, psychologists came up with the idea of counting before bed. Only a very long time ago they were called healers. They treated everyone and everything. There was no division of medicine then, and many techniques and recipes over time passed into the status of “folk”. Moreover, each nation had its own characteristics in methods and recipes, although in some ways they still had similarities.
So, let's get back to counting animals before bed. This method was aimed at self-distraction and 
self-lulling. The fact is that in most cases, tired people cannot sleep for the reason, as they used to call it, “heavy thoughts.” If we talk modern language - big problems, worries, troubles and so on. In general, everything that makes you not only think about it, but also worry about it, and therefore excites the nervous system. In order to shift attention, it was suggested to count. But counting numbers, although it is a distraction, does not bring pleasant relaxation, especially when the problems are related to finances. Then local healers came up with the idea of counting something that was associated with pleasant memories, feelings and sensations. Considering that previously most countries were engaged in either trade or cattle breeding or agriculture, they took as a basis the animal that was close to each specific people. And in general, it just so happens that it is animals that evoke the most tender feelings in us.
And this is where the variety of animals count comes from. For example, residents South America they prefer to count llamas before going to bed, in India they are more inclined to count elephants, the people of Africa like to count camels, and so on, right down to sheep and rams. In general, it is not necessary to count animals; you can even count ostriches, pigeons and even daisies, tulips or clouds. The most important thing is that the item being counted is associated with pleasure and pleasant sensations. This is how relaxation is achieved nervous system, and then the long-awaited dream. Moreover, dreams, as a rule, begin to be pleasant, which in any case has a beneficial effect on rest and, as a result, on health and the ability to think rationally.
Therefore, count something pleasant before going to bed. And sweet dreams to you.
This is perhaps the most hackneyed and most banal advice for combating insomnia - counting sheep before bed. Have you ever tried, lying in bed and looking at the ceiling, to mentally sort out a crowd of beeping sheep jumping over the fence? We - yes, even in childhood! We don’t really remember whether it helped, but I wonder why it was suddenly customary to count sheep, and whether this counting really helps to quickly fall into the arms of Morpheus.
It turns out that many, many years ago, Australian farmers counted their flocks at night, and the realization that all the sheep were safe and in place allowed them to relax and fall asleep. Gradually, the tradition turned into popular rumor, fairy tales and jokes, and became a stable advice to turn off the brain and go to bed.
Does counting curly lambs help with sleepless nights today? More likely no than yes. Most scientists are inclined to think about something abstract and pleasant, without straining the brain with mathematical calculations, even as simple as counting sheep jumping over a fence. So those who suffer from insomnia should forget about such a remedy as counting sheep. Instead, they should relax and forget about all the troubles that keep them awake. That’s why you shouldn’t just count sheep at night, but count something pleasant for you: compliments, successes, pleasant purchases, high fives or scored goals... So let’s leave the sheep alone and try to imagine something more calming and pleasant and airy!..
It’s so nice to cuddle with a soft toy under a warm blanket and, snoring sweetly, watch fairy-tale dreams, meet your favorite characters and travel to distant countries where fantastic animals live. And in the morning, cheerfully jumping out of bed, waking up my mother and excitedly telling her about my sleepy adventures.But what to do when you really want to sleep, but can’t fall asleep? It is sometimes difficult for a baby to switch from games and communication to calm and lazy lying in the hope of catching the sweetest dream by the tail. Many will advise you to quietly turn on the sounds of the sea or rain, light lavender oil, read a fairy tale or drink before bed mint tea. But probably the most popular method of evening calm is counting sheep.
There are many cartoons, drawings and jokes about sheep that methodically jump over a fence. Where do you think the tradition of counting the meming herd came from? It turns out that there is a legend about Australian farmers who, long ago, counted their flocks at night and calmly fell asleep, making sure that all the sheep were safe (and the wolves were fed with something else). Gradually this tradition moved into the area people's councils.
The famous furry artiodactyls are not the only animals that can help you sleep. Residents of South America count llamas, in Africa they like to mentally restore order in a caravan of camels, and in India they imagine huge elephants (and how they fit in the head of someone falling asleep). Although we also have a cartoon “How Petya Pyatochkin counted elephants” about a boy who could not sleep in a quiet hour in kindergarten. The teacher advised Petya to count the elephants before going to bed. Having fallen asleep, Pyatochkin finds himself in Africa in a dream and tries to put the elephants to sleep. The most restless little eared one resembles Petya himself. 
Some psychologists, by the way, say that counting sheep and any other animals is not a very calming activity, since the brain continues to count the animals jumping over the fence, and should turn off and let us sleep peacefully. It is better to think about something abstract and good. How abstract sheep are is up to you to decide.
