Does anybody really count sheep?

nope – i put a sleep timer on my iPod and listed to Relaxation Music Podcast

By the lack of response I would surmise that people don’t count sheep

No – i never understood why people counted sheep, i lose count and that stresses me out!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_sheep

Wallace and Grommet do.

Oh. . . it’s SHEEP. Here and I have been counting sheikhs.

I did as a kid (maybe ages 8 to 10) when I couldn’t sleep..would count backwards. Not now though.

no, but sometimes I try counting backwards from 100, problem is I usually start thinking about something else by the time I get to 60ish

I’ve never counted sheep. I do similar to mirza, I listen to an MP3 I’ve got on my iPod which is just the sound of heavy rain. It’s about 20 mins long, and it’s the most relaxing thing I’ve ever listened to. I put that on my iPod, and I’m asleep in no time!! When I was a kid though, when I closed my eyes I always saw what I can only describe as stars wizzing past like a scene from a Star Trek viewport, and concentrating on that, put me to sleep pretty quickly. Those are naturally occuring phosphenes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphenes), and those are what I used as a kid.

I tried counting sheep once, and it was so boring.

When I was little, I would try not to think “elephant” when I was going to sleep—just as a mind exercise. And I would fall asleep, not thinking the word elephant.

I dont but, I think the object of counting the sheep is to focus the mind causing it to drift into sleep.

i think it is more common for kids to do. a few years ago, i went through a stressful period and had trouble getting to sleep. i would think the alphabet backwards. the first time would be slow and i’d have to go forwards periodically. after the third or fourth time, i’d be able to smoothly go through the whole alphabet. that is, if i wasn’t asleep by then!

I tried the sheep thing a few times but found it more stressful than soothing because my eyes(although they were closed) tended to follow the arc of the jumping sheep. Later I tried counting backwards and that worked well. The older I get(I’m 36), the more difficult it is for me to fall asleep. How I miss my younger years!!

i tried, but counting kept me away from focusing on getting to sleep :p