I Would Fall Asleep but I am too Busy Counting Sheep

“But [Pooh] couldn’t sleep. The more he tried to sleep the more he couldn’t. He tried counting sheep, which is sometimes a good way of getting to sleep, and, and that was no good, he tried counting Heffalumps and that was worse. Because every Heffalump that he counted was making straight for a pot of Pooh’s honey, and eating it all. For some minutes he lay there miserably, but when the five hundred and eighty-seventh Heffalump was licking its jaws, and saying to itself, “very good honey this, I don’t know when I’ve tasted better, “Pooh could bear it no longer.” A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh demonstrated a major roadblock to falling asleep, an active mind. He tried to count the Heffalumps until they started eating the honey that he loved. At that point he could not take his mind off of the honey and the possibility that they might eat it all.

Counting sheep, Heffalumps or stars will not help you to fall asleep. Sleep.org put this myth to bed, citing a 2002 study published by the National Institutes of Health. The study found that individuals who pictured a calming scene fell asleep faster than others. The idea is to provide a peace inducing distraction from worry, concerns or ruminating thoughts.

This is one of the reasons Happy Half Hour Guided Relaxation is so beneficial. Participants relax their bodies while focusing their awareness on relaxing imagery. Guided relaxation will help you to fall asleep and sleep through the night.

For more information about the Happy Half Hour Guided Relaxation program go to our Facebook fan page Happy Half Hour Guided Relaxation.

I would love to hear from you. You may join the conversation by commenting on this post on our Facebook fan page REAL Social Workers Online Magazine, or connecting with me on LinkedIn.