On yet another night of sleeplessness I decided it was high time I found out where the whole – count sheep and fall asleep – idea originated. Which, oddly, led me to the discovery of Goats Parkour and the fact that sea otters love to eat sea urchin, which, as facts go, is kind of interesting, particularly at 3am and, anyway, who doesn’t love sea otters?
While googling – “the origins of counting sheep” I learned that this was something shepherds did before going to sleep in Medieval times, but a 12th century fable refers to counting sheep in the Middle East, suggesting this has been going on for awhile now. The article then ends with this sobering thought,
“Origins aside, the practice is an awful sleeping aid.”
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58192/why-do-we-count-sheep
Which, I have to admit, kind of took the wind out of my sails. The final sobering sentence of the piece speculated, “Maybe that’s why Don Quixote preferred goats.” Which took me to this… I know, I know…
Watching this last YouTube video made me reconsider my whole, I’ll-start-exercising-again-once-this-whole-pandemic-is-behind-us thinking and so I got up and did some exercises. All of this was done before 4am and I’d just like to interject that New York City, despite the pandemic, is busy at 4am. I know this because I see all the lights on in buildings viewed from our living room windows, but I digress and anyway, my point being that you can cram a LOT of things into the early morning hours if you’re strategic about it.
While exercising, my mind immediately leapt to otters, because that’s where the mind goes at 3:30am while exercising in a semi-dark living room in Manhattan. That’s when I discovered the first video I posted, thus ending my short-lived-newly-discovered-exercise-routine, which, okay, you really can’t call it a “routine” when you do it only once, even though your intention is to do it daily, but never mind.
So then I began designing a new project, which turned into TWO new projects, because that’s the way I think – if one is good, two will be even better and anyway it’s not even 5am – the first features an otter and some sea urchins, and the second features mandalas, because otters can only be upstaged by mandalas in my opinion, though otters AND sea urchins are a hard act to follow. Still, undaunted, I plunged onward.
I also decided that I would video tape the makings of both projects, so that I will have, not just written instructions, but videos as well. By the way if you have any interest in either project please take the poll I embedded in yesterday’s tutorial, I would love your opinion.
All of this brings me back, full circle, to sleeplessness… I have no answers, though I read that counting your breath, as opposed to sheep, can be helpful, but then, when would I find the time to get all the things I want to do, done?! That was rhetorical.
I can see the little red light on my smoke detector from my bed. It flashes once every 30 seconds. So I try to count to 30 to coincide with the light flashing. Its tricky. But I have found I cant do it it more than 4 or 5 times before Im asleep. So just counting works for me. Try it and tell me if it works for you.
I will give it a go, though I have no blinking red light to guide me, and who knows, that may be the missing piece!!
I think the repetition of counting to 30 is so boring for the brain…it goes to sleep.
It worked! I was VERY skeptical because I felt as though I’d tried counting, but whatever I was counting… sheep, goats, who knows, it wasn’t just counting. Two rounds of counting to 30 and next thing I knew it was 7am! Haven’t slept that late in months!!! So THANK YOU!
I’ve tried it all! Nothing works for me. I am at the point that I feel sleep is overrated! I just give up trying anymore. I lie in my bed for hours after I get into it and basically just rest my body. Why? Cause I know that my body needs to rest. I stitch at nighttime but it doesn’t seem to help. I wake up early for work and just basically keep going all day. Sometimes I wonder if all my employees really know how much thought I put into making their jobs and lives better and secure. How I worry about getting enough business to keep all of them. I run a title insurance company so it’s a high stress job. I sometimes envy that to them it’s just a job meanwhile I’m the one worrying about their job all the time. Then there’s all the worry that my kids are doing well and my current granddaughter and grandson to be. I think sometimes I can’t
Sleep the nights my daughter works since I worry about her in a hospital since she’s a labor and delivery nurse and I feel like all my ducklings aren’t home even though they don’t live with me. And then there Clovid in our faces daily. I’ll never sleep! Thanks for listening! The videos keep me company as my husband falls right to sleep with no issues. Lol
Theresa, that sounds really stressful. Thank you so much for sharing all of this, I hear you. I cannot imagine how frightening it must be to have one of your children working on the front lines during this pandemic. I am thinking of all of you. I’m so glad my little videos keep you company. Stitching is such a soothing act, I always feel. I’ll think of you as I’m stitching! ❤️
You are so sweet! Thank you. I will send you a picture of what she wears on messenger…
A good morning to you. I know it’s not for everyone, but when the brain clutter threatens to keep me up,I start naming all the things I am thankful for. Then everyone who has prayer request and those who are in my life. Of course I’m long asleep before all is done. But it works for me.
Love that! I am now sleeping, this is my second night of record breaking sleep, thanks to Sandy B. who suggested counting, which really does work. Gratitude lists are also wonderful, and I so appreciate the reminder, because I do sometimes forget!