If you’re used to lying in bed tossing and turning each night, then no doubt you’re familiar with the 'counting sheep' method.
The saying supposedly originated hundreds of years ago from shepherds, who were unable to sleep until they had counted every last sheep to ensure none were missing.
We’ve all heard about it, but does it actually work in modern life?
What’s the theory behind it?
It’s thought that visualising sheep happily jumping over fences is so tedious that it will cause you to naturally drift off to sleep - but this is not the case!
A study by scientists discovered that this method is as ineffective as doing nothing. It is so mundane that it actively stimulates your brain to think of other things, making falling asleep even more of a challenge.
So what can you do to drift off?
There are many small changes you can make to your sleep routine which will help you to fall asleep faster.
Here are our top five tips:
- Put your phone down an hour before bed
If you’re prone to lying in bed scrolling through your socials or catching up on emails, you’re exposing yourself to blue light. Why is this bad? Blue light is a powerful melatonin suppressant (melatonin is the hormone made in the body which regulates night and day cycles). One study showed that people exposed to mobile phone light before sleep started producing melatonin 1.5 hours later than those who hadn’t.
2. Drift off to sounds
Distracting external noises (think dogs barking or car alarms going off) can affect your ability to not only get to sleep, but also your sleep quality. Listening to low, engaging noises, such as gentle music, white noise, the radio or a podcast can help. Although be mindful not to choose a podcast that is too interesting - this might have the opposite effect!
You could try our Sleepee Bluetooth Sleep Headphones, which give you the ultimate immersive audio experience by blocking out light at the same time!
3. Deep breathing before bed
Slow deep breathing results in the production of melatonin. Yep - we’re back to melatonin again! But while melatonin helps with inducing sleep, deep breathing also brings along mindfulness effects. Your brain is concentrating on deep breathing, leaving very little time for it to focus on the noisy thoughts that are normally trying to barge their way in.
4. Make sure you’re eating the right foods
What you eat and when you eat can really hinder your sleep. Eating too close to bedtime can leave you uncomfortable during the night, whereas going to bed hungry is sure to keep you awake! From almonds to oats, there are several foods that are known to promote sleep. Click here to delve deeper into which foods work.
5. And finally… the best option (we think!) is to try Sleepee supplements
Sleepee supplements were created to give all you sleep sufferers an all-natural and effective alternative by naturally boosting your body’s melatonin levels. It includes 11 natural ingredients, all tried and tested by scientists and sleep experts to tackle every aspect of sleep.
Get the best night’s sleep, night after night with Sleepee.