BS: counting sheep

Subject: BS: counting sheep
From: muppett
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 11:21 AM

If you're having trouble getting to sleep, I've been told counting sheep helps, however when a friend of mine tried this she came up with the following problems,some of them either went under the fence or round it, can you count these and also sometimes 2 of them jumped over at once, can you count both of them. Also I want to is why sheep, I've never seen sheep jumping over gates, fences, walls or anything. ppppppppleasezzzzzzzzz help.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: muppett
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 11:24 AM

PS does it count as a minus if they jump back over.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 11:52 AM

wonder ifthere are any documented cases of shepherdfs dropping off while trying to count sheep?I kow you doit by driving them through a narrow gap so they have to go one at a time, and they can't get back and be counted twice.

Sorry, am I being serious?

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: ChocolateLover
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 12:16 PM

Muppett - maybe you need to look for the ones being chased by a man wearing oversized wellies? I'm sure they could jump if they were given enough encouragement . . . .

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 12:26 PM

people have this all backward you know - when you are asked if you have tried counting sheep - its not that YOU are suppossed to count sheep - it that you are suppossed to have a counting sheep chant numbers at you. Their voices are so boring and the numbers are so repetitious you soon nod off.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: ChocolateLover
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 12:34 PM

So _that's_ why you're supposed to keep a sheep in the bedroom. I'd always wondered . . .

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Ebbie
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 12:35 PM

Speaking from the viewpoint of needing to count sheep, lately I've had to approach sleeplessness from a different angle.

I have always 'told' myself a story when I turn off the light and have drifted off sweetly without a line of demarcation.

But now I'm in the process of moving from this house and every night my mind is busy tabulating all the things I still have to do and the people and the agencies and utilities I have to call and on and on. I can lie there for two hours.

I find the only thing that works for me right now is to 'sing' a song. Really examine the lyrics and how to perform it, complete with harmonies, and maybe even get a third person in to fill in the gaps. It works. Bless the imagination we all have!

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 04:49 PM

I've never seen anyone fall asleep as fast as my daughter. It's amazing, you'll say something to her when the light is just turned off, and if you walk back with an afterthought a minute later it's too late, she's out like that light. My son is sometimes concerned if he can't get to sleep, but it usually turns out that he drank too much coke during the day, and he now is learning to deal with occasional sleeplessness (he's 11) by reading a book for a while. I usually fall asleep about as fast as my daughter, but if I am aware that I might be mulling over details like Ebbie suggests, I try to relax at bedtime by taking a hot bath, having a glass of wine, and making sure I'm not getting to bed too late. It is actually harder to get to sleep sometimes if you're overtired.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 05:41 PM

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Leadfingers
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 05:43 PM

I dont have trouble sleeping now that I no longer have the stress of the day job, but what I used to do was start counting slowly backwards from five hundred. I dont ever remember getting below four-fifty.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 06:22 PM

Stilly River Sage,

Whilst they may be fascinating to you, the sleeping habits of your offspring are of no interest to the rest of us.

Any chance of not cluttering the forum with such stuff?

Thanks.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Ebbie
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 08:29 PM

Who is "the rest of us", Guest? Broad brush you're usin'.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 08:35 PM

I think he forgot to put the A after US.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 09:45 PM

Limpit has a disconcerting habit of sleeping with her eyes open.

My great grandfather was a shepherd and he used to count the legs and divide by four.

I appear to have given up sleep for the duration.

Why is it I can sleep on my sofa (couch) quite happily during the day but if I have to sleep on it at night, I can't?

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 10:02 PM

This seems to be the same guest who has been stomping around the site trying to offend everyone he meets. He's succeeding in making an ass of himself. I believe we tangled over on the "diet" thread, when he marched into the discussion and started making bigotted remarks about fat people who have no respect for themselves and he'll insult them into wanting to lose weight blah blah blah. . . I think he took exception to being called a Fathead. :)

I read a good article about sleep research a couple of days ago. It's not in my IP home page index now, but I found a similar article here. Most of this should come as no surprise. I printed out the other article, which starts "German scientists say they have demonstrated for the first time that our sleeping brains continue working on problems that baffle us during the day, and the right answer may come more easily after 8 hours of rest." It's making that transition from wakeful problem-solving to "sleeping on it" that they need to research, eh?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 10:10 PM

So what if the problem is how to get to sleep?

How do you solve that one, eh? And when??

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 10:39 PM

Another article I read some months back said that the hours of sleep before midnight are actually more beneficial than if you go to bed after midnight and sleep late the next day. I don't remember what the rational was, but they said it was better to go to bed early and get up early than go to bed late and get up late. And it said that going to bed earlier made it actually easier to get to sleep. Harking back to the idea that if you're too tired it can be difficult to sleep.

Liz, I bet you slept well when you were paving your garden, didn't you? Exercise right before bed isn't recommended, but exercise earlier in the day should help.

Or maybe the bartender in the Mudcat Tavern has something that would help? Perhaps the next time someone sneaks in for some of those frozen holiday leftovers (all placed tidily in the Mudcat Tupperware) they'll ask for a draft of something for you? ;-)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: LadyJean
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 01:03 AM

A friend whose husband is from Bombay taught me how to make proper Indian Tea. It is one of the finest natural soporifics known to man.

Put equal amounts of water and milk in a saucepan, add a teabag or two, depending on how much you want, a little cinammon, and any other spices you like (No curry, tumeric or chili powder, the Indians don't put them in everything.) bring it to a boil, and drink it while it's still warm. I remember the first time she dosed me with it. It was a good thing I wasn't driving because I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to get home.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Ebbie
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 04:53 AM

Regular black tea, LadyJean?

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 08:18 AM

If you are having trouble with the sheep you are counting jumping over two at a time, or jumping back or going around the side, then seriously speaking, your mind is not sufficiently disciplined enough to concentrate on a "simple" task like that, you are being hypercreative.

Meditate on OOOOHHHMMMM..... Seriously, learn to meditate... learn to SIMPLIFY your thought processes, stop jumping around mentally... that why the counting backwards trick works... I never could get the sheep thing to work, my sheep were multicoloured, and I would lose count, and have to start again.... :-)

The quicker solution is to get some Valerian and or some St John's Wort - you can get both together in some tablets.

Be warned that they WILL react with serious medications - St JW WILL interact with anti-depressants... check with a doctor (or perhaps a qualified pharmaceutical chemist) first if on any medications.

Valerian on it's own will put me out like a light, and I wake up feeling deeply refreshed in the morning.

There are a range of other various herbal teas (the above two used to only be available years ago in dried teas form before they became "popular" some years ago) - and there is a form of teas called "Formosan" which is the lowest in caffeine.

Warm milk has - I think - serotonin or a similar chemical, but doesn't seem to work with everyone. When much younger and highly stressed, a cup of coffee with a little milk would often put me down quickly - a paradoxical reaction, I know.... :-) But then I get a paradoxical reaction to barbituates...

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: freda underhill
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 08:37 AM

..sleep....

lavender oil on temples, wrists, chest, aids relaxation...

soft music (classical or instrumental, or a soft soothing voice eg sean keane, Rachel Hoare)

i have a hypnotice tape for when a little more is needed.. works well (Barry Koenicov, from the US)

..if you don't have a person to cuddle, an extra pillow or teddy bear is very comforting..

freda

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 12:17 PM

It's black tea that will keep me awake, but I keep quite a few herbal teas around and they have no such side-effect. Chamomile is used for medicinal purposes in parts of Mexico (learned that on a travel/cooking show on PBS a few weeks back) but seems to be used in the US mainly as an herb for relaxation. It's the major ingredient in the "Sleepytime" tea you find in the grocery store.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 04:01 PM

Not counting sheep, but Counting Goats "Oes gafr eto?"

Nigel

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Cluin
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 05:05 PM

Lots of fresh air and exercise is the best thing to counter insominia.

If not possible, a few pages from Moby Dick should do the trick.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 08:08 PM

I love that book! It wouldn't work. What would bore me to sleep is something by Danielle Steel. On second thought, not that. Might gag me. :)

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Gareth
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 08:15 PM

Hmmm ! As a true Welshman, counting sheep will not make you fall asleep.

Let's see there was Bessy, Sion, Eweadora, Gill ........

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 03:27 PM

Gareth, you may be a true Welshman, but you're clearly no gentleman. You shouldn't name names!

Nigel

p.s. can I take those four as 'dead certs' ?

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Gareth
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 03:31 PM

Hmmm ! Yes Nigel, Dead Certs, unfortunately foot and mouth ......

Gareth

PS I never claim to be a gentleman.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Les from Hull
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 05:11 PM

here's a musical link for you

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Bill D
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 06:20 PM

from a search:

"yan, tan, tethera is an ancient counting system, said to be Celtic in origin, and used until recently by shepherds in the north of England. It can be found in such songs as "Old Molly Metcalfe" and "A Lincolnshire Shepherd". The words for the numbers from one to ten are: yan, tan, tethera, pethera, pimp, sethera, methera, hovera, covera, dik. These terms, or at least a likeness of them, turn up in children's skipping songs."

a thread about "Molly Metcalf"

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: muppett
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 04:37 AM

Come lads & lasses lets get back to my orginal question, lets not get too serious wi the answer, lets have some witty answers on this cold & frosty morning.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: s6k
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 04:42 AM

I know a brilliant idea of how to get to sleep.

Before you do, read this thread!!! you will find yourself drifting off in no time!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: muppett
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 05:02 AM

Brill idea s6k, I like yer style, any other suggestions?

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 07:34 AM

Anyone who counts sheep when they get into bed is just plain greedy - one is enough for the night.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: muppett
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 08:16 AM

Surley evan one is too much, some of them can be big bruts.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 01:32 PM

I try counting sheep but there is always one that runs off down the feild and then I spend the rest of the night chasing after it and it usually falls over a ledge and I have to send Lassie to bark a message to the local constabulary who then get stuck in the snow and we have to call out the helicopters! Have you ever tried sleeping with a helicopter? Am I just too imaginative??

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 01:33 PM

Of course Muppett would have a lot more chance of sleeping if he wasn't usually drinking and singing until daylight come...!!:0)

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 11:28 PM

Muppett wants to know "why sheep?"

Horses are too unpredictable.
Cows don't jump.
Dogs come in too many colors and shapes - too much intellectual stimulation.
Cats would simply ignore you and start washing themselves.
Lions and tigers are too frightening.
Caterpillars would take all night.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: ChocolateLover
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 07:22 AM

Mrs Duck - I always thought Lassie was a bit of a twit - couldn't even figure out she was a girl!! Try Skippy instead, he's much more intelligent.

How about counting Hamsters? There seem to be a couple in here already . . .

ChocolateLover

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 08:06 AM

In four of her first six Hollywood star vehicles, Lassie was played by a male collie named Pal
- no wonder Lassie seems a bit unsure of his/her sex !

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 01:04 PM

Nah hamsters are no good they just keep running around in a wheel and making me seasick.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: muppett
Date: 28 Jan 04 - 10:03 AM

But Jane
Re. singing till daylight,sleeping is such a waste of time & it gets in the way, particularly when folk festivals are happing & particularly at the Moor & Coast fest., by the way how many singing days are there to it, there's a challenge for some one out there t' work out.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: ced2
Date: 28 Jan 04 - 02:59 PM

Have you gone on the wagon then Mr Uppett? Sufficient quantities of the(OH) radicle will not only lead to ridicule but also to sleep. But beware the temptations of the Welsh! Stick to counting.... that is of course if a Bradfordian gets to large enough numbers before it has to go back to the begining because 'es forgotton how far 'e got... probably nodded off!

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Gareth
Date: 28 Jan 04 - 04:35 PM

Just remember - The alteration of one letter turns a northern soporific to a Welsh activity !

See-











Counting

Courting


Sleep/Sheep well.

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Bobjack
Date: 29 Jan 04 - 07:42 AM

The answer to this one is so easy I'm surprised no one has suggested my method. All you have to do is have wild nostril flaring sex before bedtime! Works for me every time.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jan 04 - 12:33 PM

Leeneia -
Cows do indeed jump!
Maybe not really over the moon, but they can hurdle a fence as a vinyard owner learned to his dismay. He fed his normally placid cows the remains of a pressing or two that they had left fermenting and didn't know what else to do with. According to him they were transformed into kangaroos and were leaping all of the fences.

My suggestion would be herbal sleep tea brewed in warm milk with a hefty turkey sandwich. All of the above have something soporific about them and I've always found it easiest to doze off on a full stomache. Doesn't do much for the figure tho.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Hrothgar
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 07:09 AM

The trouble with counting sheep in Australia is that after the first hundred million they all look the same.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 09:44 AM

BAA

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 11:46 AM

Previous GUEST - did the cows yield alcoholic butter ?

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 11:58 AM

Bobjack, interesting suggestion and fascinating terminology - but is that with or without sheep ?

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Bobjack
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 12:03 PM

It is much better sheep free. Try it with a banjo first, then work your way up to 8ounzes of marmite.

Subject: RE: BS: counting sheep
From: Cuilionn
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 01:38 PM

Wait, Ah've gaet it!

Feed the milky tea tae the sheep, an THEN coont 'em! (or put 'em oot tae pasture in fields o valerian & chamomile? They micht be tae sleepy e'en tae jump, but coontin a hantle o sheep as they mill sleepily thro the pasture ocht tae settle onyane doon for the nicht.

Some mair serious suggestions:

   When Ah wis stairtin tae lairn Scots Gaelic, Ah'd put a Gaelic-song album on tae play at a low volume. The music wis soothin, an ma mind wuid jist sairt o slide aff the "foreign" wairds intae a quiet pool o sleepiness.

   For those whae like tae read in bed, but get tae involvit in the stories, try puttin a few useless catalogs by yir bed, fu o whigmaleeries an items ye'd ne'er rilly buy, or--better yet--sumpit dull, yet suggestive o sleep, like a catalog of bed-linens. Ye can flip a few pages, distract yir brain frae whate'er wis feshin it, & trick yir brain intae thinkin' ye've given it sumpit new tae play wi because o the pictures an' sic. The brain find naethin o substance tae busy itsel wi, an.........zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

(By the way, if ye're diagnosit wi Attention Deficit Disorder [a misnomer, rilly, as these folk tend tae pay attention tae TAE MONY things at ance], ye're likely tae hae the opposite reaction tae caffeine: it micht settle ye doon an put ye tae sleep. This disnae bode weel for drinkin' coffee & drivin, but 'tis grait when ye're trauchlit wi insomnia. Jist mak yersel a muckle grait mug o hot chocolate [use milk, nae watter, & as little sugar as possible] an stir in some o that "instant espresso" powder. Ah anely use it as a last resort, but it wairks, weel, like a dream!)

Sleep weel!

--Cuilionn