Wenatex Blog :: Healthy Sleep for a Better Life

Nobody is quite sure of its origins… an article I read today suggests that “it might stem from shepherds of the olden days keeping track of their flocks before bedtime.” But when you can’t sleep, do you count sheep?

Does counting sheep work for you? This article claims that it doesn’t work. It argues that counting sheep is “so repetitive and boring that most people who try to do it don’t last long enough to see any success. The brain tires of the tedium and moves on to something more stimulating, which just wakes you up more.”

The article goes on to suggest some alternate strategies that it claims work better.

It is a really interesting article, check it out at http://www.divinecaroline.com/22189/97750-counting-sheep-counteracts-sleep–imagine and let me know your thoughts.

Investigations into Michael Jackson’s death are well under way and it has been made public that he was a severe insomniac. It is alleged that he was taking some fairly serious drugs to help him sleep which may have caused his death. The article I read can be found at http://www.examiner.com/x-4592-Birmingham-Family-Health-Examiner~y2009m7d28-Gluten-attacks-my-sleep-and-I-contemplate-Michael-Jacksons-sleeping-problems.

Insomnia is a serious problem, not only for MJ, but for the entire population. I read an article recently which stated that in a recent Australian study, as many as two-thirds of the people who took part reported that they had difficulty going to sleep. http://www.pfizer.com.au/Media/Sleep.aspx

The cause of insomnia is often worry. “Worry… combined with the long hours and stresses of our 24 hour society, is a recipe for leaving the majority of the population living in a constant state of fatigue. Not a healthy, or safe, way to live.” http://www.pfizer.com.au/Media/Sleep.aspx

So, the lesson from all of this is don’t take the drastic steps that MJ did to get a good night’s sleep… make changes to your life to minimise stress and worry.

As well as reducing stress, there are also some practical things you can do to help you get off to sleep. See the Sleep Tips page on the Wenatex website at http://www.wenatex.com.au/sleep_tips.asp.