Does Counting Sheep Actually Help You Fall Asleep?“数绵羊”真的能帮你入睡吗?

宋琪

Counting sheep is probably the oldest sleep advice, as old as drinking a warm glass of milk. But it turns out counting sheep perhaps wont bring you into the Land of Nod1. “It is only one of those old wives tales2,” says Michael Decker, Ph.D., a sleep specialist and associate professor at Case Western School of Nursing.

“数绵羊”也许是最古老的帮助睡眠的建议，和睡前喝杯热牛奶一样古老。但事实上这一方法可能并不能带你进入梦乡。“这只是老婆婆们讲的一个故事而已，”凯斯西储大学护理学院的睡眠专家迈克尔·德克尔教授这样说道。

One theory is that the idea originated when early sheep herders3 couldnt get to sleep at night because they were worried about all of the sheep in their field. So they would soothe4 themselves by counting the herd up to make sure they were all safe.

关于“数绵羊”来源的其中一个说法是，以前牧羊人在晚上会因为操心牧场里的羊而睡不着觉，因此他们每天晚上都会数绵羊，确保它们都安然无恙后才能放心。

But this method probably wont work when you find it difficult to sleep. When falling asleep, it tends to be more helpful to occupy the mind with something relaxing and passive, rather than active. “You have to keep track of5 those sheep. It takes a lot of work to count them all up,” Decker says.

可是当你真的难以入眠时，这一方法也许根本起不到任何作用。因为当人们想要入睡时，让大脑处于放松的、被动的状态比使之保持活跃的状态更有效果。“在大脑中数绵羊就需要一直记录绵羊的个数，这会使大脑一直处于工作状态。”德克尔如是说。

A modern farmer asked an animal scientist at the USDAs Sheep Experiment Station, who actually counts real sheep, whether the task induces6 sleepiness. “I tried counting sheep once and no, it did not help me fall asleep ... Its hard to imagine sheep jumping a fence because it is not something they do unless you dont want them to.

有一位现代牧场主在难以入睡时会去数真正的绵羊，他去问美国农业部绵羊实验站的一名动物科学家，这样做是否真的可以帮助他入睡。农场主说：“我曾试过数绵羊，可是没有效果，这并不能帮我入睡……很难想象绵羊跳过栅栏的场景，因为如果不让它们这样做它们绝不会跳栅栏的。”

A better method might be to use your brain power to conjure up a relaxing scene, such as a soothing beach. In fact, a 2001 study published in the journal Behavior Research and Therapy showed that among a group of people with insomnia7, those who used “imagery distraction8,” fell asleep faster (and with less stress) than those who werent given any instructions. The study participants were instructed to imagine “a situation they found interesting and engaging9, but also pleasant and relaxing.”

帮助入睡的更好的办法就是在大脑中想象一个使人放松的场景，比如一个舒适的沙滩。事实上，2001年的《行为研究与治疗》杂志上发表的一项研究结果显示：在患有失眠症的人们中间，使用“场景想象法”的人们比那些没有受到任何睡眠建议的人们入睡得更快。专家建议那些研究对象幻想一个他们认为有趣的，吸引人的，并且使人愉快和放松的场景。

Decker agrees that this type of guided imagery seems to be the best strategy to calm a racing mind. Try picturing a beautiful waterfall or planning a relaxing vacation. “We dont want to do anything that involves10 significant thought processing.” he says.

这种有指导性的想象应该是让不断运作的大脑冷静下来最好的方式了，德克尔也对此表示认同。试着在大脑中构建一幅美丽瀑布的画面，亦或是计划一次轻松愉快的度假。他说：“我们不建议在准备入睡之时让大脑进行深入思考。”

Other tried-and-true11 tricks for falling asleep include progressive muscle relaxation, meditation or a warm bath before bed. And if you cant fall asleep after 30 or so minutes in bed, sleep experts often advice you to get up and do something quiet and non-stimulating until you feel tired again, so your brain doesnt start to associate12 the bed as a place for wakefulness13.

其它一些比较靠谱的入睡技巧包括渐进式的肌肉放松法、冥想法和睡前的热水澡。另外，如果你上床后30分钟都无法入睡，专家建议在这时要起床做一些平静的，不会使大脑兴奋的事情，直到再次感到困倦，这样你的大脑就不会把床与失眠这两者关联起来。

[1] Land of Nod 睡乡，睡梦之乡 [2] tale n. 故事；传说

[3] herder n. 牧人 [4] soothe vt. 安慰；使平静；缓和

[5] keep track of 记录；与…保持联系 [6] induce vt. 诱导；引起

[7] insomnia n. 失眠症，失眠 [8] distraction n. 注意力分散；消遣

[9] engaging adj. 迷人的 [10] involve vt. 包含；牵涉；使陷于；潜心于

[11] tried-and-true adj. 经过检验而可靠的；靠得住的

[12] associate vt. 联想；使联合；使发生联系 [13] wakefulness n. 觉醒；不眠