What does counting sheep mean?
Definitions for counting sheep
count·ing sheep
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word counting sheep.
Wikipedia
Counting sheep
Counting sheep is a mental exercise used in some Western cultures as a means of putting oneself to sleep. In most depictions of the activity, the practitioner envisions an endless series of identical white sheep jumping over a fence, while counting them as they do so. The idea, presumably, is to induce boredom while occupying the mind with something simple, repetitive, and rhythmic, all of which are known to help humans sleep. Although the practice is largely a stereotype, and rarely used as a solution for insomnia, it has been so commonly referenced by cartoons, comic strips, and other mass media, that it has become deeply engrained into popular culture's notion of sleep. The term "counting sheep" has entered the English language as an idiomatic term for insomnia. Sheep themselves have become associated with sleep, or lack thereof.
Wikidata
Counting sheep
Counting sheep is a mental exercise used in some cultures as a means of lulling oneself to sleep. In most depictions of the activity, the practitioner envisions an endless series of identical white sheep jumping over a fence, while counting them as they do so. The idea, presumably, is to induce boredom while occupying the mind with something simple, repetitive, and rhythmic, all of which are known to help humans sleep. Although the practice is largely a stereotype, and rarely used as a solution for insomnia, it has been so commonly referenced by cartoons, comic strips, and other mass media, that it has become deeply engrained into popular culture's notion of sleep. The term "counting sheep" has entered the English language as an idiomatic term for insomnia. Sheep themselves have become associated with sleep, or lack thereof. According to an experiment conducted by researchers at Oxford University, counting sheep is actually an inferior means of inducing sleep. Subjects who instead imagined "a beach or a waterfall" were forced to expend more mental energy, and fell asleep faster than those asked to "simply distract from thoughts, worries and concerns." In contrast to news reports about the experiment, the experiment and the resulting scholarly article did not explicitly address counting sheep. Sleep could be achieved by any number of complex activities that expend mental energy.
Suggested Resources
counting sheep
Read the full text of the Counting Sheep poem by William Kerr on the Poetry.com website.
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of counting sheep in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of counting sheep in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
Examples of counting sheep in a Sentence
Counting sheep no longer works. The day comes crashing down on you and you can’t escape it. You go home, have two shots of Jack, look through the bills, fix yourself a TV dinner, watch the Lakers lose another one, take a bath, think briefly of cutting your wrists knowing you don't have the guts to do it, and you go to bed. So much for the sheep.
Translations for counting sheep
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- tælle fårDanish
- Schafe zählenGerman
- kalkulante ŝafojnEsperanto
- lampaiden laskeminenFinnish
- compter les moutonsFrench
- ag comhaireamh caorachIrish
- नींद लाने के लिए दिमागी कसरत करनाHindi
- contare le pecoreItalian
- 羊を数えるJapanese
- ಕುರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಎಣಿಸುವುದುKannada
- numerum oviumLatin
- считать овецRussian
- గొర్రెలను లెక్కించడంTelugu
- підрахунок овецьUkrainian
- بھیڑوں کی گنتیUrdu
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"counting sheep." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/counting+sheep>.
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