Do you count sheep when you cannot sleep? A study at Oxford University tried a different idea. People with sleep problems imagined a nice place, like a beach or a waterfall. They thought about the sounds, smells, and feelings of that place.

These people fell asleep faster than people who got no advice. Counting sheep is very simple, so worries can come into your mind. A nice picture in your head may work better.

Counting sheep is a famous way to fall asleep, but does it really help? In 2002, researchers at Oxford University divided 41 people with insomnia into three groups. The first group practiced imagining a pleasant scene, such as a waterfall or a holiday beach, in great detail, including sounds and smells. The second group was simply told to distract themselves, and the third group received no instructions.

The imagery group fell asleep faster than the group with no instructions and reported fewer unpleasant thoughts before sleep. The simple distraction group showed no clear benefit. The researchers believe a rich mental scene fills the mind and leaves less space for worries. Counting sheep was not tested, but it may be too boring to keep worries away.

Counting sheep is the classic cure for a sleepless night, but there is little evidence that it works. In fact, sheep counting itself has seldom been studied. The closest evidence comes from a 2002 experiment at Oxford University, in which 41 people with insomnia were assigned to one of three conditions for a single night. One group was trained to build a pleasant and engaging scene, such as a waterfall, using all the senses.

Another was simply asked to distract themselves, and a third received no instructions. The imagery group fell asleep sooner than the group given no instructions and reported less distressing thinking before sleep. General distraction gave no clear advantage. The researchers argued that a vivid scene takes up limited mental capacity, leaving little room for worries to creep back.

The study was small, and sleep onset was mostly self-reported, so expectation may have played a part. A related 2003 study found that people told to suppress their thoughts before sleep reported sleeping worse, which fits the idea that forbidden thoughts tend to rebound.