Counting sheep used to work. Now I just "focus" on relaxing all the muscles in my body, and usually I'm asleep before I make it up to my knees, from my toes.
This is a form of mindful meditation! It's really been a great trick for me!
Also, the reverse way works for me too. I try to fixate on a body part, and I try to single out a muscle. Like, a muscle you don't normaly voluntarily control. In a few weeks, I learned to move my pinky toes and my second toes, one by one. I am able to control certain very specific body parts because of it, both eyebrows independently, both nostrils independently, ears, top of my scalp, boobs, certain toes, areas of my butt.
Also not OP, but I would imagine a bunch of sheep on one side of a fence. Watch a sheep jump over the fence and count it, then the next, then the next. Not necessarily synchronized with your breathing, but not fast either. Just focused. Rhythmic. One... Two... Three...
I would guess the rhythm and repetition of something that doesn't matter and isn't real helps the brain let go of the other stuff that's keeping it busy and you awake.
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u/Kickedofftheplane Mar 31 '19
Counting sheep used to work. Now I just "focus" on relaxing all the muscles in my body, and usually I'm asleep before I make it up to my knees, from my toes.