counting sheep: how these wooly companions have helped people sleep

COUNTING SHEEP:

HOW THESE WOOLY COMPANIONS HAVE HELPED PEOPLE SLEEP

written by MADISON GOLDBERG photos by ILEANA HINCHCLIFF, JULIA SMITH, and BECCY ROUTLEDGE

As many of us remember, whenever we would pester our parents about not being able to sleep, they would frequently tell us to just “count sheep.” Counting sheep has become harder than usual lately amid the anxieties posed by the global pandemic, and the isolation that comes along with it all. Animal therapy has become wildly popular in the past few years— many of my own friends have adopted cats to ease their stress in the past year. But lately, a new approach is on the rise: sheep therapy.

Sheep therapy has been particularly popular in farms across the UK and Ireland, where a static tourism industry is finding creative solutions while simultaneously easing the mental health of people across the globe. One farm in particular near Loch Lomond, Scotland, is home to Beccy Routledge and her fluffy flock of Herdwick sheep: Hamish, Dougal, and Lochie. She is now offering online guided meditation sessions with her sheep via Zoom through AirBnB, called “Guided Meditation with Sleepy Sheep.” Beccy answered her end of the Zoom call from the picturesque highlands of Scotland— with her sheep, of course. The stunning landscape certainly brightened my gray Boston morning. “I’ve lived on the farm for nearly five years, kept sheep for three. I initially got sheep because I had a field that needed eating, so I got them as lawnmowers. I had no idea they’d be full of personality and character,” explained Routledge. “Their intelligence level is the same as primates, and their facial recognition is as good as humans.”

The sheep have played a role in Routledge’s AirBNB experience since before the pandemic, although their new therapeutic role was born of isolation. They were initially a part of what she called “Tea with Naughty Sheep,” because the sheep loved to escape and come meet the guests. “I noticed that my guests were so immersed in the world of sheep because they saw them up close, that they were getting a sort of

mindful reminder,” said Routledge, stroking a member of her small flock. “They were out in nature getting glorious views of Scotland, with no traffic noise, only birdsong.”

The outdoors is something that many long for in the era of COVID-19. Especially here in the U.S., where pandemic restriction decisions were left up to each state— in some areas, leaving home is like stepping into a virus minefield. Many are longing to travel. “I designed the sheep experience as being very therapeutic. There’s this anxiety all over the world, and this helps people feel like they’re not trapped anymore. It draws people in. I would use these sheep visuals to create a happy place to which people can return,” said Routledge. “I’ve designed various therapeutic techniques, and the sheep love the meditation–– they do it with the guests. Having that interaction with someone in another country and animals in Scotland helps people feel less trapped. It’s long-term, not just in the moment.”

Routledge’s daughter Rivkah is a yoga instructor, who helped formulate the meditation experience on the farm. “My daughter was also living under lockdown, and she is a yoga instructor, and she designs and writes meditation concepts, so it just made sense,” explained Routledge. The experience has also saved the farm from a nationwide tourism shutdown. “Doing this has saved me financially, because tourism shut down. I had just gotten started on a new cottage right when lockdown started, and I would have lost a lot of money. People that come are supporting my small business.”

But the sheep are much more than just a wooly tourism attraction to Beccy Routledge. “I

adopted them at two weeks old; I’m their foster mum. I have struggled with the rollercoaster that has been the past year, but I can always just come to the barn and sit with the sheep,” she said. She pans the camera over to one of the sheep as he looks out onto the sprawling emerald pastures of the property.

“Here’s a bit of Scotland!” Routledge says with a laugh, flipping her camera and panning over the landscape. It reminds me of a trip I took to rural England nearly six years ago, with so much land and so much history. Only this time, I’m seeing it all from my dorm room. “It’s amazing that I have people all over the world united looking at some sheep having a giggle, which is rather lovely,” said Routledge.

Sheep have also been gaining traction among one of the most powerful forces to date: Generation Z on TikTok. Will Youngs, a farmer in the UK, began making TikToks with the sheep at his family farm, quickly going viral. He follows many TikTok dance trends with his lambs, including the Toxic x Love Shack dance, and the Best Friends challenge. He frequently makes videos with Rufus, a grumpy sheep who doesn’t often give him the time of day, instead opting for munching on grass.

Through his videos, it’s clear that, much like Routledge’s Herdwick flock, the sheep have unique personalities and offer companionship in a time of isolation. By now, you might be asking, why sheep? Here’s one possible reason.

Some might just see sheep as calming animals, given the old “counting sheep” adage. It all goes back to medieval England. Many shepherds practiced communal grazing, and had to keep a close headcount of their sheep before they went to sleep. However, a chapter in Disciplina Clericalis, a 12th-century book of fables, suggests that this cultural phenomenon existed even earlier, in Islamic culture. Ironically, counting imaginary sheep does nothing to ease the mind, according to a 2002 Oxford study. But relaxing with real-life sheep seems to do just the trick.

Good sleep is essential for good dreams— and in an age of global anxiety, it may be harder than it looks. Healthline reported that oftentimes, nightmares are the side effects of stress and anxiety. And perhaps even more common are no dreams at all, due to the difficulty of reaching deep sleep. Deep sleep is categorized as REM, or Rapid Eye Movement. This stage is home to the dreams we tend to forget when we wake up. However, most of the time it just means that you’re getting proper rest. Stress and anxiety diminish our ability to rest properly.

Amid the isolation that comes with lockdown orders across the globe, yoga and meditation, especially when accompanied by Hamish, Dougal, and Lochie, offers a safe, at-home way of blowing off some steam. Meditation has been proven to quiet the mind and reduce insomnia, something we all need after long days of Zoom calls and a lack of fresh air.

So the next time you’re feeling cooped up or antsy, phone into the Scottish highlands, take in the sights and sounds, and drift peacefully away from the world.