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If, even with perfect sleeping conditions – a dark room, electronics turned off and a comfortable bed – you still have trouble falling asleep quickly, it may be time to try a new approach. In today’s fast-paced world full of stress, anxiety and exhaustion, every proven method for falling asleep quickly and deeply comes in handy. And it’s precisely this problem that members of the U.S. military successfully dealt with, as they need to fall asleep even in demanding conditions.
In the 1981 book Relax and Win: Championship Performance you’ll find a simple four-step guide for relaxing both body and mind within two minutes and easily falling asleep. Learning these steps can help you not only with falling asleep but also whenever you need to quickly calm your mind and find immediate relief from stress.
Step 1: Relax the facial muscles
Start by lying comfortably on your back and taking a deep breath. Focus on relaxing all the muscles of the face – from the forehead, across the cheeks to the jaw. You will feel the skin loosen and the face calm down. Concentrate on relaxing the jaws until the lips are naturally parted. Move on to the eyes, the jaw and the muscles around the lips and imagine your whole cheeks „falling down“ into calm.
Step 2: Relax the shoulders and arms
With another deep breath push your shoulders downward and relax the neck muscles. Breathe rhythmically and with each exhale release tension until you feel calm and comfortable. Focus on the right arm – from the shoulder to the fingertips – and imagine all the stress and tension escaping from your arm. Repeat the same with the left arm until you feel a pleasant warmth and calm.
Step 3: Relax the legs
After relaxing the upper part of the body, move on to the legs. Work from the thighs through the calves to the ankles and toes. Remember to breathe slowly and regularly. If you feel tension in any part of the body, first gently tense the muscles and then release them. Imagine your body becoming heavier and completely relaxed.
Step 4: Calm the mind
Now that the body is relaxed, focus on your mind. Try to „turn off“ the stream of thoughts for a few seconds and imagine calming scenarios:
- Imagine rocking in a canoe on a calm lake, with only blue sky above you. Fully sink into this thought, sensing calm and well-being.
- Imagine lying in a comfortable hammock in the middle of a dark, quiet room. Let everything around you fall silent and focus on this moment of calm.
If thoughts distract you again, repeat in your mind a simple phrase like „don’t think, don’t think, don’t think“ for 10 seconds. Breathe slowly and calmly and gradually drift into sleep.
Benefits of the military sleep technique
The method is popular not only because it helps you fall asleep quickly, but it also assists in stressful situations when you need to calm down within a few minutes. Regular practice of this technique will teach you to relax in any environment and at any time. You will notice the first results within a few weeks.
Try this trick that improves sleep quality and helps overcome everyday stress!
