Military Method For Falling Asleep In Two Minutes

A sleep-induction method developed by the U.S. military claims to have a 96% success rate after six weeks of consistent implementation.
Dr. Joseph Mercola,
Sleepin2minutes

Photo©Vladimir Efimov/123rf

An estimated 70 million American adults have a sleep disorder, the most common of which is insomnia1 — the inability to fall asleep, or waking up one or more times during the night. If you’re in this category, despair not, because the list of strategies to improve your sleep is long.

While most sleep problems are tied to lifestyle choices such as spending too much time indoors during daylight hours, and/or excessive use of technology and chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs), which will require you to make (perhaps significant) changes to your lifestyle, a number of tips and tricks can be useful in the short term.

A method developed by the U.S. military, revealed in the 1981 book, “Relax and Win: Championship Performance,” claims to have a 96% success rate after six weeks of consistent implementation.

Military Method Preps Your Body For Sleep

The method centers around preparing your mind and body for sleep by deeply relaxing for about two minutes. The following summary of the process was published in the Evening Standard:2

  1. Relax your whole face, including your tongue, jaw and the muscles around your eyes.
  2. Drop your shoulders and relax your arms.
  3. Relax your chest as you breathe out.
  4. Relax your legs, from your thighs to your feet.
  5. Relax and clear your mind, then picture yourself in one of the following scenarios:

a. You’re lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but blue sky above you
b. You’re snuggled in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room
c. Simply repeat “Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” for 10 seconds

21 Additional Strategies To Help You Fall Asleep Faster

I’ve written numerous articles over the years, detailing all sorts of tips and tricks to help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep. Medical News Today also published a list of “21 Ways to Fall Asleep Naturally,” which included the following:3

  1. Create a consistent sleeping pattern by going to bed and getting up at the same time throughout the week, including on weekends
  2. Make sure your bedroom is as dark as possible. If you don’t have blackout shades, use an eye mask
  3. Avoid taking naps during the day or too close to bedtime
  4. Exercise regularly
  5. Minimize cellphone use and use of other blue light-emitting devices
  6. Read a book to relax before bed
  7. Avoid caffeine and other stimulants at least four hours before bed
  8. Meditate or practice mindfulness on a daily basis
  9. “Count sheep” by slowly counting downward from 100 to zero
  10. Avoid eating at least three hours before bedtime
  11. Lower the temperature in your bedroom; an ideal temperature for sleeping is around 65 degrees F.
  12. Use aromatherapy; lavender is relaxing and may help induce sleep
  13. Find your most comfortable sleeping position. While the article suggests side sleeping, I would suggest you try sleeping in a neutral position — on your back with a pillow supporting your neck, not your head.
  14. Listen to relaxing music before bed.
  15. Don’t wait to use the bathroom; while it may seem distracting to get out of bed to pee, trying to hold it will simply disrupt your sleep later.
  16. Take a hot shower or bath before bed.
  17. Avoid e-books, as the blue light from the screen will impede melatonin release.
  18. Try a melatonin supplement. Another, perhaps even more effective alternative is 5-HTP, which is a precursor to both serotonin and melatonin. I believe this is a superior approach to using melatonin. In one study, an amino acid preparation containing both GABA (a calming neurotransmitter) and 5-HTP reduced time to fall asleep, increased the duration of sleep and improved sleep quality.4
  19. Invest in a comfortable mattress. To this, I would add the suggestion to look for a chemical-free mattress to avoid exposure to flame retardant chemicals.
  20. Minimize noise; use ear plugs if environmental noise is unavoidable.
  21. Avoid alcohol.

Lower the temperature in your bedroom; an ideal temperature for sleeping is around 65 degrees F.

Sleepincoolroom

 

Avoid Nighttime EMF To Improve Sleep Quality

While avoiding cellphones and other devices with electronic screens (including e-readers) is important to protect your melatonin production, another factor that can have a significant impact on your sleep quality is EMFs emitted from your home wiring.

There’s actually evidence showing EMF exposure reduces melatonin production5 just like blue light from cellphones, tablets and computers do, making it particularly important to eliminate EMFs in your bedroom.

EMF exposure also triggers neuronal changes that affect memory and your ability to learn,6 and harms your body’s mitochondria by producing excessive oxidative damage, so “marinating” in EMFs all night, every night, can cause or contribute to virtually any chronic ailment, including premature aging.

Sources and References

This article was brought to you by Dr. Joseph Mercola, a New York Times bestselling author. For more helpful articles, please visit Mercola.com.

Find holistic Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy Resources in the Spirit of Change online Alternative Health Directory.

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