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WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Use the Military Method to Fall

Asleep Within 2 Minutes,
Starting Tonight This technique
developed by the Navy to help pilots just
might help you fall asleep a lot faster.

BY JEFF HADEN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, INC.

@JEFF_HADEN

Getty Images

Getting more sleep

matters. One 2018 study found

that people who sleep for five to six hours

are 19 percent less productive than people

who regularly sleep for seven to eight

hours per night, and people who sleep for

less than five hours are nearly 30 percent

less productive.

Sure, they're awake longer. But they

actually get less done.

Article continues after video.

Maybe that's because other research shows

that only getting six hours of sleep makes

any task that requires focus, deep thinking,

or problem-solving a lot harder. In

fact, where attention and reaction time are

concerned, only sleeping six hours is like

drinking a couple of beers,

and only sleeping four hours is like

drinking five beers. Other research shows

that sleep deprivation makes completing

any activity that requires multiple steps --

meaning pretty much anything you try to

do -- much more difficult.

And, if that's not enough, another study

shows that lack of sleep causes increased

activity in your brain's reward centers

specific to food. Eating a poor diet causes a

lack of sleep, which unfortunately leads to

eating an even poorer diet. (Yay.)

So, yeah: Most people know they need

more sleep.

But what if you struggle to fall asleep?

Try a trick called the Military Method.

An Easy Way to Fall Asleep

Faster

In the 2012 book Relax and Win:

Championship Performance, Lloyd Bud

Winter describes a routine created by

the Navy Pre-Flight School to help pilots

fall asleep.

Six weeks later, 96 percent of the pilots

could fall asleep within two minutes or

less: while sitting in a chair, listening to a

recording of machine-gun fire, and after

drinking coffee.

Here's how:

1. Relax your entire face. Close

your eyes. Breathe slowly and

deeply. Then slowly relax all of

your face muscles. (If it helps,

start with your forehead muscles

and work your way down.) Relax

your jaw, your cheeks, your

mouth, your tongue, everything.

Including your eyes; let them go.

2. Drop your shoulders and

hands. Let go of any tension.

Relax your neck, your traps; feel

yourself sinking into the chair or

bed. Then start at the top of your

right arm, and slowly relax your

biceps, forearms, and hands.

Repeat on the other side. And

don't forget to keep

breathing slowly and deeply.

3. Exhale and relax your chest.

With your shoulders and arms

relaxed, that should be easy.

4. Relax your legs. Start with your

right thigh; let it sink into the

chair or bed. Then do the same

with your calf, ankle, and foot.

Repeat the process with your left

leg.

5. Now clear your mind. Granted,

it's hard to not think about

anything. (I end up thinking

about not thinking about

anything.) If that's you, try

holding an image in your mind.

Choose something relaxing.

Picture yourself lying

comfortably in darkness. But if

that doesn't work ...

6. Try repeating the words "Don't

think" for 10 seconds. If

nothing else, that should help

distract you from thinking about

whatever it is that might

otherwise keep you awake.

Keep in mind practice is the key.

The Military Method might not help you

get to sleep faster the first few times, but

the more consistently you use it, the better

you'll train yourself to relax. And let go.

Which, "trying" to fall asleep more quickly

or not, is how we all fall asleep.

So why not kick-start the process?

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FEB 28, 2022

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