Fall Asleep in Two Minutes with Military Tested Method

I'm not gonna lie to you. I LOVE SLEEPING! (Honestly, this picture above looks like an accurate photo of my cat, Peaches, and I.) I find it really hard after a long day, however, to get my body and my brain to the point of instantly following asleep. I had one of these days yesterday. Long day at work, my boyfriend is out of town, I have a million and one things to do in preparation for leaving to go on vacation next week. My. Head. Was. Spinning.

Then, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and came across this article from Simplemost. According to them, there's this secret sleeping method that members of the military use to fall asleep in TWO MINUTES!

This sleep method, which originated in the 1981 book “Relax and Win: Championship Performance in Whatever You Do” by Bud Winter, has been making the rounds on social media and national media lately as people continue to search for ways to take back their sleep. This technique combines muscle relaxation, visualization and deep breathing to help the body get ready to fall asleep quickly.

I figured it couldn't hurt to try it. So, what exactly needs to be done? Well first, according to the article, you have to start by sitting on the side of your bed with your feet dangling by the floor.

How To Fall Asleep Faster

1. Relax all the muscles in your head. This means unfurrow that brow, unclench that jaw and just let your face almost feel like it’s sliding down with gravity.
2. Relax the shoulders by letting them drop as far as they’ll go. Then, allow your arms to fall to your side.
3. Breath out, allowing your chest and legs to relax. Start from your thighs and consciously relax your legs from top to bottom. Your feet should feel like clay by the time you’re finished.
4. Spend 10 seconds clearing your mind. Then, try one of the following exercises:
   • Visualize yourself lying in a canoe on a calm lake. There is a clear, blue sky above you as you look up.
   • Visualize yourself lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room.
   • If visualizing isn’t your thing, spend some time repeating “Don’t think. Don’t think” for the 10 seconds to clear your mind.

After following these steps, you should be able to turn out the light and get into bed, ready to fall asleep in just a couple of minutes. Or, at least that's what the study says. I tried it, it was not as successful as I was hoping it would be. According to Simplemost, the study had participants in the Military doing this for six weeks - then it was successful.

Looks like I have a new bedtime routine. I'll let you know how it goes.

[h/t Simplemost]