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Simple five-step trick US army soldiers use will have you sleeping ‘anywhere, anytime’
US army soldiers use a simple 5-step military method to help fall them asleep anywhere, anytime in just a few minutes, and you can too.
Around 15% of Americans have issues falling asleep once nice and cozy in bed, with 28% saying that they have trouble staying asleep through the night. If you are struggling with falling asleep quickly, whether it be because of stress at work or school, theres a simple 5-step method that US military personnel often use to help drift off anywhere, anytime.
5-step military method to fall asleep in two minutes
The 5-step technique that many US military personnel are taught during basic training is known as the military method’ and can send you off to sleep in as little as two minutes.
The crux of the technique is that you consciously relax every part of your body in turn, one after the other, starting from the top of your head and working your way down to your toes allowing yourself to sink into your bed to the point that your body naturally takes over the process.
This technique was first described in a 1981 book called Relax and Win: Championship Performance, developed by US army chiefs as a way to tackle their soldiers becoming too tired and exhausted due to lack of sleep.
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As Dr Brian Koo, a physician at Yale Medicine explains, Asking a person to focus on their body and distract themselves from thinking about other things is an effective way to promote sleep.
To complete the 5-step sleeping technique, you need to do the following:
- Breathe deeply: Start by closing your eyes and focus on your breathing pattern, take long inhales, and hold that breath for between four and seven seconds, before long exhales.
- Relax your face: One by one, slowly relax the muscles in your face from your forehead, down to the eyes, cheeks, mouth, jaw, and tongue to alleviate tension.
- Drop your shoulders and arms: Continue relaxing each part of your body one at a time from the neck to the shoulders, then down each arm, bicep, forearm, hand, and fingers. Remember the breathing patterns as you do this.
- Relax your abdomen and legs: Focus on relaxing your chest, then abdomen, and pelvis, before continuing down each leg; thigh, knee, calf, and feet. Some people have reported that imagining a warm sensation working its way down each leg can also help.
- Clear your mind: Once each part of your body has been relaxed in turn, focus on emptying your mind. Some people like to imagine themselves in peaceful places, but even repeating Dont think to yourself has been said to have similar effects.
People who might use this method should remember that this isn’t an instant trick; it’s something you practice and hone over many weeks.
In fact, according to Glamour Magazine, after six weeks of practicing the technique every night, around 96% of people reported better sleeping habits.
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CDC’s 14-point plan for improving your sleeping patterns
As you continue to master the military method to fall asleep, it’s important that you keep up that motivation to reduce your ‘sleep debt’ through other means too.
Whilst herbal teas and remedies might be a common course of action for many households, the CDC and American Academy of Sleep Medicine offer 14 helpful tips to help support better sleep patterns:
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule, getting up at the same time every day – even on weekends or vacations.
- Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
- Dont go to bed unless you are sleepy.
- Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, one that avoids typically stressful triggers.
- Use your bed only for sleep and intimacy purposes.
- Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing, maintaining a comfortable, cool temperature.
- Limit the amount of bright light in the evenings.
- Turn off phones, tablets, and TVs around 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Avoid eating large meals before bedtime, only eating a light healthy snack if you are hungry.
- Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
- Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
- Avoid drinking alcohol before bedtime.
- Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.
- If you cant fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed and do a quiet activity without major light exposure.
Hopefully, with this helpful advice and a new military-grade technique at your disposal, youll find it much easier to fall asleep on an evening.
