While soldiers fight their battles on real battlefields, many of us out here in the peaceful world struggle with our own issues. Sleep deprivation is a very common problem that people experience nowadays due to stress, an imbalanced daily regimen, or emotional difficulties. Statistics show that up to 70 million people in the US suffer from a sleeping disorder. At this point, keeping your bedroom cool, dark and quiet doesn’t work anymore. Hard times require special actions.
We at Bright Side know that a good night’s sleep means a good life’s day and are excited to show you the US army’s trick to falling asleep safe and sound in less than 120 seconds.
The secret to fast relaxation and sleep was first described in the book, Relax and Win: Championship Performance in 1981. Yet only now has this theory and practice been extensively discussed and implemented by common people.
The technique is said to have been invented by hardcore army chiefs who were concerned about their soldiers’ performances. Tiredness and sleep deprivation led to mistakes that a good soldier shouldn’t have been making — they needed to be more alert. This method proved to be successful in 96% of the cases after 6 weeks of testing.
Here are the physical and mental steps you should take, spending approximately 1.5 minutes on them (not including those 120 seconds required to actually fall asleep).
Step 1
Relax your facial muscles, including your tongue, jaw, and the muscles around your eyes.
Step 2
Drop your shoulders as low as possible. Then relax your upper and lower arm on one side, and then the other.
Step 3
Breathe out and relax your chest. Then, relax your legs, up from the thighs and down to your lower legs.
Step 4
The previous steps are going to seem easy now as we’ve approached this one which consists of completely clearing out your mind.
After 10 seconds of relaxation, it’s time to let go. Lloyd Bud Winter, the author of the book, suggests envisioning 3 images that can help to wipe away your thoughts and block out everything else.
Image 1: lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you.
Image 2: being snuggled up in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room.
Image 3: saying, “don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” over and over again for 10 seconds.
Your central nervous system is the first thing to suffer and lag if you have sleeping problems for a long period of time. Other negative effects include weakened immunity, memory issues, high blood pressure, weight gain and much more. So why risk all this when you can try a new approach? There are really no excuses.
We hope this military technique with a creative twist will help you to finally get to sleep faster and for longer.
Have you tried it yet? We’d like to know about your experience and any other tips and tricks you know for a good night’s sleep!
Illustrated by Alena Sofronova for BrightSide.me
Source: BrightSide.me