The Military Secret to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes

As human beings we need adequate sleep, a proper sleep routine helps to protect the body against various illnesses. Sleep alone cannot provide you with optimum health but it certainly does help. Without a decent amount of sleep, we deplete the body of human growth hormone which is vital for every cell in the human body.

An adequate amount of sleep is around 7-8 hours per night. According to Dr. Johanne Blais good sleep helps to boost the immune system, reduce stress and facilitate recovery from illness.

RELATED: Sleep Deprivation Effects

In this article, we are going to outline the military secret to help you fall asleep in two minutes.

Negative Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Professor Charles Czeisler of Harvard Medical School states that sleep deprivation can have a negative effect on the body. If a person does not sleep for 24-hours, it equates to a 0.1% alcohol blood level. Here are some of the risks associated with lack of sleep:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Low immunity
• Obesity
• Low attention span
• Increased risk of accidents due to reduced reactivity

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation can cause some of the following symptoms:

• Yawning
• Low mood
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Difficulty grasping concepts
• Memory loss
• Brain fog
• Lack of motivation
• Clumsiness
• Carbohydrate cravings
• Low sex drive

Improving Sleep

There are various ways of improving sleep however, the military has a highly effective method to help you get to sleep faster. Learning how to get to sleep with minimal effort will decrease the risk of sleep deprivation.

This effective sleep method was created for soldiers to help them get more sleep. The idea behind it is to create a state of total relaxation, this is how it works.

RELATED: Why Sleep Is More Important Than Diet

The whole point of this method is to relax your body, in order to relax your body, you need to do the following things:

1. Release your facial muscles, your jaw, tongue, cheeks etc.
2. Now start releasing your shoulders, let them drop down, relax them fully and remove any tension from your shoulders and neck. Then continue on by relaxing your arms.
3. Breathe in slowly, breathe out slowly, remove all the tension from your chest and limbs. Allow your whole body to relax.
4. You need to remove all negative thoughts from your mind, fill your mind with positive thoughts and scenes. Be very focused and intentional with your breathing. Breathe in and out slowly and release all negative emotions and fear.
5. Tell yourself “Do not think” over and over again, repeat it about 10 times to remove negative thoughts and to remind yourself not to overthink. Overthinking is one of the number one reasons why people suffer from lack of sleep.

Releasing all negative emotions can be difficult, one of the best ways of facilitating this is by replacing negative thoughts with beautiful scenes or imagery in your mind:

• Think about relaxing on a beautiful beach staring at the crystal-clear waters and enjoying the beautiful scenery.
• Imagine yourself walking through a beautiful park full of plush greenery and delightful, picturesque scenes.
• Picture an amazing waterfall, a sparkling blue ocean, an amazing array of glorious scenes.

Use this imagery when negative thoughts begin to penetrate your mind.

More Information About Falling Asleep Faster

Here are some additional things you can do to fall asleep faster:

• Switch off all devices an hour before you go to bed
• Have a warm shower or bath
• Get some fresh air, take a long stroll an hour before bed
• Write in your journal to release pent up emotions before you lie down
• Listen to calming music
• Read a positive book
• Do some light exercise
• Drink some soothing tea before you sleep, chamomile is a good choice
• Reduce the temperature in your room, wear less clothes especially in warmer climates
• Eat healthy foods during the day such as fruits, vegetables nuts and seeds

Sleep deprivation or insomnia can be extremely detrimental to the health. As mentioned in this article, inadequate sleep can lead to various illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.

RELATED: How To Turn Off Your Mind When You Are Too Stressed To Sleep

Therefore, it is crucial that you think carefully about your sleep habits. Evaluate how long it takes you to fall asleep each night, if you notice that your sleep pattern is erratic, try the military method.

Bear in mind that what works for someone else might not necessarily work for you therefore, it is important to find out what works best for you.

Create a personalized sleep routine and monitor the results. For example, every night take a long, warm shower, read a book and switch your devices off an hour before you sleep.

Make sure you eat healthy foods throughout the day and consider taking in some light exercise such as walking before you go to bed.

Once you establish an efficient sleep routine, you should notice some difference in your sleep pattern.

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