How to fall asleep in 2 minutes...no seriously

Here’s something I’ve tried recently and found that it actually works.

Sleep has always been a source of some annoyance to me. I see it as a big part of my day wasted when I could otherwise be doing something interesting or productive. However, without it, our stem cells wouldn’t get some uninterrupted time to catch up on repairing the body and we’d all by in old age by the time we hit 50.

That’s not to mention the sense of dread we often feel about getting into bed and not being able to shut off the brain. That’s why I feel excited that this approach has proved so effective.

This solution was developed by military researchers. In the military, sleep is a major problem. When under persistent fire, soldiers don’t tend to sleep much. Because of this sleep deprivation, they often make very bad decisions, usually dangerous ones.

The US Navy pre-flight school studied the situation and developed a scientifically tested method to fall asleep. Even after drinking coffee, 96% of pilots could fall asleep in 2 minutes or less. This was even the case when sitting back in a chair.

Of course, when I first read this, I thought exactly what you’re thinking now: Right, give me a break! But, so far, it has worked for me every time I’ve remembered to try it (that’s every time I have trouble falling asleep).

So here are the steps…

1. Close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply. Relax your facial muscles first. There are 43 muscles in your face alone (6 alone control your eye sockets). Do not squint or frown. Relax completed and feel as loose as possible.

2. Let your shoulders relax. Let them sit as low as comfortable. Check the muscles in the back of your neck – THEY ARE KEY. Breathe in deeply, then exhale slowly blowing out all the tension in your neck muscles.

3. 3. Your arms are next. Relax the bicep on your dominant arm. If this is difficult, tense it up first, then allow it to relax. Move down your arm to your forearm and make it go limp. The next step is your hands. Let them sink into your legs. Then do the same for the other arm.

4. Your legs are next. Do all the muscles on your dominant side first all the way down to your toes. Your quads (the large muscles at the front of your thigh) are the strongest and leanest of all muscles in your body. Relax them totally, allowing your legs to sink into the ground. The hamstrings are the muscles at the back of your leg. Relax them next. Relax the tiny muscles in your ankle and foot as well. Do the same for your non-dominant leg muscles, all the way down to your toes.

5. Clear your mind. It’s hard to believe that telling your mind repeatedly for 10 seconds not to think would actually be effective. But it seems to be for many people. Once you are physically relaxed and your mind is still for at least 10 seconds, you’ll be asleep.

Give it a try! Let me

know if it’s been useful for you too.

#Habits