No matter how you feel about it, there is no denying the fact that sleep is incredibly important for our emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing.
Of course, trying to get good sleep is easier said than done.
With just how busy our modern day-to-day lives are, it is hard to find the time to get enough sleep, let alone make sure it is a good one.
On top of that, with just how stressful our lives can be, it can feel like we take ages to fall asleep, which cuts into our sleep time.
As you can imagine, this only makes our stress worse! It’s a never-ending cycle.
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And when you work for organizations like the military, this lack of sleep goes from debilitating to potentially catastrophic.
As part of the military, operating through sleep deprivation already a given, with some soldiers considering having four hours of sleep a night a luxury.
As a result, the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School has developed a science-backed method of sleeping within two minutes, regardless of time or sleeping condition.
Considering it has a success rate of 96%, there isn’t any harm in trying it, right?
1. Relax Your Face
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Just about anyone can tell you that the most comfortable position to sleep in is lying down flat.
Unsurprisingly, members of the military must always assume they do not have this sort of luxury and are trained to be able to fall asleep sleeping upright.
To do this, you should first close your eyes, then relax all 43 muscles in your face.
This includes your jaw, the muscles around your eye sockets, and your tongue.
2. Next, Your Upper Body
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After your face has been relaxed, breathe out any remaining tension you may still have.
The next step then is to allow your shoulders to drop and your arms to go limp, dominant side first.
Work your way down your arm, from your bicep to your forearms, then to your hands and finally your fingers. Repeat this for the other side.
The goal is to feel like you are sinking into yourself – if you fail the first time, tense up and try again.
3. After That, Your Legs
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The focus should now be on your lower body. The instructions for your legs and feet are similar to the previous set of instructions.
Work your way down, starting from the thighs. It should then be followed by your calves, then finally your ankles and feet.
If you did this correctly, by this point your entire body should be completely relaxed.
4. Relax Your Thoughts
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For many people, this can be the hardest part. What you need to do now is to completely still and quieten your mind.
Take about 10 seconds to forget about any worries or anxieties you have and clear your mind.
Skipping this step will risk involuntary muscle contracting, which will render all the hard work you did before completely moot.
If you have successfully followed all these steps, you’ll find yourself drifting off to sleep in no time!