Three step military method is fool proof way of falling asleep in minutes

This trusted way to fall asleep, dubbed the ‘military method’, promises you can master the art of falling asleep in just minutes.

All of that tossing and turning you find yourself doing at night, picking up your phone, and struggling to sleep is not only ruining your early mornings but also your overall health and wellbeing.

Lack of sleep, and a good deep sleep at that, instantly affects your brain cognition and how you function throughout the day, but the long-term results on your health can be even more damaging.

Dr Tiani, a sleep pyschologist, explained: « We’ve seen people work so hard to sleep and try so many ‘sleep hacks’ that it backfires. Because the pressure is so intense. You can even develop sleep anxiety, where you dread going to sleep night after night. »

With enough practice, following this simple three-step routine will offer you a quick fix to falling asleep – with enough practice. As most people take, on average, half an hour, sometimes longer, to finally find themselves fast off, this method could be the ultimate remedy, eventually taking that time down to a mere two minutes.

Step one

First and foremost, for an easy night’s sleep, the military method asks you to focus on relaxation, which requires you to simply lie down in bed, on your back. You need to gently close your eyes and actively focus on each area of your body, slowly shutting it down.

Begin with your head in mind, and go right down to your toes, slowly shutting down each tense muscle, relaxing your grip and your body. This means softening your jaw, releasing the tension from your shoulders, and letting your feet flop naturally where they want to.

If you feel you’re sucking your belly in, let it go and allow it to both rise and fall, keeping in time with your steady breath. Everything in your body should feel loose and relaxed if you’re wanting to fall asleep anytime soon.

Step two

This takes you onto your breathing as a whole – a key part in any sleep schedule. Now that you feel your body is more relaxed, you want to focus on your breathing patterns with the intention of deepening your breath.

Take a longer inhale and even longer exhale while lying there. By deepening your breath, you are allowing oxygen to flow with more freedom around your body, which helps to calm racing thoughts and keep your body in a calm state.

Step Three

Potentially the most vital part of the military method is the visualisation technique, using your brain to provide guided imagery to your sleep.

When your body is relaxed, with controlled breathing, it’s advised you try to picture a calming situation and immerse yourself in it. Whether it’s floating in the area, watching the waves crash on a beach, or swimming in a river, find a happy and peaceful place in your mind and stay there.

In order to allow for a quick route to sleep, you need to attempt to fully immerse yourself in that setting – visualise the sights, sounds, smells and tastes it has to offer. As your mind tries to wander and think of other tasks, worries or things you did that day, try your best to centre it back to that peaceful place.

When it comes to seeing just how useful this method actually is, those who are huge fans of the method believe if practised for up to six weeks, you can soon enough nod off in two minutes. Although, there is now a study to prove this is the case.

The doctor added an extra tip for an earlier night’s sleep, stating: « Only climb into bed when you are sleepy — not just tired, but truly sleepy. Think of that heavier feeling where it’s hard to keep your eyes open.

« We can’t necessarily pick an arbitrary time to force our body to generate sleep at night. It is better to go about your night, wait until you notice a feeling of sleepiness, and then act on it by heading to bed. »