Insomnia has become a common problem among modern-day people. Insufficient sleep is well known to be detrimental to one’s health and work proficiency. Those who are prone to insomnia feel as though they have an ever-present shadow in their minds, and there is nothing they can do about it.
The U.S. Army’s 2-minute sleep technique for insomnia
Insomnia may not be as difficult to solve as some people think. Individuals who experience sleep issues may benefit from the “2-minute sleep technique” developed by the U.S. Army. Creating a daily habit of using the six simple steps in this technique will help you fall asleep in just 2 minutes!
The U.S. Army’s documentation shows that the 2-minute sleep technique has existed since 1981. Soldiers who suffered from poor-quality sleep often exhibited lowered performance levels and made heightened errors while on duty. This prompted the U.S. Army to devise a system to overcome this problem. So, the 2-minute duration to complete a 6-step method was created, which trained people to fall asleep quickly.
According to media reports, the U.S. Navy Pre-flight School had developed a scheme to combat sleep deprivation among the pilots. It successfully taught the trainee pilots how to fall into a deep, restful sleep quickly.
The report stated that 96 percent of pilots could fall asleep effortlessly during day and night shifts after six weeks of practice. This incidentally reduced the rates of accidents and poor work performance while on the job.
Six steps to sleep
The following six steps are designed for individuals who are constantly troubled by insomnia. Let’s explore this method!
- Shift your focus to the head and face. Feel your scalp and head relaxing, then the face muscles relaxing; move your awareness to your tongue, jaw, and the muscles around your eyes relaxing.
- Move your awareness to any tense shoulder muscles and relax them; move to relax the arms and then the back neck muscles.
- Take a deep breath in, and as you slowly exhale, relax the chest area, biceps, and forearms, then continue with this rhythmic slow breathing.
- As you relax your shoulders and arms, adjust your slow breathing by taking long, deep breaths and slowly exhaling. Consciously listen to every breath you inhale and exhale to help regulate your breathing.
- Now focus on relaxing your lower limbs, starting with the thighs, then moving to the calves and down to the toes.
- Now that the body feels relaxed and comfortable, empty your brain of any thought activity – take 10 seconds to open and calm your mind.
If you encounter random thoughts, just let them float away and don’t engage with them. Let your mind keep saying: Do not think, empty the mind; do not think, empty the mind; do not think, open the mind. Continue this for 10 seconds. This will stop other thoughts from interfering while you’re relaxing.
So tonight, turn off the light, lie down on the bed, and practice this routine until you master the ability to fall asleep in just a couple of minutes. Remember, routine practice is your key to success! Be kind to yourself and give it a try!
