Military Sleep Technique To Fall Asleep Fast: How To Do It The Right Way

What is The Military Sleep Technique?

The military sleep technique or the army method is a great physical and mental exercise that helps your brain switch off for the day. If practised correctly, it can help you sleep fast in 5 minutes and allow you to enjoy a night of deep & restful sleep. The base idea is to switch off muscle groups from the top one by one and then work your way to the bottom. In the next section we will look at how to implement it for best results and get sleep in under 2 mins.

It’s an army technique to fall asleep and hence the name military sleep technique. This military sleep technique combines breathing, mindfulness, visualisation, gratitude and somatic awareness so that you can put your mind and body to bed peacefully. 

This technique is popular for putting people with chronic sleeping issues or someone with sleep deprivation to recover from sleep debt and catch up on their sleep. So how can you practice this military method properly?

Let’s breakdown the steps for you:

How to practice the military sleep technique every night:

1. Get comfortable
2. Relax your body
3. To block out light, wear a sleep mask
4. Breathe deeply
5. Focus on happiness
6. Clear your mind

Get comfortable

Start by getting comfortable in your bed and around your room. Get under a blanket, make sure the room temperature is to your liking and you are lying down on your back, with your hands on the side with palms facing upwards. Try and remain as still as possible during the course of the military sleep technique practice. 

Relax your body

Slowly start to wiggle your toes and rest your hands. Feel your body become lighter and become aware of every sensation of discomfort or tightness present across. Once you’re comfortable, starting from your head all the way to your toes, relax and loosen your body! In case you notice any tightness, slowly make a note of it without stretching or moving it around.

To block out light, wear a sleep mask

Interestingly, eye masks were shown to be far more helpful than earplugs at helping soldiers fall asleep quickly.
Sleep masks are now included in packages supplied to soldiers to help them stay healthy and rested in military life, according to regular findings like this.

Breathe deeply

As you relax your belly and calves, breathe deeply for 2 minutes. Take deep breaths inhaling and exhaling for at least 10 seconds per breath. This will help settle your mind, stay in the present moment and slow down your breathing and heart rate. You can also try out breathing techniques such as:

1. 4-7-8 breathing
2. Box breathing
3. Buteyko breathing technique
4. Candle Breathing

Focus on happiness

The next step in the military method is to focus your mind on happy thoughts. This will put your mind in a state of joy and boost your mood. The thoughts and emotions you go to sleep with play a big role in the quality of your sleep. Once you have a happy thought in your mind, focus on it with intent and exhale through your mouth as you breathe deeply for 30 seconds. 

Clear your mind

The final step is when you clear your mind of any thoughts and fall asleep thanks to the military method. As you continue breathing, slowly relax your eyes and find your mind slowing down. Feel your eyes shutting down and find yourself becoming less and less aware of your surroundings as you drift into a deep and restful sleep. If any thoughts enter your mind, note it and let it go and shift your focus back to deep breathing.

How does the military sleep technique help you?

The military sleep technique is a proven method to help you sleep better. If you can practice it right, you’ll relax your mind & body, lower your heart rate and feel sleepy in minutes!

In order to improve your sleep, improve your lifestyle and food habits. Also, try to practice meditation and follow these good habits to overcome restless sleep and oversleeping every night. It can also help you sleep fast in 5 minutes and sleep better each night!

Evolve’s delightful sleep meditations help you switch off the day, repair stress overnight and improve your sleep quality every night! The Evolve app is now live globally on Android & Apple, click here to try for free!