Struggling to fall asleep? Try an old military technique that's said to help you nod off in two minutes.
The method is outlined in Lloyd Bud Winter's 1981 book Relax and Win: Championship Performance, which has enjoyed a recent resurgence online.
It was apparently used by the American military service, which found a 96 per cent success rate after six weeks of practice with people reportedly falling asleep in two minutes or less, reports Joe.co.uk.
So how does it work? The method involves two main steps.
The first is to relax, and it should take about a minute and a half (which, FYI, isn't included in the two minutes to fall asleep) if you're doing it correctly.
- Start by relaxing the muscles in your face.
- Then drop your shoulders as low as they'll go, followed by your upper and lower arm on one side, and then the other.
- Breathe out and relax your chest. Then relax your legs (thighs first then calves).
After that, spend about 10 seconds trying to clear your mind. Then focus on one of these images/sayings:
- Lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you.
- Lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room.
- Saying “don't think, don't think, don't think” to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.
If all goes to plan, you should be drifting off about now.
Republished with permission of Stuff.co.nz. Article created in partnership with Over60.