Military trick to fall asleep in 2 minutes goes viral on TikTok
There is nothing worse than heading to bed knowing that if you fall asleep right away you'll get your glorious 8 hours of sleep, only to find yourself staring at the ceiling for the next 40-odd minutes.
So if snuggling into bed and closing your eyes alone isn't enough to get you nodding off, then this sleep trick going viral on TikTok might be just what you've been asking for.
Fitness coach Justin Agustin shared the sleep hack, a technique originally developed by the military, on his TikTok account, calling it "mind-blowing".
"This technique was developed in the military to allow soldiers to fall asleep at any time, any place, even on the battlefield when the environment is extremely uncomfortable and there's a lot of noise happening — sleep for a soldier is crucial," he explained in the video.
How to use the 2-minute sleep hack
Much like meditation and yoga, this technique all comes down to how you relax your mind and body.
"Start by relaxing the muscles in your forehead," Justin said.
"Relax your eyes, your cheeks, your jaw and focus on your breathing. Now go down to your neck and your shoulders.
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Your shoulders shouldn't be tensed, and your arms should be loosely by your side.
"Now, take a deep breath and slowly exhale, relaxing your chest, your stomach, down to your thighs, knees, legs and feet," he adds.
The key is to imagine warmth spreading through your body from your head to your toe. And then it all comes down to quieting the mind.
Justin suggests two scenarios: "One — you're lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you. Two — you're lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch black room."
And if you get distracted, repeat the words "don't think, don't think, don't think" for 10 seconds.
"You're supposed to practice every night for six weeks," Justin concludes, adding that "96 per cent of people who master this technique are able to fall asleep within two minutes of closing their eyes".
Given that it takes the average adult 10-12 minutes to fall asleep - and that's without any additional barriers like say 95% humidity! - it's no surprise the sleep hack went viral with Justin's video getting over 4.6M views.
"Trying this tonight," one follower commented.
"This works perfectly every time," another person wrote.
"My doctor taught me this technique with slight variations when I had insomnia due to PTSD," another wrote. "Trust me it works 100 per cent once you get it down."
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