YOU’VE tried counting sheep and even picturing your happy place in your mind.
But no matter what, your brain just won’t switch off and let you drift peacefully into the land of nod.
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Worst of all, the next day you can’t concentrate and keep making mistakes.
It was something the US Army realised was affecting fighter pilots in the Second World War.
Their stress and fatigue was building up so much due to sleeplessness that they were making terrible, avoidable decisions.
Even when they clocked off, they couldn’t relax and get to sleep.
So, the US Navy Pre-Flight School came up with a scientific method to fall asleep day or night, in any conditions, in under two minutes.
The technique, revealed in a book titled ‘Relax and Win: Championship Performance’, was said to work for 96 per cent of pilots after just six weeks of practice – even after drinking coffee, with machine gunfire being played in the background.
In training, the pilots were taught to fall asleep upright in a chair, their feet flat on the floor and their hands limp against their laps.
So, if you fancy trying it out in bed – where you can stretch all you want – means you’ve already got a head start. Here’s how it works…
Relax your face
Once you’re in position the key is to focus on the face – think of it as the epicentre of your emotions.
Start by closing your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply.
Then relax all 43 muscles in your face – don’t squint or frown – let everything go loose.
Breathe out and feel your cheeks, mouth, tongue and jaw relax.
Try and focus on relaxing your eyes by letting them fall deep into their sockets – when these go limp it sends a signal to the rest of your body that it’s time to unwind.
Drop your shoulders
Next step is to drop your shoulder as low as they’ll go, as if they’re floating down your body.
You should feel the back of your neck loosen too.
Then, it’s time to relax your arms, starting with your dominant side.
If you’re right-handed, focus on relaxing your right bicep – if it won’t, tense it first then let it go loose.
Then move to the forearm, thinking about letting that relax, before doing the same with your hand and fingers.
Repeat the same process on the other side.
Loosen your legs
Your upper body should be nice and limp – like it’s sinking into you – so it’s time to turn to the lower half.
Starting with your right thigh, tell the muscle to sink like a dead weight, followed by the calf muscles.
Follow the same technique with your ankle and foot and you should feel your leg relax.
Work through the process on the left leg – going through the thigh, to the calf and down to the foot.
Every muscle in your body, from your face to your toes, should now be relaxed.
Clear your mind
The last step is to completely clear your mind for 10 seconds.
Don’t think about what went wrong that day, or what time you need to get up.
These types of thoughts involve movement and just thinking about them is enough to make your muscles involuntarily contract.
Instead, keep your mind still by focusing on a static image in your head.
One trick is to imagine you are lying on a couch in a pitch black room and hold that image for 10 seconds.
If that doesn’t work, you can try saying the words “don’t think” repeatedly for the duration.
This should clear out any thoughts that stop your brain from wandering.
