When you're tired, falling asleep can be as easy as putting your head on the pillow, but factors like stress, caffeine and screen time can often leave us tossing and turning.
Some people are unlucky enough to suffer from insomnia - chronic issues with sleeping patterns which often make it difficult to have a regular decent kip.
But a new technique for falling asleep in just two minutes is doing the rounds on social media - with those who practice it adamant it can get even the worst insomniac to snooze soundly.
This method has been tried and tested by the US army over the years and the viral hack claims to get you to nod off in just two minutes. Glamour magazine reports the method has shown to work in stressful environments like war zones and if it can work there - it should prove effective for people living less-intense everyday lives.
According to research, more than seven in 10 adults do not get the recommended seven to nine hours’ sleep a night, which may explain why the military sleep method has exploded online.
The technique is explained in the 1981 book "Relax and Win: Championship Performance" . It was developed to deal with the issue of exhausted soldiers being too stressed or alert to sleep - and those who use it swear by it, reports Wales Online.
So, how does it work? Firstly, you should know that it is similar to a body scan in which you relax your body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. You start by relaxing your face muscles, tongue, jaw and the muscles around the eyes.
Next, lower your shoulders as far down as they’ll go, then do the same with your upper and lower arm, one side at a time. Finally, exhale and relax your chest, then move down to your legs, starting from the thighs all the way down to your toes.
Apparently, after six weeks of practice, this works for 96 per cent of people who try the technique, who have taken to social media to share their thoughts.
One TikTok commentator said: “I'm a military brat and was taught this. I also had a veteran as a psychology teacher in college who taught this. It definitely works”. Another said: “My doctor taught me this technique with slight variations when I had insomnia due to PTSD. Trust me it works 100% once you get it down.”
Twitter user @Jontafkasi even said it may have cured his four decades of insomnia. “Hmm, might be a bit early to get excited but after 40 odd years of insomnia, I got a half decent sleep last night. I'll be impressed (and a little annoyed) if it was that simple.
While another said: “I never have trouble going to sleep but usually wake up in the early hours and that's when I struggle. Normally at that stage I would toss and turn for ages but this technique stopped all that and allowed me to get back to sleep quite quickly.
"It's taken a few weeks of practice but touch wood, seems to be helping.”
Inevitably, the reaction on social media has been varied. It ranges from those who have tried it and have for the first time in years managed to get some sound sleep, to sceptics who claim it didn't work for them — and contemptuous keyboard warriors who simply dismiss the method as bunkum.
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