Stacey Solomon gets tips and advice from sleep expert
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Millions of people have trouble getting to sleep. Though most people can adapt to short-term sleep deprivation, the longer the problem persists the greater the issues it may pose. In fact, A lack of sleep can cause several health conditions, as well as premature ageing. Fortunately, some hacks may help individuals nod off even in settings that are not conducive to sleep.
Fitness expert Justin Agustin recently took to TikTok to break down a method devised by the military to help soldiers nod off in harsh conditions.
Agustin explained: “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.”
According to the Sleep Foundation, members of the military often have inconsistent schedules and less-than-optimal sleep conditions, affecting their sleep patterns.
“The military method is a technique developed to help soldiers achieve sleep in two minutes,” it adds.
The process, which includes several steps, starts with assuming a comfortable position and relaxing each part of the face, including the eyelids, jaw, lips and brows.
Allow your arms to rest at your sides, dropping your shoulders first, while taking deep breaths to relax your chest.
You then want to start relaxing your lower half, working your way from your hips down through each part of your left to your feet.
The final step involves visualising, and Agustin recommends thinking of two specific scenarios.
He explained: “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.
“At any time when you start thinking of anything else or you start getting distracted, repeat these words for 10 seconds: ‘Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think’.”
The fitness expert recommends doing the practice every night for six weeks to see a real difference.
He added: “Apparently, 96 percent of people who mastered this technique are actually able to fall asleep within two minutes of shutting their eyes.”
In 2012, in the book Relax and Win: Championship Performance, Lloyd Bud Winter explained that the sleep routine was designed by the Navy Pre-flight school to help pilots fall asleep quickly.
Fighter pilots have a greater need for sleep because they need 100 percent of their reflexes and focus, the author of the book explained.
Other ways to overcome bad sleep
Severe conditions can chronically affect a person’s ability to fall asleep, however, there are several ways to overcome these issues.
In fact, more than 50 percent of insomnia cases can be attributed to underlying psychological conditions like depression, anxiety or grief.
Raising the legs slightly during sleep can improve blood circulation, which is important for improving the quality of sleep.
Another technique includes using two fingers to the pulse point on the wrists and applying a circular motion.
Massage therapist Michelle Britto, Told Fox 5: “There are different pressure points connected to different organ systems in the body, that relaxes the body.
“So the pressure points that’s in the first when you press that – it kind of calms the sense throughout the body.”
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