How Are You Sleeping?

It’s midnight and you have to wake up early but you can’t seem to shut your brain off. You check your phone, check the clock, scroll through Facebook, and mentally cycle through your to-do list over and over. Before you know it, the alarm sounds and after you do the math, you realize you barely got 3 hours of shut eye. Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Roughly 60 million Americans are affected by a sleep disorder each year.

If you have struggled to get enough sleep at night, it’s likely that you’ve heard things like ‘drink less caffeine’, ‘practice mindfulness and meditation’, ‘keep a journal next to your bed’, ‘drink tea’, ‘don’t look at your phone’, and the list goes on... These strategies are all good and when practiced, they work. The problem is, we don’t practice them.

What if there was an easier way to fall asleep? And what if this new strategy only took you 120 seconds to do.

This simple method might sound too good to be true, but it’s been approved by the U.S. Military and when practiced for 6 weeks, has a 96% success rate.

How To Fall Asleep in Just 2 Minutes

1. Relax the muscles in your face (jaw, tongue, forehead, eyes)
2. Drop your shoulders as low as they’ll go (relax one arm at a time)
3. Exhale and relax your chest
4. Relax your legs (starting with your thighs then your calves)

After you have relaxed your body, relax the mind trying the ideas below:

1. Imagine yourself lying in a canoe, on a calm lake, with a blue sky above
2. Envision yourself snuggled in a black velvet hammock in a dark room
3. Repeat, “don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” over for 10 seconds

What’s There To Lose?

If you’re one of the 60 million Americans experiencing sleepless nights, dedicate just 2 minutes to trying this method. If it helps, write down the steps above and keep it next to your bed. Remember to be patient and flexible; as with most things related to health, finding what works best for you is the most important!