Author Topic: Military Sleep technique  (Read 2209 times)

Military Sleep technique
« on: 14 July, 2021, 07:05:32 pm »
Guaranteed to get you to sleep apparently

1. Relax your entire face, including all the muscles and your tongue, from your jaw to inside your mouth. It can be easier to tense them all up first and then let go.
2. Drop your shoulders to release any tension and allow your hands to drop to the side of your body.
3. Exhale, relaxing your chest and focusing on the breath. Also allow your legs, thighs and calves to relax in the process, letting gravity pull them down naturally.
4. Clear your mind for ten seconds, imagining a relaxing scene. If this doesn’t work, try saying the words “don’t think” over and over for 10 seconds.
5. Within ten seconds, you should fall asleep, but it may take up to two minutes when you first start practicing.


The technique, which was designed to help soldiers fall asleep quickly in any situation to help minimise the risk of mistakes made on the job, puts the emphasis on helping to alleviate muscle tension and unwind the body which in turn helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, that is responsible for our rest and recover mode.

Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #1 on: 14 July, 2021, 07:20:19 pm »
This is all very well, but not so easy when you are trying to ignore the soft hoots of grizzly old men, and the inevitable twat who switches the dorm light on and rustles around in a plastic bag for 20 minutes.

Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #2 on: 14 July, 2021, 07:37:28 pm »
Having first schlepped across the dorm to his place - in cleats.

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #3 on: 14 July, 2021, 08:19:18 pm »
You mean earplugs are not a standard item in your audax kit? And the AUK buff makes a fair sleeping mask  :)

But I don't need military or any other sleep "technique" to fall asleep during an audax anyway  ;D (worth trying at home though)

Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #4 on: 14 July, 2021, 08:28:54 pm »
Guaranteed to get you to sleep apparently

1. Relax your entire face, including all the muscles and your tongue, from your jaw to inside your mouth. It can be easier to tense them all up first and then let go.
2. Drop your shoulders to release any tension and allow your hands to drop to the side of your body.
3. Exhale, relaxing your chest and focusing on the breath. Also allow your legs, thighs and calves to relax in the process, letting gravity pull them down naturally.
4. Clear your mind for ten seconds, imagining a relaxing scene. If this doesn’t work, try saying the words “don’t think” over and over for 10 seconds.
5. Within ten seconds, you should fall asleep, but it may take up to two minutes when you first start practicing.
This assumes you always sleep on your back?

Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #5 on: 14 July, 2021, 09:05:19 pm »
As a kid, I always had trouble sleeping when something big would happen the next day. My mom always advised step 1 to get me to relax (actually she told me to relax my entire body. including the face). The next step, which I still follow, is to tell myself that sleep is not that important, the fact that you're lying down means that you're resting and that counts just as much as sleep. Bullshit, of course. But it helps me to sleep.

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #6 on: 14 July, 2021, 10:51:34 pm »
I can report that it works but best not practiced during a lecture on “Doctrine of Air Power” ;D despite the title seemingly rendering the technique momentarily redundant it did provide me with an awkward moment…

Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #7 on: 15 July, 2021, 07:35:43 am »
I can report that it works but best not practiced during a lecture on “Doctrine of Air Power” :-D despite the title seemingly rendering the technique momentarily redundant it did provide me with an awkward moment…
Giving or receiving the lecture? :-D

frankly frankie

  • I kid you not
    • Fuchsiaphile
Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #8 on: 15 July, 2021, 10:09:25 am »
4. Clear your mind for ten seconds, imagining a relaxing scene. If this doesn’t work, try saying the words “don’t think” over and over for 10 seconds.

 ;D  ::-)  ;D
when you're dead you're done, so let the good times roll

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #9 on: 15 July, 2021, 11:06:03 am »
I can report that it works but best not practiced during a lecture on “Doctrine of Air Power” :-D despite the title seemingly rendering the technique momentarily redundant it did provide me with an awkward moment…
Giving or receiving the lecture? :-D

As I recall the conversation went something like this:

Instructor: “we’re you asleep?”

Me: “No ma’m”

“Then what did I just say?”

At this point my flight seated around me were frantically gesturing me to shut up whilst I was still ahead, or at least not so far behind. I chose to ignore and managed to perfect relate the example she had given 10 minutes earlier. Cue an evening of pointless marching round the parade square.

Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #10 on: 15 July, 2021, 02:50:29 pm »
day three or four of LEL 2013, a very full sleep stop, two truly epic snorers and the fella in the next bed was a heavy breather for England, I thought it was impossible to sleep, two forgotten ear plugs were in my bag, I barely got them in before I was out like a light, it helps to be proper tired.

Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #11 on: 16 July, 2021, 05:05:29 pm »
Guaranteed to get you to sleep apparently

1. Relax your entire face, including all the muscles and your tongue, from your jaw to inside your mouth. It can be easier to tense them all up first and then let go.
2. Drop your shoulders to release any tension and allow your hands to drop to the side of your body.
3. Exhale, relaxing your chest and focusing on the breath. Also allow your legs, thighs and calves to relax in the process, letting gravity pull them down naturally.
4. Clear your mind for ten seconds, imagining a relaxing scene. If this doesn’t work, try saying the words “don’t think” over and over for 10 seconds.
5. Within ten seconds, you should fall asleep, but it may take up to two minutes when you first start practicing.

The technique, which was designed to help soldiers fall asleep quickly in any situation to help minimise the risk of mistakes made on the job, puts the emphasis on helping to alleviate muscle tension and unwind the body which in turn helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, that is responsible for our rest and recover mode.
How was it for you, Phil, when you tried it out?
Who is/was the guarantor? I'll be guessing an American and you've been fiddling with that 'tnet thing of yours again.
Personally I navigate in my mind round the last 600 but never make it to the arrivee. This does require that the rider actually navigated as opposed to just following the pink line and obeying commands before not missing a turn.

Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #12 on: 16 July, 2021, 05:44:38 pm »
To be honest when I take a nap on an audax it’s usually because I have started to get the dozies.  As long as I have something reasonably comfortable under me and support for my head. I am good to sleep.

Re: Military Sleep technique
« Reply #13 on: 16 July, 2021, 06:48:04 pm »
Similar.  I usually used my bar bag as a pillow, in order to protect my wallet/keys/phone/etc, and stuck a leg through the bike frame for additional security.

I have lost count of how many parks I have slept in while normal people had picnics and family days out.