Fall Asleep in Two Minutes Using a WWII Military Technique That Still Works Today

You can forget about counting sheep now. Getting to sleep often isn’t easy when you start to worry about how little rest you’re going to get. Unless you’re free of stress or worry, which seems improbable considering the current state of our world, you’ve spent at least one night of your life tossing and turning.

Doctors have suggested that getting between seven and nine hours a night is the best thing for our health. We start feeling cranky or worn down if we’re not getting enough sleep regularly. Most people know what it feels like to lie awake at 2 AM, staring at the ceiling, watching the clock tick closer to morning.

Traditional methods like counting sheep rarely work when your mind refuses to quiet down. Your brain cycles through tomorrow’s meetings, yesterday’s conversations, and every awkward thing you’ve ever said since middle school. Sound familiar?

Fighter Pilots Need Better Sleep Solutions

What if someone told you that a technique exists that can put you to sleep in just two minutes? Better yet, what if that same method was developed for fighter pilots during World War II and is still used by elite military forces today?

During WWII, the US Navy faced a serious problem. Fighter pilots weren’t getting enough rest, and their performance suffered as a result. Lives hung in the balance every time an exhausted pilot climbed into a cockpit. One wrong decision could mean losing an entire aircraft full of men or shooting down a plane from their own side.

Interestingly, sleep deprivation doesn’t initially affect your memory. Instead, it goes after high-level reasoning and verbal abilities. Your capacity to make decisions and communicate takes the hardest hit, which explains why the Navy became so concerned about their pilots’ rest patterns.

Meet Lloyd “Bud” Winter and His Game Plan

Lloyd “Bud” Winter, a track and field coach with Olympic credentials. Winter had built his reputation on teaching athletes how to relax under pressure. Military brass thought his methods might translate to helping pilots sleep better, even in war zones.

Winter accepted the challenge and developed a technique that would change how we think about falling asleep. He spent years refining his approach with Navy pilots before sharing it with the public in his 1981 book “Relax and Win: Championship Performance.”

His method applied the same relaxation principles he used with Olympic champions. If athletes could stay calm during competition, why couldn’t soldiers learn to sleep during combat?

Combat Zones Proved It Works

Military personnel who practiced Winter’s technique achieved remarkable results. After just six weeks of training, 96 percent of pilots could fall asleep in under two minutes. Even more impressive? Many of them could do it while sitting upright in chairs.

Soldiers tested the method in active war zones, falling asleep despite gunfire, loud noises, daylight, and uncomfortable quarters. SAS troops still use variations of the technique today. Fitness coach Justin Agustin brought the method back into public attention recently, sharing it with millions of people desperate for better sleep.

Six weeks of practice might sound like a long time, but consider what you’re getting. A skill that works in the worst possible conditions will work in your bedroom.

Face Muscles Hold the Secret

Here’s something you probably never considered. Your face contains 43 muscles, and each eye has six more. When you relax all of them, you send a powerful signal to your brain that it’s okay to sleep.

Your face acts as a control panel for your nervous system. Tension in your jaw tells your brain you’re alert and ready for action. A furrowed brow signals concentration or worry. Your brain reads these muscle patterns and adjusts your alertness levels accordingly.

Reversing the process works just as well. Relax every facial muscle, and your brain gets the message that danger has passed and rest is safe. Winter identified this as the most important part of his entire method.

Four Steps to Two Minute Sleep

Winter broke his technique down into four components. Follow them in order, and your body will feel like a lump of clay.

1. Find Your Spot

Get as comfortable as possible. A bed works best, but a chair or even your car will do. Remember, soldiers developed this skill in foxholes and cockpits. If they could make it work in combat zones, you can make it work in your home.

2. Soften Every Facial Feature

Start with your forehead and work down. Feel your scalp muscles release their grip. Let your temples go soft. Allow your eyebrows to rest without any lift or furrow. Release tension in your eyelids and feel the six muscles around each eye go slack.

Move to your cheeks and let them sag. Your mouth should fall open slightly as your jaw goes loose. Even your tongue should feel heavy and relaxed against the floor of your mouth. Take your time with each muscle group. Awareness matters as much as the actual relaxation.

3. Let Your Body Go Limp

Begin with your shoulders. Drop the left one first, then the right. Feel the weight of your neck pulling your spine toward whatever surface you’re on. Your upper body should feel heavy and anchored.

Move to your arms next. Start with your dominant hand. Release all tension in your forearms and biceps. Let your hand flop wherever it wants to fall. Repeat the process with your other arm.

Work through your torso and down to your legs. Focus on one leg at a time. Relax your buttocks and thighs. Let your knee go soft. Feel your calf muscles release their hold. Allow your feet to fall into whatever position feels natural. Complete the same sequence with your other leg.

Your entire body should feel like jelly. If you can still feel tension anywhere, go back and release it before moving forward.

4. Empty Your Mind

Winter provided three specific techniques for clearing your head. Choose whichever one works best for you.

Picture yourself lying in the bottom of a canoe on a calm lake. You’re looking up at a blue sky with lazy clouds drifting past. Hold this image for 10 seconds without letting any other thoughts intrude. Pay attention to the warmth of the sun and the gentle rocking of the water.

Alternatively, imagine you’re in a big, black, velvet hammock. Everywhere you look is black. Nothing else exists in your field of vision. Maintain this image for a full 10 seconds.

If visualization doesn’t work for you, try the verbal approach. Repeat “don’t think” to yourself for 10 seconds. Keep saying it over and over to block out any other thoughts trying to creep in.

When you combine a fully relaxed body with a mind that stays still for 10 seconds or more, you will fall asleep. Period.

When the Method Needs Backup

Even the military sleep technique has its limits. Several lifestyle factors can interfere with your ability to fall asleep, no matter how well you’ve mastered the relaxation steps.

Alcohol consumption affects sleep quality more than most people realize. Many sober individuals report that better sleep was one of the most significant benefits of giving up drinking. Alcohol might help you fall asleep faster, but it disrupts your sleep cycles throughout the night.

Caffeine timing plays a role, too. Having coffee after 3 PM can keep your nervous system activated well into the evening. If you’re serious about improving your sleep, consider cutting off caffeine consumption in the early afternoon.

Chronic stress and anxiety disorders can overpower even the best sleep techniques. If you’ve given the military method a fair shot and still struggle with insomnia, talking to a professional might be worth your time. Sometimes, underlying medical or psychological issues need treatment before any sleep technique can work properly.

Before you get too excited, understand that mastering this technique takes time. Winter himself said it could take up to six months to perfect the method. You won’t necessarily fall asleep in two minutes on your first try.

Some people nail it within a few weeks. Others need more practice, especially if they have overactive minds that resist quieting down. Start practicing tonight if you want to change your sleeping habits for good. Consistency matters more than immediate results.

Sleep Deprivation Costs More Than Energy

Poor sleep does more damage than making you feel tired. Your ability to reason through complex problems drops off first. Communication skills suffer next. You might find yourself struggling to find the right words or explain your thoughts clearly.

Decision making becomes harder when you’re running on empty. You take longer to process information and make more mistakes along the way. Quality rest isn’t just about feeling refreshed. It’s about maintaining the cognitive functions that make you effective at work and in your personal life.

Life feels better when you’re well rested. You have more patience with people. Tasks that seemed overwhelming become manageable. Your mood improves, and your relationships benefit from it.

Why Military Grade Rest Matters Now

Modern life creates stress levels that rival wartime conditions. We might not face enemy fire, but we deal with constant connectivity, information overload, and economic uncertainty. Our nervous systems stay activated at levels humans never evolved to handle.

Sleep remains one of the most misunderstood sciences, but we know enough to recognize its importance. Your body needs sleep as much as it needs air, water, and food. Yet sleep is often the first thing we sacrifice when life gets busy.

Small changes to your sleep habits create improvements that ripple through every area of your life. Better sleep means better health, better work performance, and better relationships. You’re not just getting more rest. You’re giving your body the foundation it needs to function at its best.

Winter’s technique has stood the test of time because it works. Millions of military personnel have used it successfully in the worst conditions imaginable. If it can work in a war zone, it can work in your bedroom.

Start practicing tonight. Give yourself six weeks of consistent effort. Pay attention to each step and don’t rush the process. Your future well well-rested self will thank you for it.