The so-called military sleep method claims to help you fall asleep in just two minutes, and reportedly succeeds for 96% of people.
Falling asleep can be a struggle for many. One of the biggest sources of anxiety is lying in bed with a racing mind, counting down the hours until you have to get up again. Frustratingly, the harder you try to drift off, the more elusive sleep seems to become.
Currently, a military-inspired technique promising to send people to sleep in under two minutes is making waves online.
Fitness and health influencer Justin Agustin has helped popularize this method, claiming it can get you to sleep in less than two minutes. Even more impressive, he says it appears to work for over 96% of people who try it.
Since Agustin posted about the method on TikTok, users have been flooding the comments with their own stories.
One person shared: “I’m a military brat and was taught this. I also had a veteran psychology teacher in college who taught this. It definitely works.”
Another wrote: “I’ve got really bad insomnia and nothing works. I get some sleep with a lot of meds, but I never wake up rested. I’m trying this tonight.”
A third commented: “My mom taught me this and I taught my children. My son has many challenges, and this helps him relax and fall asleep quickly, he’s 9.”
So what exactly is the military’s sleep protocol?
According to Glamour, this method was developed specifically for U.S. soldiers, designed to work even under high-stress conditions — like on a battlefield.
Medium reports that American track and field coach Lloyd Bud Winter described the method in his 1981 book Relax and Win: Championship Performance.
If you want to try it yourself at home, Forces outlines six simple steps:
- Start by relaxing your entire face, closing your eyes, and taking slow, deep breaths. Gradually release all facial tension.
- Drop your shoulders and arms, relaxing every muscle from your biceps to your hands.
- Exhale while opening your chest, keeping your shoulders and arms comfortably loose.
- Let go of tension in your legs, beginning with your thighs and working down to your calves, ankles, and feet.
- Next, try to clear your mind completely. Imagine a calming scene in your mind’s eye.
- If intrusive thoughts return, repeat the phrase “don’t think” to yourself for about ten seconds.
@justin_agustin Technique to falling asleep in 2 minutes! Insp. AsapSCIENCE on YT #sleep #fallasleep #insomnia #insomniac #learnontiktok #howto ♬ You – Petit Biscuit
