“The Navy SEAL Sleep Technique involves laying the back on the floor at the edge of the bed and then putting the legs on the bed,” Dr. Hsu begins. “This puts the sleeper in a position similar to the letter Z, but with the laps stretching a bit onto the bed. The legs are elevated at a 90-degree to 120-degree angle.”
Drop your shoulders and hands.
Relax your neck, your traps; feel yourself sinking into the chair or bed. Then start at the top of your right arm, and slowly relax your biceps, forearms, and hands. Repeat on the other side. And don't forget to keep breathing slowly and deeply.
On the legitimacy of the 8-minute nap, he says “sleeping with your legs elevated can help improve sleep onset and quality as it allows blood to flow more easily throughout the body. This is the sleep science behind the 8-minute Navy Seal nap, but that's not the only thing that makes this nap potentially effective.”
Most Soldiers report sleeping 6 to 7 hours per night, regardless of duty status. However, nearly 1 in 3 report getting less than 6 hours of sleep on weeknights/duty nights. Soldiers also report getting more sleep on weekend/non-duty nights than on weeknights/duty nights.
The technique has been used to help people fall asleep in the most uncomfortable circumstances, and best of all, it's said to work for 96% of the people who tried it for six weeks.
Other anecdotal reports describe soldiers staying awake for four days in battle, or unmedicated patients with mania going without sleep for three to four days.
"Relax your eyes, your cheeks, your jaw and focus on your breathing. Now go down to your neck and your shoulders. "Make sure your shoulders are not tensed up. Drop them as low as you can and keep your arms loose by your side, including your hands and fingers."
In all the branches' basic training programs, bedtime is usually 2100, or 9 p.m., except during times of special events, such as night exercises. In basic training, lights out means go to sleep. It does not mean talk to your buddies, study or write a letter home.
Sleep is a biological need, critical for sustaining the mental abilities needed for success on the battlefield. Soldiers require 7 to 8 hours of good quality sleep every 24-hour period to sustain operational readiness.
Close your mouth and quietly inhale through your nose to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven. Exhale through your mouth, making a whoosh sound for a count of eight. Repeat the process three more times for a total of four breath cycles.
A power nap (the Navy SEAL version with your legs elevated, or a more typical lying-down-flat version) can definitely be beneficial if you find yourself drowsy during the day, but don't use it as a substitute for getting the nighttime sleep you need on a regular basis.
In the U.S. military, Reveille is generally played at 7 A.M. as the morning bugle call.
How do Navy SEALs handle 5 days and nights of Hell Week without sleep? Navy SEAL Hell Week is a five-and-a-half day stretch in which candidates sleep only about four total hours, run more than 200 miles and do physical training for more than 20 hours per day.
In general, the best nap length for adults is about 20 minutes and no longer than 30 minutes. Sleeping for 20 minutes allows the napper to get a bit of light sleep to boost alertness without entering into deep sleep. Waking up from deep sleep can cause grogginess and actually worsen sleepiness.
Taking an eight-minute nap during the day, as recommended by a retired US Navy Seal. According to former Navy Seal Jocko Willink (great name), eight minutes is the ideal nap time: you wake up rested, without feeling groggy.
3 hours before bed: No more food or alcohol. 2 hours before bed: No more work. 1 hour before bed: No more screen time (shut off all phones, TVs and computers). 0: The number of times you'll need to hit snooze in the AM.
Military time operates on a 24- hour clock that begins at midnight which is referred to as 0000 hours, with 1:00 a.m. being 0100 hours, 2:00 a.m. being 0200 hours, etc. all the way to 11:00 p.m. being 2300 hours.
Converting Times from 12-hour clock to 24-Hour clock
In 24-hour (military) time, 12:00am is equal to 0000 and is read as “0 hundred hours”. 1:00am, or 0100, is pronounced as “zero 1 hundred hours”.