10 hours before bed — No more caffeine. 3 hours before bed — No more food or alcohol. 2 hours before bed — No more work. 1 hour before bed — No more screen time (turn off all phones, TVs and computers).
3 hours before bed: No more food or alcohol. 2 hours before bed: No more work. 1 hour before bed: No more screen time. 0: The number of times you hit the snooze button in the morning.
The Navy SEAL Sleep Technique has been a trending TikTok hack all summer, made more famous by Nick Vitello, who explains the technique there. To fall asleep, Navy SEALs put their legs up on the bed in a Z position. The Navy SEAL Sleep Technique is a short, refreshing nap of eight to 10 minutes.
Drop your shoulders and hands.
Let go of any tension. Relax your neck, and 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.
The 4-7-8 technique is a relaxation exercise that involves breathing in for four counts, holding that breath for seven counts and exhaling for eight counts, said Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, via email.
First shared by former Navy SEAL officer Jocko Willink on “The Drive” podcast in 2019, this 8-minute nap trick had a viral moment in 2022 when it made the rounds on TikTok. “The Navy SEAL sleep method is primarily a sleep tactic for quick napping purposes,” says psychologist Candice Seti, PsyD.
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.
Everyone loves a good nap, but how long should the typical nap be? According to former Navy Seal Jocko Willink, a mere 8-minute nap is the perfect amount for a mid-day rest.
Leonardo da Vinci's sleep schedule included 20-minute naps every four hours. Da Vinci followed an extreme form of a polyphasic sleep schedule called the Uberman sleep cycle, which consists of 20-minute naps every four hours.
Modern research suggests that sleeping twice in a 24-hour period (a sleep pattern that is alternately referred to as biphasic sleep, segmented sleep, or siesta sleep) may facilitate greater energy levels, alertness, cognitive function, and productivity.
The 15 minute rule
If, after 15 minutes, you find that you are not asleep, don't stay in bed. if you're still awake after another 15 minutes, get up again and repeat. This helps with associating your bed with sleep and has been found to be one of the nost effective strategies to address long-term sleep difficulties.
At sleep time put the baby down into the cot and start the process again leaving the baby cry for two minutes, four minutes, six minutes etcetera. You will however find very quickly the babies get the message and they learn how to go to sleep.
If you have to wake up earlier than planned, wake up at the start of the 90 minute closest to your required wake-up time e.g. If I need to be up for work at 5:30 am and I normally wake at 6:30 am, then I'll get up 90 minutes earlier than normal at 5 am – this time corresponds with the end of that sleep cycle.
In fact, even 26 minutes might be too long if you need to spring straight into action with a clear mind upon waking. NASA's ultimate recommendation is power naps between 10 and 20 minutes long.
According to Willink, you have to “elevate your feet above your heart and then set your alarm for eight minutes, and afterwards he feels like “superman”. Science-wise, keeping your legs elevated can help blood flow, promoting faster sleep.
“When you're losing sleep, after a while you turn to this fight-or-flight response. You just go into survival mode.” At the time, Smith said he survived by staying in constant motion, staying uncomfortable, and psychologically breaking each day into a series of six-hour stretches until the next meal.
10 HOURS OF SLEEP AND ONE-SECOND NAPS
It's common knowledge that sleep is good for your brain – and Einstein took this advice more seriously than most.
TACTICAL NAPPING. Tactical naps are brief periods of sleep that restore and sustain. Warfighter readiness and performance. The more sleep you get, the better you will perform physically, cognitively, and emotionally.
What's a NASA Nap? After years of research, NASA scientists found that power naps were able to boost their pilots' performance by 34% and improve alertness by up to 54%. The team at NASA determined that an optimal power-nap time should be anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.
Benefits of 4-7-8 Breathing
According to the American Institute of Stress, slow abdominal breathing can help reduce stress levels by slowing down your heart rate and lowering blood pressure. 7 Additionally, it helps relax tense muscles and increase oxygen intake, both of which aid relaxation.