After a long day, all you really want to do is give your exhausted body the rest it needs. Unfortunately, the mere act of falling asleep might come tricky to some of us. If you have troubles to get yourself to sleep and experience some sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea or insomnia, there are some scientific practices that will put you to sleep in seconds.

Yes, you’ve read that right, falling asleep can be a matter of seconds by using the following science-based techniques.

The Military Technique

This technique was primarily invented to help pilots get their sleep regardless of their surroundings. It  was first tell of by Sharon Ackerman, and it comes from a book named ‘Relax and Win: Championship Performance.’

The full circle of this method lasts 120 seconds, however the most important part is the last 10 seconds when one’s sleep finally kicks in. When pilots were learning this technique, it usually took them 6 weeks of practice to fully master it.

The first step is to relax your whole face, even the muscles in your mouth. In order to release the tension, you should drop your shoulders and let your hands drop to the side of your body. Exhale and relax your chest. Next, relax your legs, thighs, and calves. Finally, relax your mind by imagining some peaceful scene. You should fall asleep in the next ten seconds.

Bear in mind that if you have some anxiety issues or ADHD, they might interfere with the successfulness of this technique. If it doesn’t work out for you for any reason, you should simply dig deeper and get to the basics of the military method, meaning the breathing and muscle relaxation.

Let’s look at the 4-7-8 breathing method:

• For starters, you should put the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth, behind the two front teeth
• Then keep your tongue there all the time and purse your lips if you need to
• Let your lips part slightly and make a sighing sound whilst you exhale through your mouth
• Then just close your lips and inhale speechlessly through your nose

This is just one cycle out of four needed. You need to do this three more times and then hold your breath for 7 seconds. Afterwards, exhale for 8 seconds. In case you feel that sleep is taking over you before finishing all four cycles, just let your body drift off!

The Alternative Technique

If you’ve committed to the military technique and it still doesn’t bring you to sleep, you should think outside the box and try different approaches. Think of the reason why it didn’t work in the first place. A lot of people with sleeping issues might put themselves under pressure each night just by trying to fall asleep, which then causes anxiety and builds up tension in their heads.

If you are struggling with insomnia, the thought of going to bed might cause negative feelings, and in that case, the paradoxical intention is your best shot. This technique is a lot simpler, the only thing you should do is convince yourself that you mustn’t fall asleep. Tell yourself to stay awake over and over again! If you have experienced performance anxiety, this technique might work out better than the traditional techniques.

Visualize a Calm Place Technique

This one is about imagery distraction, this technique encourages you to think of an image and let it engage your brain completely, so that other thoughts won’t distract you. Imagine a peaceful place, like an empty beach by the ocean, surrounded by greenery.

Focus on the sound of the waves and imagine the scent of freshness that fills your lungs as you sit silently in the sand. You will fall asleep faster by using this method instead the traditional counting of sheep, it’s guaranteed by a study at the University of Oxford (2002).

If all fails, there are other tricks to try, like hiding your clock or putting your phone far away from the bed that you sleep in. Also, make sure that you don’t eat two to three hours before going to sleep.

Remember to optimize the room temperature for sleeping, or ask a member of your family to give you a gentle massage to relax you and put you to sleep. And don’t forget that the most important thing is to stay positive and calm in the whole process of finding the best technique to fall asleep.