Tossing and turning through the night is a familiar ritual for many, but science and social media might just have your answer to a good night’s sleep.
Sleep isn’t just a luxury—it’s a cornerstone of good physical and mental health. For those struggling to catch some zzz’s, you might find hope in the viral two-minute sleep technique that was reportedly designed for soldiers.
Highlights
- The military sleep method reportedly helps soldiers fall asleep in high-stress environments.
- It involves relaxation, deep breathing, and visualization to reduce stress.
- 96% of people who practiced this technique fell asleep in two minutes.
- The technique was popularized on TikTok by fitness coach Justin Agustin.
This sleep hack isn’t new—it first appeared in the 1981 book Relax and Win: Championship Performance by Lloyd Bud Winter. Thanks to a viral TikTok video by fitness coach Justin Agustin, the technique gained renewed attention.
A two-minute sleep method has been gaining attention on TikTok thanks to fitness coach Justin Agustin
Image credits: justin_agustin
The content creator shared this “military sleep method” designed to help soldiers snooze anywhere, anytime—a skill vital in high-stress and combat environments.
Some sleep experts believe the method, crafted for battlefields, could work in your cozy bedroom as well, with some practice.
This method trains your body and mind to systematically relax, switching off stressors that keep you awake.
This lets you “calm your body and systematically relax and shut down each part of your body from head to toe, literally,” Justin said in his 2022 video, which recently became the subject of conversations online once again.
Relaxation, deep breathing, and visualization through the “military sleep method” could help those who struggle to fall asleep
Image credits: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA / Pexels
Here’s how you can try it:
1. Relax Your Body
The technique starts with releasing tension, one muscle group at a time. Begin with the top of your head and then your way down to your toes, relaxing each body part along the way.
“Start by relaxing the muscles in your forehead. Relax your eyes, your cheeks, your jaws and focus on your breathing. Now, go down to your neck and your shoulders,” the TikToker explained. “Make sure your shoulders are not tensed up. Drop them as low as you can and keep your arms loose to your sides, including your hands and fingers.”
Visualize warmth spreading from the top of your head to your fingertips. Then, move this sensation down to your chest, legs, and toes. The key is to tune into your body and let go of physical tension.
Focus on releasing tension from head to toe, starting with the forehead and moving down
Image credits: justin_agustin
2. Breathe Deeply
Deep, measured breathing is essential. Take a long, slow breath in, and exhale even more slowly. With each breath, consciously release any lingering tension. Keep your shoulders and hands loose as you breathe.
3. Clear Your Mind
Next comes the mental part. Free your thoughts from the day’s chaos by imagining peaceful scenarios. Justin suggested visualizing yourself floating in a canoe on a serene lake or lying in a hammock in a pitch-black room.
“While you’re doing this, it’s really important to clear your mind of any stresses,” the fitness coach explained.
After consistent practice, 96% of people said they fell asleep within two minutes of shutting their eyes, according to the TikToker
Image credits: justin_agustin
“At any time when you start thinking of anything else or you start getting distracted, repeat these words for 10 seconds: ‘Don’t think. Don’t think. Don’t think,’” he added.
The military sleep method aligns with principles of progressive muscle relaxation and visualization, both proven to reduce stress and promote sleep.
Justin said one should ideally practice this technique every night for six weeks to master it and reap the full benefits of it.
“96% of people who mastered this technique are actually able to fall asleep within two minutes of shutting their eyes,” he added.
“It is actually very peaceful,” one TikTok user noted, while another wrote, “It definitely works”
Not all the viewers who tried the technique said it worked, but some said they saw great results.
“I'm a military brat and was taught this. I also had a veteran as a psychology teacher in college who taught this. It definitely works,” one said while another wrote, “I've been doing that for a long time and i just now realized that is a military sleep method lol.”
“It is actually very peaceful when you do this,” read a third comment.
“Military sleep method can send people to sleep in ‘two minutes,’” said another.
Other content creators also shared their experience with the military sleep method
Rebecca Spencer, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at University of Massachusetts Amherst, said she has tried the method and told Bored Panda, “I believe it is effective but not for everyone and not in 2 minutes.”
When asked if she would recommend other sleep techniques or practices, she shared, “I suggest having a visual in mind that you can turn your thoughts to and align your breathing with.”
“This might be a slow oscillating/bouncing ball (this is the visual in some apps out there), sheep progressively jumping over a fence, or for me, I have use imagery from two beautiful places that I can align breathing to - for instances, small waves coming up for pebbles on a beach then retreating, then coming up, then retreating,” said the researcher, who explores the relationship between sleep and brain function. “It's a relaxing scene and it has that feature that I can focus on (the waves) that I can align and slow my breathing to.”
While some swear by it, others reported mixed results—proof that consistency and practice are key
Image credits: MissKarin / Pixabay
As for her own pre-bedtime ritual, she keeps it simple, asserting that “routine is key, whatever one prefers.”
“For me it is, brush teeth, cozy pjs, in bed with dim light and a book for a bit before I turn off the light,” she said.
If there's one particular wellness hack she would suggest, it is to “follow your 24-hr circadian rhythm!”
“Circadian health (doing things (eating, sleeping, exercising) the same time of a day every day). Our 24-hr clock circulates hormones according to this clock,” she went on to say. “When our behaviors are misaligned to this, there are all kinds poor health outcomes (cardiovascular disease, obesity, etc). So this not only helps you sleep (you train your body to fall asleep and wake up at according to a schedule) but helps digest food better, etc. For me, this looks like going to bed and waking up generally at the same time daily, exercising at the same time daily, and having the meals at the same time daily.”