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A military technique for falling asleep in two minutes

independent.co.uk

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Re: A military technique for falling asleep in two minutes

#221

Post by bradknowles »

vorpalhex wrote: post #174
nstricevic wrote: post #136

I nap for 20 minutes every day at work (at my previous company, for 4 years or so and now since I'm working remotely). Here are my steps for taking a nap: 1. Find a good place to nap. Use the same place every day. I used to nap under my desk on a lazy bag at my last job. 2. Quickly find a comfortable position. Quickly fix everything that bothers you (like watch on your wrist or anything else that's making you uncomfo…

> a pillow isolates my left ear, while my right biceps isolates my right ear from sounds Have you experimented with any kind of ear plugs? I have really good hearing which makes falling asleep stressful if the house isn't otherwise quiet, even with white noise. I'd love to find a good set of ear plugs or ear muffs or something that can be worn to sleep. Like a sleep mask, but for your ears.

In my experience, most drugstores sell several different variations of foam earplugs, and the ones that work best for me are the ones with the greatest noise reduction — at least 32db NRR or better.

But the biggest single device that has helped me more than anything is my CPAP.

If you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, it would be a very good idea to have a sleep study done to see if this isn’t a problem that could be at least partly solved with the right equipment.

The CPAP is a life-changer, at least for me.

Re: A military technique for falling asleep in two minutes

#222

Post by bradknowles »

taneq wrote: post #45
gk1 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> exhaustion This is key. Aboard a ship I was able to nap "on command" no matter the time of day or my surroundings. No mental tricks necessary.

Yeah, I was expecting Step 1 to be: Start your day with a 20 mile run in full gear. Step 2 is to get permission to fall asleep.

There is no step 3 — because you’re already asleep!

;)

Re: A military technique for falling asleep in two minutes

#223

Post by feanaro »

jachee wrote: post #191
armandososa wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a technique that works for me: So, when I close my eyes I can "see" things. I don't know if it's light coming trough my lids or blood vessels or just my mind's eye. I don't know. But what I'll do as a last resource when I have trouble sleeping is to pay full attention to those things and find patterns in them. I even say out loud in my mind like: "oh there's a dog", "a canoe", "a cigarrette". Then I'm dreaming…

For years growing up, I'd notice that sometimes when I had my eyes closed, there were sometimes glowing circles in the darkness. Sometimes they'd be colorful and others they were like the typical photo of an eclipse. It was usually just as I was drifting off, I'd notice them. Years later I realized that I could make them appear at-will by wiggling my eyes around ( a la REM), and that lead me to conclude that it's lik…

I'm not myopic and I see those too.

Re: A military technique for falling asleep in two minutes

#224

Post by Kalium »

southerndrift wrote: post #213
Kalium wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that there's no real physical notion of "alignment" at work here, this does seem to sound suspiciously like some pseudo-spiritual entertainment.

Your sibling comment describes a link to the nervous system. If there is a feedback loop then there could be some influence. Personally, I am far from arguing that this is true.

You're right! The sibling comment does describe a behavior that is completely controlled by the autonomous part of the nervous system over which humans have little to no conscious control or ability to override.

Given that pretty much everything in the human body is linked to the nervous system in some manner, it's possible that there might not be a good reason to expect any kind of special feedback loop here.

Re: A military technique for falling asleep in two minutes

#225

Post by jononor »

deaps wrote: post #157
nstricevic wrote: post #136

I nap for 20 minutes every day at work (at my previous company, for 4 years or so and now since I'm working remotely). Here are my steps for taking a nap: 1. Find a good place to nap. Use the same place every day. I used to nap under my desk on a lazy bag at my last job. 2. Quickly find a comfortable position. Quickly fix everything that bothers you (like watch on your wrist or anything else that's making you uncomfo…

> Start removing thoughts from your brain. As you start thinking about something, just stop. I had a hard time sleeping just last night. I couldn't stop thinking about things - I even had to eventually google the chemical composition of Sodium Bicarbonate, and of course what exactly Bicarbonate was...then of course that led to questions on Sodium Bicarbonate vs Sodium Chloride...it's a never ending process for me som…

Have pen&paper nearby. When things come up that are hard to dismiss directly, write them down. Then you can forget it and continue in the morning (or not).

Re: A military technique for falling asleep in two minutes

#226

Post by dTal »

dotancohen wrote: post #98
bmurphy1976 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to do something similar. These days I start planning my retirement. I imagine some deserted moon base orbiting a Saturn like planet orbiting a small red dwarf star ejected out of its galaxy into the void. No people, no chance of anybody or anything ever finding it. Trillions of years of quiet solitude before the star burns out. I've never gotten much farther than a few ideas into how it will all come together…

Are you that guy on that inner moon with the shiny rooftop who keeps reflecting the sunlight at me twice per orbit? Seriously, you'll retain heat better with a dark, matte finish on your dome, and you'll blind me less often. In any case, you might also want to reconsider your choice of moons, as yours seems a bit deep into the radiation belts. Out here we orbit much more slowly, peacefully, and we're far from the rad…

>you'll retain heat better with a dark, matte finish on your dome

No, they won't. There's a reason a perfect radiator is known as a "black body". Emissivity (a coefficient that describes the degree to which an object radiates, compared to a black body) is the exact inverse of reflectivity. That's why space blankets are shiny.

Of course, dark objects also absorb more heat, so depending on how much radiation you're getting from the sun, a black roof might result in a warmer home. But it won't be because it's retaining heat.

Re: A military technique for falling asleep in two minutes

#227

Post by AlwaysRock »

ai_ia wrote: post #217
AlwaysRock wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. This has been my long time go to method. I think of something spectacular. I'm a caveman and need to find meat in order for my family to survive. I'm a part of a space voyage 1000 year into the future. I'm a billionaire with no responsibilities. It allows my mind to wander and go into a world that similar to dreaming. It helps my racing mind quite a bit at night.

Seems like a case of Maladaptive Daydreaming.

Sure. Call it whatever you'd like. It helps me sleep.

Re: A military technique for falling asleep in two minutes

#229

Post by dotancohen »

dTal wrote: post #226
dotancohen wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you that guy on that inner moon with the shiny rooftop who keeps reflecting the sunlight at me twice per orbit? Seriously, you'll retain heat better with a dark, matte finish on your dome, and you'll blind me less often. In any case, you might also want to reconsider your choice of moons, as yours seems a bit deep into the radiation belts. Out here we orbit much more slowly, peacefully, and we're far from the rad…

>you'll retain heat better with a dark, matte finish on your dome No, they won't. There's a reason a perfect radiator is known as a "black body". Emissivity (a coefficient that describes the degree to which an object radiates, compared to a black body) is the exact inverse of reflectivity. That's why space blankets are shiny. Of course, dark objects also absorb more heat, so depending on how much radiation you're get…

At the temperature that we generally keep our vacuum-facing surfaces they absorb far more energy in the form of light than the energy that they radiate. Energy management is tight when you're orbiting a small red dwarf star ejected out of its galaxy into the void!

Re: A military technique for falling asleep in two minutes

#230

Post by mattmanser »

onychomys wrote: post #196
mattmanser wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a UK website, they're talking about the UK military.

Does the UK military not do PT? I'm sure their soldiers are just as exhausted at any given moment as ours are.

As in, that's why you might not have heard of it.
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