It seems there could be a solution to those nights you spend tossing and turning, as a secret US military technique for falling asleep quickly has emerged.
The method is used by soldiers to ensure they are able to rest while out on the battlefield, and it helps combat tiredness in pilots.
It is said to have 96 per cent success rate after six weeks of practice, and it involves a combination of relaxing your muscles, breathing techniques and visualisations.
First you have to relax the muscles in your face, including your tongue, jaw and the muscles around your eyes.
Advert
Then you drop your shoulders as low as they will go, before relaxing your upper and lower arm on one side, and then doing the same on the other side.
You should then breathe out, relax your chest and then, finally, relax your legs. When doing this you should start with your thighs and move to your lower legs.
Once you've relaxed your body for 10 seconds, you have to then clear your mind completely.
Advert
You can do this using three different methods.
Firstly, picture yourself lying in a canoe on a calm lake, with nothing but blue sky above you.
You can also picture yourself snuggled in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room.
And finally, you can also try saying 'don't think, don't think, don't think' over and over again for 10 seconds.
The method was first written in the 1981 book Relax and Win: Championship Performance, but the methods are still being used to help to cope with sleep deprivation which has been linked to PTSD in soldiers.
Advert
According to the NHS, one in three people have problems sleeping and regular poor sleep puts you at risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
They also claim that studies have shown that people who sleep less than seven hours a day tend to gain more weight and have a higher risk of becoming obese than those who get seven hours of slumber.
Another trick for getting your eight hours a night was uncovered earlier this year, which involves playing pink noise to help you nod off.
Advert
Pink noise is basically a type of background noise that has an equal level of energy per octave, meaning it has a lower frequency than white noise.
According to a study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, pink noise is less intrusive than white noise and could lead to a better, deeper sleep. Researchers even reckon that if used continuously, it could improve your memory too.
Topics: Life News, Real, Health