Get to sleep the elite military way; through meditation techniques.
As tough as life is in the boardroom or being woken up at 3am by your toddler, I think we can all agree the challenges aren’t always as rough as those of elite military personnel. If that corporate pitch and your child’s chickenpox are keeping you awake at night, let’s shine some perspective on the sleep habits of those working in more extreme conditions.
They face numerous challenges, including the ability to function optimally in high-pressure environments and cope with prolonged exposure to emotionally and mentally gruelling conditions. Getting enough restful sleep is crucial for their physical and mental wellbeing, and meditation techniques often help them achieve this.
Mindfulness practices such as deep breathing, visualisation, and progressive muscle relaxation induce a state of relaxation, calmness, and focus that helps people fall asleep more easily, even in noisy or uncomfortable environments. The integration of meditation into military training has demonstrated significant benefits, including improved mental clarity, resilience, and performance, making it an invaluable tool.
Some examples below of how the military use mindfulness and meditation training to focus attention on their breath and bodily sensations to rest well and sleep, to find peace. These practices can help you let go of distracting thoughts that would otherwise keep you awake.
Visualisation techniques: using visualisation techniques to create a peaceful and calming mental image. You might imagine yourself in a tranquil environment, such as a forest or beach, or floating calmly down a river , or in your ‘ happy place’. Focus on the sensory details of that environment. The more detail you go into in your mind the better, as long as you remain focused on the peaceful, relaxing aspects. By continual practice painting a picture in your subconscious, your mind and body will connect and begin to associate that image with sleep, and so the process will be more effective. Whenever you transport yourself in your mind you will gain a ripple effect in the nervous system - the mind can’t always distinguish between what is real or imagined. This is also a training technique for elite sportspeople who spend time imaging the competition and the win.
Progressive muscle relaxation: This technique involves tensing and then relaxing each muscle group in the body, starting from the feet and working up to the head. Or starting with the head, facial muscles and neck if that’s where you hold stress. This practice helps reduce physical tension and promote relaxation, which can lead more easily to sleep.
Breathing exercises: Controlled breathing exercises, such as deep breathing or 4-7-8 breathing, helps slow down the heart rate to induce a state of relaxation. These techniques can also be used to calm the mind and reduce stress and anxiety, which contribute to poor sleep quality. The simple technique of focusing on the breath is the first step in every meditation tool kit, as it’s unfortunately become normal in the modern world to be completely mentally detached from the inhale and exhale, with many people unconsciously holding their breath due to anxiety and overwhelmed lives. In fact in Kundalini Yoga we say : '‘Long breath, long life. Short breath, short life” as a reminder of the importance of this awareness to breath.
Leg posture : Performing the legs up the wall pose for ten minutes helps regulate and improve blood circulation, relaxes the neck and back muscles and ushers in a more relaxed state. The combination of this Viparita Karani yogic pose and deep breathing slow the heart rate, which evokes a relaxation response and lowers stress, tension, anxiety, and insomnia.
Alternatively, elevate your legs.
It is important to note that while sleeping with your feet elevated may help you should always consult with your doctor about pre-existing conditions or symptoms of potential new conditions.
Peace of mind: True peace of mind is an art, it requires work and commitment to an emotionally fluid mindset in which we ultimately put our trust in the universe and let go of detachments to the outcome. The concept of detachment can aid in getting better sleep by encouraging the release of clinging thoughts and worries about outcomes. Practicing mindfulness, using perspective thinking, and embracing a positive present-moment awareness can foster a calmer and more peaceful state conducive to peace of mind and restful sleep. In my experience working with people on their meditation journeys I find this is where most people have to put the most work in. However the soldiers and sailors I’ve spoken to differ because in many cases they have a sense of being protected combined with an acceptance of ‘what will be will be’, combined with a belief in their ability and the practicalities of their training. For example, in Greece, a nation with a vast amount of sailors, there is a great belief that St. Nicholas of Myra the patron saint of sailors will look over them. The boats and ships are never without his icon painting, or several!
Meaning: I put this one last however it’s by far the least and something I have written a separate article about; given it underpins how we find personal and spiritual alignment - which is where we experience inner peace. ..I’ve never met a person with inner peace who couldn’t get to sleep. An example I often make reference to is "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl which explores the human quest for purpose and resilience in the face of suffering. It was written following the authors experience of surviving a long stretch in a nazi concentration camp and offers profound insights into finding fulfilment in life by providing examples of meaning that helped people survive versus giving up. These include finding purpose in serving others, holding onto cherished memories and relationships, maintaining hope for the future, and embracing the opportunity to find meaning in even the smallest acts of kindness and beauty amidst the hell. Victor Frankl went on to become a leading psychiatrist who founded logotherapy - a school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life's meaning as the central human motivational force.
