Lifestyle

This Genius Trick Can Help You Doze Off In Just 2 Minutes, So Hello, Beauty Sleep

Listen up, fellow toss-and-turners: There's a sleep trick making its way around the internet, and rumor has it, it teaches you how to fall asleep in two minutes. Yes, you read that right, my friends. If you've ever spent the night staring at your bedroom ceiling, you know how impossible falling asleep quickly (and staying that way) can seem. And while I'm sure you've probably tried every "trick" in the book at this point, what can it hurt to try just one more to see if it actually works? After all, this particular hack is ridiculously simple, and you can do it right there in your bed as soon as you start to feel restless.

Teen Vogue reports that this two-step trick for falling asleep quickly originally came from a book published in 1981, called Relax and Win: Championship Performance, which was written by Lloyd Bud Winter, who's known for being one of the greatest track and field coaches in the world. Apparently, after six weeks of practicing this trick, the method might have as high as a 96 percent success rate, according to UK men's lifestyle site, Joe. FYI: How Joe knows this, exactly, is not entirely clear, but hey, I'm personally willing to give anything a shot when it comes to a good night's rest, even if it's just hearsay.

So, without further ado, here's how this seemingly magical sleep trick is done: First, Teen Vogue explains, clear your mind completely — and while that might induce an eye roll, just hear me out. According to the magazine, Winter's "book suggests you first relax the muscles in your face, including your tongue, jaw, and the muscles around your eyes." Then relax and drop your shoulders, and imagine your body totally letting go of the weight and tension in your arms. Exhale and relax your chest and belly, then switch your focus to relaxing the muscles in your legs.

So, that all counts as the first step. The second, and final, step to this trick, Teen Vogue explains, is to visualize, visualize, visualize. Three options are given for things you can imagine or think about to fall into a deep sleep: "lying in a canoe on a calm lake with only blue sky above you, snuggling in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room, or repeating 'don’t think, don’t think' for 10 seconds," according to the magazine. Personally, I think I like that last one best.

But, in all seriousness, is this tip some kind of urban legend, a legit, tried-and-true method, or simply something that only this Lloyd Bud Winter guy swore by?

It doesn't appear that there's any real research out there on this specific trick, but according to Dr. Neil Kline, CEO of the American Sleep Association, different sleep methods work for different people, because we humans just roll that way. And while Kline can't really definitively say if this particular sleep hack would actually work for people or not, he tells Elite Daily over email that creating a nighttime ritual is always a good idea, as is the practice of calming yourself down, which, of course, is a huge part of this two-step method.

Kline adds that if you find yourself awake after more than 10 minutes of trying to fall asleep (even after trying this "trick"), he recommends getting out of bed and relaxing elsewhere for a little while until you feel sleepy. "Don’t stress out about not falling asleep," he tells Elite Daily. "If you have a bad night, or find yourself awake for longer than expected, don’t be upset with yourself."

As for Winter's trick, I'm personally still going to give it a shot, because heck, why not?