Summer 2022 - 28

EFFECTIVE
Tactical Sleep Strategies
By Wesley Sykes, Managing Editor
T
he Office of the Army Surgeon General
recommends that soldiers sleep at least
seven hours per night, although only a minimum
of four hours is required during field training
exercises.
In preparation for times when sleep may
be hard to achieve, such as during a combat
mission or overnight operation, soldiers are
recommended to get at least nine hours of
sleep ahead of time.
While not a long-term solution to the impact of
chronic short sleep, " banking " sleep in this way
may provide immediate, next-day effects which
can improve soldiers' effectiveness during a
mission. Getting more sleep than usual (such as
10 hours) improves alertness and performance
during a short period of sleep deprivation, and
napping has been shown to lower heart rate and
improve memory in athletes.
Due to the nature of military service, it's
difficult for many service members to sleep
for seven hours, uninterrupted, so they end up
taking naps when they can. Some may use the
military sleep method, which was popularized
in the book Relax and Win: Championship
Performance. This military sleep method was
used by World War II soldiers to fall asleep
within two minutes.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
1. Start by relaxing your entire face, including
your foreheads, eyelids, jaw, and tongue.
28 | Tactical Training & Conditioning | Summer 2022
2. Drop your shoulders and then your hands,
letting them fall to either side of your
body.
3. Inhale and exhale to relax your chest.
4. Then, progressively relax your legs,
starting with your thighs and then your
calves, ankles, and feet.
5. Clear your mind for ten seconds. You
might visualize a relaxing scene, like
watching the rolling waves at a beach,
being in a dark room, or swinging in a
hammock looking at clouds in the sky.
When thoughts come up, don't get
frustrated; just let them come and go.
If visualization doesn't come easy, try
repeating " don't think " to yourself over
and over.
6. Once you have relaxed your body and
cleared your mind, you should be able to
fall asleep.
REGULATED NAP TIMES
In more recent years, the military has
increased its focus on changing the military
culture around sleep by providing service
members with education about how sleep
works and offering tips for better sleep.
In 2020, the Army updated its FM 7-22
Holistic Health and Fitness manual by
expanding its guidance on sleep and promoting
better sleep hygiene (such as following a
consistent sleep schedule, finding a restful
Summer 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Summer 2022
