The four-step system I used for deep sleep in any conditions
Getting a good night’s sleep is an elusive challenge for many people. A 2022 YouGov study into sleep found that one in eight Britons polled get less than six hours shut-eye each night, with one quarter reporting that they take sleeping pills to help them drop off. And in a 2023 study, the cost of living crisis was cited by nearly half (45 per cent) of respondents as keeping them awake at night, while almost one in five (18 per cent) said money worries prevented them from getting a good night’s sleep.
The military sleep method is one of many approaches designed to help people get a better night’s sleep. Originally devised to enable soldiers to fall asleep fast by focusing on relaxation and alleviating muscle tension, the technique has gained traction on TikTok where it’s known as the progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) concept.
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i spoke with Aldo Kane, a former Royal Marines Commando, author and coach, to get his perspective on sleep. Having worked in some of the world’s most extreme, hostile and remote locations, his experiences of surviving and thriving in such conditions offer plenty of food for thought when it comes to securing a good night’s sleep.
“I am not a scientist or sleep therapist, but I have over 30 years experience of having to catch 40 winks in life-threatening and often treacherous situations, where optimal sleeping conditions are questionable at best,” he begins. Recent expeditions for Kane in the past year alone include climbing Mount Everest and Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain.
“From catching an hour here and there in a sniper hide at war, to a full twelve-hour sleep marathon in a hammock in the jungle, there is a universal truth that is unquestionable with no room for debate: we need good quality sleep to thrive,” he says.
“On expeditions, sleep is one of the biggest predictors of success, especially when the stakes are high. No longer is the ability to operate on four hours of sleep a night a badge of honour. It is sometimes necessary but with it comes the knowledge that cognitive function and the ability to deal with stressors and burnout are just around the corner, all of which can have catastrophic effects down the line.
“A few of the places I’ve had to sleep over the years include a rowing boat travelling across the Atlantic from Portugal to Venezuela – a world-first rowing from mainland Europe to mainland South America. This was a 50-day crossing, rowing two hours on, then two hours off. On any given day, I would not sleep more than four hours. While the cognitive decline was precipitous, sleep came quickly.
“I have also spent many weeks living and working inside a live volcano, with the biggest lava lake on earth, Mount Nyiragongo. In the latter few days of the expedition, the volcano started to erupt, poisonous gases whipped around with the thermal wind flattening my tent and lava bombs crashed into the ash that our tents were pitched in. Trying to sleep at night with the glow of the lava so bright inside the tent that I had to wear an eye mask, wearing ear plugs to drown out the noise of the explosions and a gas mask to stop me breathing in the gases and ash was a unique experience.
“Over the years, I have had to grab sleep whenever and wherever I can, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I fully appreciated just how important sleep was and my relationship to it. I was asked to take part in a sleep experiment by a BBC Science team who locked me in a nuclear bunker, three floors down, in the dark. I was on my own with no reference to time, no tech (e.g. mobile phone) and nothing to do. This was an extreme circadian rhythm experiment.
“During my ten days in the bunker, I drifted off my 24-hour cycle as I had no daylight to reference and kick-start each day. Each sleep cycle started almost an hour later each night – or what I thought was night – and in the last few days, they started waking me up almost as soon as I had drifted off to sleep to simulate jet lag.
“After 10 days I was broken, my mental health frayed, anxious, unable to hold a thought and deteriorating rapidly. It was a stark reminder as to just how important daylight, human connection, sleep and exercise were, to a well-balanced and functioning human being.
Aldo Kane is a former Royal Marines Commando, author and coach
Military sleep method
“Much has been written about the military sleep method, which purports to have you asleep, with practice, in less than two minutes. I can say that in ten years serving in British Elite Forces, I was never taught a technique to fall asleep. But the very fact that we were working incredibly hard physically and mentally and often sleep-deprived, meant that one could usually fall asleep in no time at all.
“That was many years ago, however, and the field of sleep science has progressed rapidly. There is now a proven and science-based approach that the military are now taught with a holistic standpoint targeting health, wellness and performance, not just sleep latency in isolation. In comparison, the military sleep method is a very small, isolated relaxation practice with minimal scientific research.
“I spoke with Professor Andy McCann, professor of psychology and human performance at Manchester Metropolitan University. He said that to maintain a positive relationship with sleep, we must balance opposing forces. For example:
A physiology that wants to sleep, but is stimulated by light and stimulants
A mind that wants to sleep, but is worried by the many challenges of daily life
A holistic mind-body system that needs to meet a specific sleep need but is challenged by the pace and pattern with which we attack each day
A body that wants/needs to move more but that has been restricted
“The common error people make with sleep dysregulation is seeing sleep difficulties as the primary problem when, very often, it is a symptom of something else. Quick solutions targeted at sleep alone are likely to be less successful than a more holistic approach. But the good news is when you recognise this, as sleep is a natural process, it can be improved with educational and behavioural changes (known as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi). Research shows this non-pharmaceutical intervention offers a highly effective treatment for diagnosed insomnia.
“Instead of fixating on sleep alone, Professor McCann suggests having a deeper look at getting your H.E.A.D right for sleep: deal with your Health issues, make your Environment conducive for sleep, develop a positive Attitude towards sleep and finesse Daytime management.
Health
Pain and sleep are closely linked and impact each other (chronic pain leads to a more active nervous system, which can interfere with sleep onset and sleep quality)
Illness (which can lead to comorbid insomnia) and/or medication (e.g. neurological disease like Parkinson’s and restless legs can be a factor
Menopausal symptoms amongst individuals throughout perimenopause and into menopause. Sleep issues are common, with sleep disorders affecting 39 to 47 percent of perimenopausal women and 35 to 60 percent of postmenopausal women
Snoring is widespread but its severity and health implications can vary with obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition which should be investigated by a medical professional
Environment
“When it comes to sleep, our inherited biology can be negatively affected by environmental factors. The good news is seemingly small changes to our sleeping environment can lead to improvements in sleep quantity and quality. Room temperature should be a cool 18°C. Bright light should be avoided and blackout blinds or eye masks can be helpful. Noise should be minimal and ear plugs can help.
Attitude
“Sleep is a natural process and shouldn’t be seen as an imposition to today but rather as a process to set yourself up for tomorrow. A positive attitude towards sleep can include working through a process of unchallenging your body and mind – both in preparing to go to bed and while lying in bed. This is where the military relaxation method mentioned above fits in.
Daytime management
“Your preparation for the next night of sleep essentially starts when you wake up in the morning. A series of internal body clocks known as your circadian rhythm start the process of guiding you through the day ahead and preparing you for your next night’s sleep. This is influenced by light, how we manage stress, how much exercise we do, and our intake of caffeine, food, nicotine and alcohol.
“For me, my biggest problems with sleep arise when I am out of sync with my body and what it needs. If I am at home, sitting at my desk for hours at a time, not exercising enough, and with a million things going on at once, it’s harder for me to fall asleep than it is hanging off a cliff or sleeping in a cave.
“These are the things I have found to be the most effective for me at making sure I have a good night’s sleep. None of this is new, but when I do the basics well and consistently, the gains are incremental.
Making sure that the first thing I do in the morning is some sort of exercise outside. This can be walking the dog, going for a run, or a session of circuits in the garden
Staying consistent with my bedtime every night, weekends included
Staying consistent with my wake-up time, weekends included
I don’t use my phone past 7.30pm each evening
I open the window in my bedroom an hour before bed. It stays slightly ajar all night
In summer, I sleep with an eye mask on
I avoid food and drink a couple of hours before bed
Before sleep, I spend 10 to 20 minutes reading a book to wind down
Finally, I switch the light off and try to do five minutes of resonance frequency breathing. This involves breathing in for five seconds, then exhaling for five seconds, with a goal of reaching five minutes, after which time I fall asleep, usually quite quickly
If I have a few worries on my mind, I take ten minutes to write them down before bed, getting them out of my head
Aldo Kane will be in OceanXplorers, a new six-part documentary series coming to Disney+ on Monday 19 August and National Geographic on Sunday 25 August
