Military Cure for Insomnia

Navy 'Boot Camp'     (Public Domain)

Those of us who lie awake nights in a warm bed might want to consider that a luxury.

Soldiers supporting our freedom to do this are often forced to catch a few winks on the run.  If you “get out of bed at 4 in the morning, jam yourself into boots… [then] run from 5-10 miles at a hearty pace,” you too can be wondering:  Is it nap time yet?

The answer would be a resounding “No!”  In fact, the never-ending day is just beginning.

Hunger trumps fatigue, so you choke down some breakfast within “a couple of minutes” before being herded into a “cattle car.”  A three-day field training exercise is about to begin.

This would be grueling under normal circumstances, but cumulative sleep deprivation makes it far worse.  In sweltering heat, you carry a 75-pound backpack for miles.  Snakes cross your path, and chiggers chomp your skin.  You momentarily get to rest on a jagged rock (which by then feels like a “well worn leather recliner”).

After going without any sleep for two more days, you continue on “like a  zombie.”  By now you’re hallucinating, and your REM patterns are “so messed up.”  “Micro-sleeps” spontaneously occur, which are sometimes interrupted by “a kick in the ribs.”

So that’s the military cure for insomnia.  Are you feeling lucky yet? 

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/this-is-how-the-military-trains-its-soldiers-to-fall-asleep-quickly/ar-BBx8QKx?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=BHEA000

Copyright October 9, 2016 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved