Can You Sleep During Meditation? An Expert's Perspective

Falling asleep during meditation is very common, and if it happens to you from time to time, you don't need to worry too much. It's natural to feel a little sleepy during meditation, but if it becomes a major obstacle to your practice, there may be underlying issues to address. To make the mind calm and meditate easier, keep the body still and avoid eating before meditating. Although in sleep consciousness is not active in any way, it is still present as a witness of sleep.

Deepak Chopra, guru of alternative medicine, author and public speaker, said that falling asleep during meditation can be due to lack of sleep. CDC has declared insufficient sleep a “public health problem” and studies show that 35 percent of Americans sleep less than the recommended 7 hours each night. Meditating while sitting instead of lying can help prevent sleepiness. Researchers observed increases in alpha brainwaves for all levels of meditation depth compared to resting states.

For deeper states, some researchers observed increases in theta waves and decreases in central beta and low gamma waves. In other words, high-alert and problem-solving brainwaves decreased, while relaxation-related brain waves increased. The spiritual guru says that there is no need to worry about sleeping while meditating, as that could be what a person's body requires right now. If you fall asleep during a meditation or guided visualization, your brain may still be listening, so you may still notice some benefits.

However, it will be more effective if you stay fully awake. The practice resulted in less stress, improved well-being and improved sleep quality for 341 meditators unchanged for the 430-person control group. But how is it that every time I try to meditate, I end up yawning and fighting the sandman instead of finding my third eye? Is not everyone suitable for meditation? Once the delay of sleep deprivation is eliminated, you are ready for an alert meditation experience. Instead, it is better to think of sleep and lack of brightness during meditation as the release of fatigue and stress. When you're tired, closing your eyes when meditating tells your brain and body it's time to sleep. Essentially, meditation was found to be a state of consciousness other than sleep and alertness, while it had characteristics of both.

It releases tensions much deeper than the rest that comes from sleep. To make sure you get the most out of your meditation practice, make sure you get enough restful sleep each night.

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