Is It Good or Bad to Fall Asleep While Meditating?

Is it Okay to Fall Asleep During Meditation?

Recently, I had a friend who is new to meditation express her frustration at continually falling asleep whenever she tries to meditate. Then she proceeded to share with me some of the torturous ways she’s tried to keep herself awake. I felt sorry for her tired body…

She wasn’t asking for my thoughts, so I didn’t offer any. But you, dear reader, are about to get an earful.

Whether you’ve just started meditating or you’re a seasoned regular, one of the most common struggles and concerns centers around falling asleep while meditating and whether that should be allowed or whether we should fight the urge. I am almost always in favor of letting yourself fall asleep, but my general answer to that is that it can really depend on the type of meditation.

First, you should know that falling asleep during meditation is a common occurrence, especially for those new to the practice or those who are particularly tired. While it may seem counterproductive to the goal of meditation, which often involves maintaining a state of alert, focused attention, falling asleep isn’t necessarily a negative outcome. It can indicate that your body needs rest, and meditation has helped you relax deeply. However, staying awake during certain types of meditation is important to achieve the intended benefits. Let’s consider this further.

Reasons to Fight Against Sleep in Meditation

1. Maintaining Awareness: Many meditation practices aim to cultivate mindfulness and awareness of the present moment. Falling asleep means losing that conscious awareness, which is central to the practice.
2. Achieving Specific States of Consciousness: Some meditations, such as certain Buddhist practices or transcendental meditation, aim to access or cultivate specific states of consciousness that can’t be achieved if one falls asleep.
3. Skill Development: The practice of staying awake and alert in a relaxed state can be an important skill in itself, helping practitioners learn to manage their energy levels and maintain focus, which can be beneficial in many aspects of life.

Types of Meditation Where Staying Awake Matters

1. Mindfulness Meditation: Requires continuous attention to your breath, thoughts, sounds, or bodily sensations, making alertness key.
2. Concentration Meditation: Involves focusing on a single point of reference, such as a mantra or visual object, and requires maintaining focus without drifting off to sleep.
3. Insight Meditation (Vipassana): Aims to develop a deep, clear, non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, necessitating wakefulness to observe thoughts and sensations as they arise.

Types of Meditation Where Falling Asleep Can Be Beneficial

1. Guided Visualization or Guided Sleep Meditations: These are designed to induce relaxation and sleep. If you fall asleep during these meditations, it’s often considered a sign of success.
2. Yoga Nidra: Although not technically meditation in the traditional sense, Yoga Nidra is a yogic sleep practice that aims to induce a state of deep but conscious relaxation. Falling asleep can be an intended part of the process, especially for beginners.

Strategies to Stay Awake

• Meditate in a seated position rather than lying down to decrease the likelihood of falling asleep.
• Practice at a time of day when you feel most alert, often in the morning or after a light exercise.
• Keep the room cool, as a warmer environment might encourage sleepiness.
• Open your eyes slightly if you find yourself dozing off, or focus on a spot in front of you.

Okay, All of the Above is the Party Line. Here’s What I Really Think

Falling asleep during meditation is a natural part of the body’s relaxation response and isn’t something to be overly concerned about, especially in the beginning stages of practice. If you’re continually falling asleep, it’s because your body is deeply tired and needs to catch up. My advice is to let your body catch up. Once it does, you’ll stop falling asleep during meditation.

Instead of fighting against what your body needs, grow through what your body needs. Meditation is not a contest, so please don’t treat it like one.

When I first learned to meditate, it took me nearly a year to catch up on all the sleep my body was craving (no surprise, this was during my college years). Once I caught up, I had no trouble completing my meditation sessions and staying awake.

Now, it’s easy for me to stay awake during meditation, or I can choose to use it to help me fall asleep. Out of my three daily meditation sessions, one is always done at bedtime. I like knowing that when I drift off into sleep during meditation, my mind and body enter a state of profound rest. It’s like hitting a reset button, enabling me to wake up refreshed and energized.

If you’re still feeling guilty about drifting off while meditating, consider these points:

The Benefits of Falling Asleep While Meditating

1. Deeper relaxation: When you fall asleep during meditation, your mind and body enter a state of deep relaxation. This allows for the release of physical and mental tension, promoting a sense of calm and tranquility. It’s like giving yourself a mini-vacation, allowing you to recharge and rejuvenate.

2. Stress reduction: Sleep and meditation are both known for their stress-relieving effects. By combining these practices, you can experience an even greater reduction in stress levels. Falling asleep while meditating helps your body release stress hormones and triggers the relaxation response, leading to a profound sense of peace and well-being.

3. Improved sleep quality: Falling asleep while meditating can improve the quality of your sleep. As you enter a deep state of relaxation during meditation, your body can enter the most restorative stages of sleep, helping you wake up feeling refreshed and energized. This can lead to increased productivity, improved mood, and enhanced overall performance.

4. Enhanced self-awareness: Meditation is a practice that cultivates self-awareness and mindfulness. By falling asleep while meditating, you can deepen your connection with yourself and gain valuable insights into your thoughts, emotions, and patterns of behavior. This increased self-awareness can empower you to make positive changes in various aspects of your life.

5. Increased creativity: Sleep is known to enhance creativity, as it allows your brain to process information and make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts. By combining sleep and meditation, you can tap into your unconscious mind and access a wellspring of creative ideas and solutions.

Need I say more?