How Is Meditation Different from Sleep?

“I’m so tired, I just need to take a nap.” This is something we often think naturally. However, besides regular sleep, are there other ways to provide us with deeper rest and help us recover mentally? Meditation is one of four energy sources beyond sleep. While meditation and sleep may seem similar in some ways, they are actually quite different.

How Is Meditation Different from Sleep?

Different Source of Energy

The energy we gain from meditation is much greater than what we get from sleep. “Through meditation, you can create an internal source of energy, transforming your body into a power plant.”

Deeper Rest

Both meditation and sleep offer deep rest. However, the quality of rest obtained through meditation is deeper. “The rest that meditation gives you is deeper than the deepest sleep.”

Unlimited Rest

What happens when we sleep longer than usual? We often feel lazy and groggy instead. The ideal length of quality sleep is six to eight hours a day, and too much or too little sleep can lead to stress and imbalance. Meditation, however, has no such side effects. Of course, we don’t need to meditate all day to have a deeper experience. Meditating twice a day for 20 minutes each time is already enough.

A True Supplement

Meditation can improve your sleep quality, but it is not a replacement for sleep. Both sleep and meditation are important. In fact, meditation can supplement any lack of sleep. With daily meditation, we can experience deeper, more restful sleep.

Slowing Down Metabolism

During both sleep and meditation, metabolic activity slows down, allowing the mind to enter a calm state.

Heightened Awareness

Consciousness typically operates in four states: waking, sleeping, dreaming, and meditation. While we get good rest during sleep, we lack awareness. We wake up feeling refreshed, but we usually can’t clearly recall what happened during sleep. In contrast, meditation is restful with full awareness. “Waking and sleep are like sunrise and night; dreaming is like the twilight in between. Meditation is like soaring through outer space, where there is no sunrise or sunset—just nothingness!”

Freeing the Mind

Both sleep and meditation help us recover mentally, but meditation also frees us from past impressions. Regular meditation practice allows us to release emotional clutter that has accumulated in the mind over the years, restoring a sense of lightness and vitality.

Freedom of Choice

We cannot choose when to sleep; we can only sleep when we feel tired. But we can meditate whenever we wish, at any time of the day, with morning being the best time.

Meditation offers deep rest, complete awareness, and access to limitless internal energy.