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Meditation – As Good As Sleep?
December 12, 2008 by Ray Baskerville
Two ways in which meditation is said to help people, are making them feel more focused and energetic, but are these benefits measurable?
A study two years ago, led by Prashant Kaul of the University of Kentucky does some way to prove that they are. Following a series of tests, when the researchers tested the alertness of volunteers, they found that meditation proved more effective than naps, exercise or caffeine. The results of the experiments were later presented at a conference of the Society for Neuroscience, which indicates the interest such research is shown.
The researchers, took twelve participants who did not previously meditate, and taught them a basic practice in two short sessions.
Then, over a number of weeks, the participants came in and took a test devised to measure abilities like reaction time. These tests involved a series of visual cues on a display screen that the study participants had to respond to by pushing the correct button.
The tests were carried out at mid – to late afternoon, when most people tend to be less alert. The test were done before and after 40 minutes of meditating, napping or exercising, or after taking caffeine. Napping produced poor results, presumably because of “sleep inertia,” that groggy feeling on first waking from a nap.
Caffeine was shown to help, and exercise was unpredictable.
Older studies have discovered that people are ‘awake’ while meditating but that their brains undergo changes similar to patterns found in sleep. Some studies have reported that people who meditate a lot generally sleep less. This created a curiosity to see if meditation could serve the same function as sleep. The results seem to support the idea that it can.
Amazingly when some of the meditators were asked to skip a night’s sleep and then take the test, the researchers found meditation was even more helpful!
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Interesting study, however I could never give up sleep in place of meditation.
I could do both though!
Great article and it got me thinking about some of the findings of sleep research.
There is little evidence that outside the brain any other organ undergoes any significant degree of repair during sleep.
In fact the evidence so far shows that these other organs undergo their repairs effectively during relaxed wakefulness. The stimulus to the repair of tissue wear and tear is an increase in blood amino acid levels, following food absorption by the gut. Tissue repair generally peaks a few hours after eating not during the fasting of a nights sleep.
The brain may be the important exception here. Unlike many organs, the cerebral cortex is unable to switch off to any degree, outside sleep. Even when we lie down, relax, turn off the light , block out sound and try and clear our minds of all thoughts, the cortex is always in a state of quiet readiness, prepared to respond immediately to any stimulus.
Deep Meditation may allow our brains to quieten down as they do during natural sleep allowing the various restorative processes that occur in normal sleep to occur.
I think I need to research this a little more, thanks for the ideas.
.-= graham @ natural sleep aids´s last blog ..The Importance of Knowing Insomnia Causes =-.
This is interesting. having meditated for 30 +years, I can attest to the increased energy levels and alertness derived from meditation. But meditation should not be thought of as an alternative to sleep. They go hand in hand. Meditate and sleep. In fact; activity and rest. This is balance. Meditation results in better sleep and more focused activity.
.-= Sammy @ noise reduction´s last blog ..Florist shops – Show It With a Flower arrangement =-.
Thanks for your comment Sammy
You make some valuable points and I agree that a balanced approach to meditation, indeed any spiritual practice, yields positive lasting results.
Blessings
Ray
I personally need a lot of sleep and I love to meditate. I find it very grounding and centering. I recommend and teach meditation techniques to my clients. I find it is very helpful ih those that suffer with depression.
Meditation is a good way for a person to have a good night sleep or a good day rest.
Because stress is a big factor why we can not sleep that well at nights. Even in the time of sleep, we are anxious about all our problems at work and at home.
Meditation is a good way to introspect and find solutions to our bewilderment. And there are many kinds of meditation a person could try and enlightenment is a certain.
One could do research to find out and learn more about meditation because we must not deprive ourselves of a good sleep because our bodies needs to rest and also our mind and soul.