Feeling Sleepy After Meditation: Why It Happens & How Dangerous It Can Be

[ardacigin]

You sit down to meditate and in a matter of 5-15 mins, a sense of sluggishness, drowsiness and sleepiness sets in. The energy levels of the mind drops significantly. Let alone focusing on the breath, you're sinking deeper into this somewhat pleasant dull sensation, slowly lay down on the couch and take a nap.

'Meditation inducing sleep' is a very important roadblock you need to circumvent to do ANY sort of investigation towards the truth.

This happens due to improper attentional/awareness balance with low conscious power.

What needs to happen is that you experience MORE alertness after meditation. Not less. You need to feel more aware and conscious of everything. If your practice is pulling you further into sleepiness, then I recommend the following approach to increase conscious power.

---

Let's say your meditation object is the breath at the tip of the nose. 

1- When you feel the slightest dullness or sleepiness arising, reduce your attentional intensity to the breath and while maintaining contact with the breath; spread the awareness to the entire body. 

2- If you lose attentional contact with the breath, then squeeze in the awareness a little bit to tighten attention to the breath.

3- If you lose the full body awareness, then loosen the attention focus slightly to regain the spread.

This process will train and increase conscious power and energy.

4- Once an optimum interaction and energy is developed, dullness and sleepiness will disappear slowly.

5- When the interaction gets even deeper so that even when you are INTENSELY focused on the breath sensations, very strong body and mental awareness continues. 

6- This is the point where after meditation, your state of consciousness will get more pristine and clear. Its energy levels WILL increase significantly but it won't induce agitation or anxiety.

-----

Unless you arrive at this stage in practice, your desire to do any sort of spiritual practice will slowly wane until you backslide again.

Make sure you don't use meditation to feel less conscious. It is how we all begin but the sooner you drop this habit, the sooner your life will feel richer and your meditation practice will be easier to integrate into your daily life.

Much love,

Arda

 

[Carl-Richard]

I think in most cases, there is a much simpler explanation. If you haven't slept enough the night before, your body will cease the opportunity once your activity level drops, and one such situation is during meditation.

A similar effect occurs if you meditate straight after a heavy meal, because your body will secrete prolactin (which is literally anti-dopamine), and most of your blood will be directed towards your digestive system and away from your brain, thus you'll experience a dip in mental clarity and energy levels.

This is how to optimize your meditation habit (in order of significance):

1. Get enough sleep.

2. Have an almost empty stomach (but not too hypoglycemic)

3. Do it early in the day.

4. Be completely sober from any psychoactive substances (even caffeine).

5. Schedule your meditation (do it the same time every day and use a timer).

 

Scheduling your meditation puts a weight off your mind both outside and during the meditation with regards to questions like "when is a good time to meditate?" or "how long should I meditate?" and expectations of progression like "I'm not feeling meditative yet" or "this is not working." Once you have decided to sit down for x amount of time, there is nothing for your mind to do but to be relaxed and focused, and you reduce the chances of terminating the meditation early or not starting in the first place. Besides, spending your day obsessing about meditation is not a good strategy for cultivating a meditative state of mind in your daily life.

[CodyXarex]

Fuck and I meditate so I CAN feel sleepy, and you're telling me it's not good?

[Carl-Richard]

3 minutes ago, CodyXarex said:

Fuck and I meditate so I CAN feel sleepy, and you're telling me it's not good?

If you meditate to fall asleep, then you're supposed to be sleepy, so it's good. However, if you want to maximize your meditation ability, then you should do it at peak wakefulness.

[Flowerfaeiry]

In Vipassana they teach that the sleepiness is part of the process. You have to keep bringing yourself back to your breath over and over again. 

[Consilience]

11 hours ago, ardacigin said:

'Meditation inducing sleep' is a very important roadblock you need to circumvent to do ANY sort of investigation towards the truth.

This perspective can be skillfully balanced with learning how to investigate and see the same fundamental truth even in a state of extreme fatigue. 

During my first vipassana retreat, there was an all night sitting phase called “Yaza” Around 8 hours of sitting throughout the night and into the morning. It fundamentally transformed my relationship with meditating through fatigue.

Turns out, when one can apply enough mindfulness to the sensations of sleepiness, the sleepiness transforms into a flowing spaciousness. More accurately stated, sleepiness is experienced without the pushing and pulling of craving and aversion, which allows one to investigate its true nature. 

However, for a novice meditator this probably isn't a good strategy. Learning how to amp up mindfulness or “conscious power” to dispel the sleepiness is a very powerful skill.

For an advanced meditator, learning how to work with sleepiness without manipulating it away is even more powerful. Sometimes life will present us conditions where we have no choice but to experience extreme fatigue, whether because of life events demanding sleep deprivation, physical illness, or as we age and our mind’s naturally dull, fatigue is an inescapable phenomena of nature. Can we still find peace, happiness, and truth within the fatigue, as the fatigue, exactly as it’s appearing? We can, but it requires we investigate these perceptions directly. 

Edited December 27, 2021 by Consilience

[BipolarGrowth]

If you’re meditating well, it should generate attentive energy rather than reduce it. 

[ardacigin]

6 hours ago, Consilience said:

This perspective can be skillfully balanced with learning how to investigate and see the same fundamental truth even in a state of extreme fatigue. 

During my first vipassana retreat, there was an all night sitting phase called “Yaza” Around 8 hours of sitting throughout the night and into the morning. It fundamentally transformed my relationship with meditating through fatigue.

Turns out, when one can apply enough mindfulness to the sensations of sleepiness, the sleepiness transforms into a flowing spaciousness. More accurately stated, sleepiness is experienced without the pushing and pulling of craving and aversion, which allows one to investigate its true nature. 

However, for a novice meditator this probably isn't a good strategy. Learning how to amp up mindfulness or “conscious power” to dispel the sleepiness is a very powerful skill.

For an advanced meditator, learning how to work with sleepiness without manipulating it away is even more powerful. Sometimes life will present us conditions where we have no choice but to experience extreme fatigue, whether because of life events demanding sleep deprivation, physical illness, or as we age and our mind’s naturally dull, fatigue is an inescapable phenomena of nature. Can we still find peace, happiness, and truth within the fatigue, as the fatigue, exactly as it’s appearing? We can, but it requires we investigate these perceptions directly. 

Hi Ethan! I'd definitely agree with that. Dullness or sleepiness, by itself, no longer poses an insurmountable problem AFTER a certain degree of skill and mindfulness is attained. You can pierce into dullness and allow it to be there. But let me say a few things about this. 

 I'd like to point to the similarity of such an approach with 'increasing energy levels' sort of style.

In Shinzen's system, you turn towards dullness and expand mindfulness and clarity. The meditation object is the drowsiness itself. With high levels of acceptance and spreading of awareness, you increase conscious power. That is still a technique done to maintain mindfulness clearly and to prevent going to sleep.

In Culadasa's technique, you focus on a different object (the breath) without pushing sleepiness away while maintaining strong peripheral awareness of the mind and body. You focus outwards (in Shinzen's terms). Drowsiness is relegated to awareness for monitoring the overall energy levels of the mind. Energy levels change as you play around with attention and awareness.

So, there are no manipulations either way. Both are inwards and outwards versions of the same process. That 'manipulation' is merely a more helpful adjustment you 'choose' to do with more introspective wisdom. If you don't 'manipulate' at all, you'll lay down to take a nap. Here is why understanding this is extremely crucial.

Recently, I've realized experientially that we ALL live our entire lives (almost all the time) in a state of stable subtle dullness. Occasional exceptions are sports and getting into zone with any hobby etc. Other than that, dullness pervades our lives and reduces our conscious potential dramatically.

Of course, it is important to improve mindfulness WHILE sleepiness progresses. In fact, that is what you do in TMI in stages 5-8 to improve mindfulness :))

But after realizing how pervasive of an effect dullness has on one's consciousness, everyone is better off taking it very seriously and improving the mind's capabilities to 

1- Increase conscious power (this should be a priority imo)

2- deal with sleepiness by turning inwards and deconstructing

Hope this gives some more clarity regarding my thoughts on it. I've realized I've underestimated how much dullness and sleepiness effects my entire life and reinforce a negative mental habit for the purposes of living a rich spiritual life. 

Especially for beginner meditators, sleepiness should be addressed as soon as possible to not get stuck. I value this aspect of practice much more than I did any other time in my life.

Much love,

Arda

 

[ardacigin]

10 hours ago, CodyXarex said:

Fuck and I meditate so I CAN feel sleepy, and you're telling me it's not good?

If you use it to go to sleep, then it might be a good idea but you don't want to develop the habit.

Your practice needs to come to a point where when you feel really foggy and sleepy, you intentionally choose to meditate to increase alertness and clarity. Usually, people sink deeper into sleepiness after meditation. This is precisely the dysfunctional habit we need to work on with this technique I've outlined above. 

Of course, opening your eyes, clenching your muscles etc are immediate antidotes to dullness. Since they are so basic, I didn't explain them here.

Try this out and be more aware of dullness in meditation next time. See how much power you might have in this process by playing around with attention and awareness.

Much love,

[ValiantSalvatore]

Hey I am training with Shinzens system mostly and just wanted to write that my sleepiness tends to dampen after I am done with my meditation doing now for 6-8 months a positive feeling meditation I generally do feel more energy and more alertness also from Shinzen. Just after my meditation.

Unsure cold showers in the past helped me the most to deal with sleepiness at a zen retreat I almost did now 4 years ago. I was also taking cold showers dunno this helped me the most.

Turning towards helped me to metabolize the drowsyness turning away it felt more like building concentration not adressing the fundamental issue.

I don't practice as consistent as you since I know your posts. Currenlty I have a 30 min practice with micro retreats.

I definitely feel more energy during retreat, yet at the end of the second 8h day I feel very tired and almost can't participate anymore. Although when I breakthrough it I have often a renewal of energy.

 

I also find using binaureal beats for me very effective, so I almost always use them besides when on retreats or it rains outside beautifully.

Edited December 27, 2021 by ValiantSalvatore

[ardacigin]

On 28.12.2021 at 0:46 AM, ValiantSalvatore said:

Hey I am training with Shinzens system mostly and just wanted to write that my sleepiness tends to dampen after I am done with my meditation doing now for 6-8 months a positive feeling meditation I generally do feel more energy and more alertness also from Shinzen. Just after my meditation.

Shinzen's positive feel technique is extremely valuable. It is the most approachable and effective jhana alternative. It is great that it increased alertness and clarity along with (hopefully) baseline happiness and joy. 

Make sure not to get seduced by the pleasant sensations of dullness if it arises. Make sure to maintain consciousness as pristine and aware as possible.

Edited December 30, 2021 by ardacigin

[ValiantSalvatore]

@ardacigin For me the baseline definitely increased I also have more highs, I do go to retreats also so I also get some leverage through retreats. Nice to hear a shared experience. I did not get into jhana, my current "spiritual goal" is still stream entry. Shinzen defines the nuture positive theme as mindfulness practice as long as expansion and contraction meditation and considering space is not inserted into any of the "shinzenian techniques" it feels like a mindfulness practice. Expansion and contraction is just odd to experience. Although very interesting. 

1 hour ago, ardacigin said:

Make sure not to get seduced by the pleasant sensations of dullness if it arises.

That is interesting it's not cognitive for me anymore, yet more in my body awareness. Thanks for pointing that out! I make sure to observe and feel dullness as well as to not get seduced by it. I most likely will at one point. lol

Edited December 30, 2021 by ValiantSalvatore

[Tristan12]

@Consilience I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're talking about, but after reading what you said I tried applying mindfulness to my sleepiness whenever I feel it coming on during meditation, and it has helped a lot. I tend to fall asleep whenever meditating while being tired, and my strategy before to deal with that was to meditate with my eyes open, but sometimes even that wouldn't work. I've tried what you said a few times now and I find that just putting awareness on the part of my mind that is starting to fall asleep and go unconscious is enough to wake it up. Thanks for your advice

[ardacigin]

@Tristan12 It is great to hear Ethan's advice worked well for you :)) Try the process I've outlined in the post if that strategy doesn't work.

Basically, do whatever works. Only as a last resort, give into the sensation of sleepiness and take a nap. Until then, do your very best integrating these antidotes and eventually, your mind will 'click' and say

'Okay. Finally, I have a clear understanding of how sleepiness arises and I know exactly how to practice to remain ever alert and bright'

When that point comes, your practice will take off and potentially be a watershed moment since it will enable you to develop deeper awareness and meditation skills. Getting to that moment is absolutely crucial.

[Harikrishnan]

I dont feel sleepy during meditation, but after completing the meditation I feel sleepy and sometimes go and sleep in the morning. 

[BlueOak]

Not so sure this is universal.

If I want to focus on healing muscle pains, removing tension etc , I find it easier to do in the evening. In the morning the state of mind is as you describe and I agree. I also don't think there is anything wrong of meditating just to relax yourself before bed, same with yoga or any exercise.

Focusing on the breath is very helpful though to wake up,and perhaps more at times, I agree fully on that.