What is the difference between meditation and sleep

Extinguish it with meditation. All of us require food, warmth, water, and sleep. Here's how meditation deactivates fear.

Why is exercise so effective at relieving anxiety, a mental disorder? Fill yours up with meditation. From dark caves to sunlit skyscrapers, from incoherent grunting to the world wide web, from muddy riverbanks to the far reaches of the solar system, we owe everything to our prefrontal cortex.

How meditation builds it up, destroys anxiety. The loudest of them all is fear, their highly influential troop leader. Here's how meditation tames them.

Times are stressful. Unless you meditate. Not having enough of this "calm chemical" can create an array of problems, including anxiety, nervousness, racing thoughts, sleeplessness, and most of all: bad habits. Here's how meditation uncaps the firehose. We all know it. We have all felt it. Here, we discuss eight psychological and biological reasons meditation is the key to conquering this multilayered disease.

An incredibly complex disease, Bipolar disorder has an interwoven variety of biological, psychological, and sociological contributing factors. From a variety of angles, we discuss how meditation neutralizes Bipolar disorder. Like a dominant hand, most of us heavily favor one side of our brain.

Imaging studies have shown that highly successful, massively creative people use both brain halves in a much more integrated way. Balance your brain with meditation. We have all forgotten where we left our keys, blanked on a friend's name, or let a family member's birthday slip through the cracks. However, memory loss is not inevitable, meditation helps us stay sharp as a razor regardless of age. Our brains are still wired like cavemen. How meditation "evolves" humanity.

Like Einstein, meditation builds-up this brain region. Meditation increases intelligence in many ways: From making both brain hemispheres work together, to boosting memory, to increasing brain size, to enhancing emotional intelligence EQ. Here are six ways meditation does the job. Through a process called "Neurogenesis," doctors have discovered that our brain's "neuron count" is not set for life.

Living in the age of distraction, it's no surprise that our ability to concentrate has taken a dive. It's called meditation. Think back to a time when you experienced "flow. Did your sense of self fade into oblivion? Did time disappear? Did the world drop out of sight? Do it again with meditation.

However, very few of us realize just how important "human connectedness" is to our well-being. Here's how meditation conquers loneliness. Thoughts are just thoughts, right? Charge your positive thoughts with meditation. Often called the "happy" neurotransmitter, serotonin is key to relaying signals from one part of the brain to another.

Open the floodgates with meditation. Responsible for the wonderful sense of euphoria we sometimes feel a. And the best way to boost these chemicals? Life unfolds in the present. The problem is, like a monkey swinging from tree branch to tree branch, the human mind's tendency to jump from thought to thought has made us lose touch with the "now. Whether dropped on a deserted island or elevated to the helm of a startup, with their uncanny ability to navigate uncertainty — people with high fluid intelligence always find a way to thrive.

Become "fluidly intelligent" with meditation. Here's how meditation rockets EQ. Where literally anything is possible? Play on the universe's coolest playground with meditation.

The "law of attraction" is powerful. Harness it with meditation. While science is still looking for a definitive explanation, it's clear that we can raise our own state of consciousness. What's the best way? Mindless eating. We all do it. We shovel down food as quickly as possible, eat when we aren't hungry, eat bad foods, overeat, all without a second thought as to why. And it's making us fat. Luckily, mindful eating is natural for meditators.

Layer after layer, when you peel an onion all the way, what's left? The core. Likewise, after stripping away the reasons we gain weight poor diet, low motivation, no exercise, etc , what's at the root? The mind. Master it with meditation. Are you starving yourself to look like a ripped Hollywood movie star? Get intrinsic motivation. Yep, hating how fat we are makes us fatter. Love yourself with meditation.

Conventional wisdom states that, when we get hit by food cravings, we have two options. We can either give in to the urge, or we can resist. Easy, right?

Meditation unlocks a powerful third option. Life sucks. Fill the void with meditation. Meditation burns belly fat too? Instead of feeling our uncomfortable emotions, we turn to food. While filling-up our belly might make us feel better for a little while, it doesn't address the deeper reasons for overeating. Here's how meditation solves emotional eating.

Stress is a fact of life. We all know this. But it goes further. Real high. To the sky. Thankfully, meditation dissolves stress. So many products claim to be an "antioxidant. Boost the "mother of all antioxidants" with meditation. Life ends at Well, according to an overwhelming number of studies, we can. Here's where meditation fits in. Lobsters are biologically immortal. So, how are lobsters "immune" to aging while the rest of the animal kingdom, including us, withers away, DNA into dust?

How meditation "lobsterfies" aging. Telomere shortening can, like a rock star living life in the fast lane, make us age hard and fast even if we are nowhere near over the hill. Learn how meditation's telomere lengthening effectively checkmates father time and mother stress. We've all seen the headlines, a glass a day can extend your life. And how can meditation allow us to reap the same life lengthening benefits?

To the human brain, father time is the cartoon bully. As we get older, one key hormone decreases year after year, speeding up the hands of time, opening the door to disease, and much more. Luckily, there is a time-tested way to boost this super longevity molecule.

Man has sought the elusive "fountain of youth" since the dawn of time. While we don't believe in mythical "stay young forever" potions like our ancestors once did, one magic molecule is making a very strong case. Swim in it with meditation. What if you could train your body to, like a fully loaded Mack truck, run over any bacteria, virus, or germ crossing your interstate?

You can! Thankfully, meditation fills them to the brim. Live long and prosper. Here are four immune system linked brain regions that meditation so conveniently fortifies. Sleeplessness goes far beyond inconvenience.

Luckily, meditation fortifies our brain's sleep center. We all wish we had more hours in the day. Did you know that meditation not only makes you a better lover, but also shifts your libido into overdrive?

Bring sexy back into your life. Do you wish you had more energy? Here's how meditation keeps your "battery" fully charged. Chronic pain, which can go on for months, years, or more, can become so ingrained within our psyche that we feel it's who we are. It can become our identity. Here, we discuss why meditation is the world's best natural pain relief tool. Have you ever stopped to think about how much stress affects your life?

A weapon of mass destruction indeed. Luckily, meditation transcends this "silent killer. The latest research has confirmed that meditation's incredible benefits do indeed pass from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby.

One study had a group of heart patients practice meditation over the course of one year, with incredible results. Cortisol, a major age-accelerating hormone, is the one chemical where less is more. Under chronic stress, this nasty stuff inundates our body, torpedoing our health. Here's how meditation cuts this nasty chemical down. To the ground. Understand how EquiSync is designed to guide your brainwaves into the deepest, most advanced states of meditation. See detailed charts. Why is EquiSync better than the rest?

How do our audio tracks produce such deep meditative states? Learn about EquiSync's next generation design features. Learn more about EquiSync's brainwave powered meditation system through our users most frequently asked questions FAQ. Very helpful. Just the tip of the iceberg! The primary difference between sleep and meditation is that in meditation, we remain alert, awake, and aware—while in sleep, we lack alertness, and instead fall into dullness and non-awareness.

Over time, a regular meditation practice can enhance the quality of our sleep. And sleeping well sets the stage for more productive meditation sessions. So the two are mutually beneficial, in a beautiful way. Our experts can help you choose the perfect mattress. Just added to your cart. Continue shopping.

The Lifetime Renewal Exchange Program. Close search. Call Now. How Sleep and Meditation Are Similar Both sleep and meditation have the power to restore and revitalize the body and mind. Numerous scientific studies have established rest is essential to our physical, mental, and emotional health: Both the cellular repair and stress-processing parts of your sleep cycle are essential to maintaining good physical and mental health. The scientifically verified physical and emotional benefits of a regular meditation practice are similarly impressive, and include: Enhanced vitality Improved memory Increased positive emotion Relaxation and stress relief Deeper and more restful sleep Improved capacity to introspect Increased mental clarity and intelligence Improved powers of focus and concentration Enhanced creativity ability to "think outside the box" Deepening equanimity and compassion The Brain In Deep Sleep and Samadhi When we've got a great night's sleep, this means we've entered deep sleep as well as dream cycles.

How Sleep and Meditation Are Different When we meditate, our body and mind become deeply relaxed, yet we as awareness remain awake and alert. Meditation Can Be More Restful Than Sleep What may surprise you to learn is that in deep meditation, the level of rest that the body receives can be two to five times deeper than what it receives in the deepest part of sleep.

Meditation and Sleep Are Mutually Enhancing Does this mean we should forego sleep entirely, in favor of meditation? Meditation Connects Us With Inner Peace and Joy One of the most profound benefits of meditation is its power to connect us with inner peace, joy, wisdom, and freedom—that is wholly independent of external circumstances. As meditation teacher Ravi Shankar beautifully explains : Wakefulness and sleep are like sunrise and darkness, while dreams are like the twilight in between.

The Bottom Line Sleep and meditation are similar in that they both contribute to physical, mental, and emotional health and wellbeing. Questions or comments? Please feel free to contact us. Follow The Flock nestbeddingorganics. Speak With A Nestologist Our experts can help you choose the perfect mattress.

Please note: comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Written by : gene Brown. The mindful path to self-compassion. Falling awake. Sleep smarter. New York: NY: Rodale, Articles on DifferenceBetween. User assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury. You agree that we have no liability for any damages. What is Meditation? Loving-Kindness or Metta Meditation As its name suggests, this type aims to cultivate love and kindness by having an open mind to receive and give such attitudes.

Progressive Relaxation or Body Scan Practitioners scan their body usually from the feet going upwards and allow tense feelings to be released. Zen Stemming from Buddhism, this involves certain postures, steps, and spiritual elements.

Transcendental By focusing on a mantra, practitioners can rise above their current consciousness to a more spiritual state. What is Sleep? Stage 1: Light Sleep This is the transition from consciousness to unconsciousness and the sleeper can easily wake up. Stage 2: Preparation for Deep Sleep Brain waves become slower and the body temperature as well as the heart beat slows down. Stage 3: Deep Sleep Delta waves, very slow brain waves, are alternated with faster but smaller brain waves.

Stage 4: Continuation of Deep Sleep or Very Deep Sleep The brain waves are almost completely delta and if awakened, the person will feel briefly disoriented. Stage 5: REM Sleep The brain waves resemble those of the wakeful stage and although the eyes are closed, the eyeballs move rapidly from side-to-side, hence, rapid-eye-movement.

Difference between Meditation and Sleep Consciousness Meditation mainly involves the conscious and subconscious mind while sleep chiefly covers the subconscious and unconscious. Typologies There are a number of kinds of meditation like mindfulness, body scan, and Zen; many of them have subtypes too. Length It is recommended to have hours of sleep each day while meditation can last for a few minutes usually 30 minutes and some do it for several hours.

Training or Instructions Practitioners need to follow instructions or have to undergo training before they can master the meditation techniques or steps of a certain type. Posture Certain postures may be needed for some types such as Zen, Vedic, and Yogic meditations. Concentration There is much concentration involved in meditation as the practitioner needs to pay attention to his breathing and aim to achieve a distinct cognitive state. Spirituality or Transcendental Experience As compared to sleep, meditation is more associated with a spiritual connection.

Meditation vs Sleep Summary of Meditation vs Sleep Meditation and sleep both involve different stages of consciousness and mostly result to a more relaxed state.