What are the benefits of Non-Sleep Deep Rest?

Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) can offer several benefits:

• Restores energy and vigor: People often emerge feeling mentally and physically refreshed, including when they are depleted or have had less sleep. It may partly compensate for lost sleep, but it is not a substitute for sleep. 1 2 3
• Supports focus and concentration: It can help restore the capacity to focus, including after poor sleep, and make it easier to return to work. 4
• May improve sleep: Practicing NSDR can help people get better at falling and staying asleep; doing it when awake at night may also help with returning to sleep. 5 6
• Encourages relaxation and self-regulation: It teaches deliberate relaxation and may be useful for stress and anxiety, agitation, and managing one’s nervous-system state. 7 8
• May support learning and neuroplasticity: NSDR-related states have been suggested to facilitate plasticity and learning; transcript discussion also describes evidence of dopamine restoration in brain regions involved in motivation and control. 9 10