Can Meditation Distrupt Your Sleep?

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Yana
Posts: 396
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:45 am

Can Meditation Distrupt Your Sleep?

Post by Yana »

Hi everyone,

I want to share with you some personal observations concerning meditation.and i am hoping someone can help me..

I really enjoy meditating but i find that if i do it constantly my sleep pattern becomes disturbed.It's not that i'm an insomniac i'm not actually and usually have no trouble going to sleep. But the same pattern has been repeating over and over again ever since i first started meditating.When i notice this happening i have to STOP meditating all together and stick to just reading dhamma books.Which is unfortunate if your determined to practice the dhamma and have your goals set on Nibbanna.

When i go to sleep it's like my brain refuses to shut down or lose consciousness i am constantly aware of my dreams which are lucid and some of you have advised me to just ignore as it is just "another phenomenon" as it arises and passes but..the thing is..sometimes i feel this light sensation almost like my ..i don't know what to call it.. about to lift out of my body..like i'm expanding out and up..getting larger..like a baloon... up into the ceiling sensation and this WILL ALWAYS scare me into waking up. it leaves me scared. when i try to go back to sleep, i have these micro sleeps and that disturbs and wakes me and leave me in a half sleep state all through out the night. it is affecting my lifestyle especially with work.i get very tired at work.And it doesn't look very good with my boss and all. I went to the doctors to seek help and they prescribed me sleeping pills and it helps a bit but am still a little conscious and a little aware.it's like when i meditate it's very hard to lose consciousness or awareness during sleep.

I know some of you have advised me not to meditate at night or before bed,but i tried just meditating in the early morning and keeping it short but that's enough to cause this phenomenon to happen at least for a good 4 days.Although its effect gradually lessen.The only way i can solve this problem is If i stop meditating all together, the lucid dreaming and sensations subsides until i sleep normally and lose awareness normally.But the downside is i'm not meditating any more.

It's just i feel like it's really inhibiting me.I feel very sad because i truly want to progress.But i don't want to deal with this phenomenon.It's not just the sleep patterns..but the dreams i have are very just not the usual types of dreams i have.Normally i don't even remember my dreams but now it's even hard to separate it from reality.which can be terrifying to be honest.it disturbs me through out the night..and leaves me drained when i wake up because of lack of sleep.

I just feel hypersenstive.i mean i'm a very sensitive person to begin with even before i became a Buddhist.But i never had sleep problems.I got no other word to describe it.I could almost SWEAR that meditation is making me ultra sensitive. which i don't know if it is normal or not.Is it possible that meditation could be giving me a different result.I feel inner peace and calmness and even bliss,and truly enjoy meditation.i do it when i'm happy or sad.Or even when i'm not in the mood or agitated.i just do it. when i'm awake i can feel the positive effects of meditation but when i go to bed it's like i have to note all these disturbing dreams and disturbing sleep patterns..i mean dreams are like everything in your subconscious..and there's Sooo many things going on...not to mention all the other unexplainable things..like past lives,dejavus etc and i could just note it arise and pass and ignore it all but that sensation of floating..that's what actually bothers me because i physically wake up scared and it disturbs my sleep.I really feel like i'm going through an important event as crazy as this may sound..i feel like i'm dying..like i am going through death.so i find it extremely hard to ignore or note.

so can anyone kindly advice me on this please..am i doing something wrong with my practice..is this normal...
Has anyone ever encountered the same problem..please inbox me at least...
i know i'm not making much sense and but i would really appreciate any help.

:buddha2: Thank You
I won't give up! :heart:

I also like to know...can meditation have negative results..I see this as a negative result..
Life is preparing for Death
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Kim OHara
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Re: Can Meditation Distrupt Your Sleep?

Post by Kim OHara »

Hi, Yana,
There are people here who are far better qualified to give you good advice than I am, but some of this thread - http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=11067 - may be useful to you.
As for whether meditation can have negative results, I think the answer is yes, it can - mostly by stirring up stuff that we have hidden from ourselves because it is disturbing. Digging it up and looking at it so that we can come to terms with it and move on is basically a good thing to do, but it can be stressful and uncomfortable, so taking it slowly is a good idea.

Hope this helps,

:namaste:
Kim
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Re: Can Meditation Distrupt Your Sleep?

Post by befriend »

metta is a cure for insomnia, maybe do some metta regularly. when i do metta consistently i go to sleep quickly have nice dreams really nice dreams and wake up alert and with good energy. im sorry to hear about this. maybe you need to do some healing meditations as well tara brach is a buddhist teacher you might want to look her up she does alot of work with healing.
take care, befriend
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Cittasanto
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Re: Can Meditation Distrupt Your Sleep?

Post by Cittasanto »

Hi Yana, how are you?
Meditation can bring things to the surface and cause disruptions to sleep, I went the better part of a year getting about an hours sleep a night for no apparent reason but allot of aggression and pain from my past was also quite predominant (I had full blown panic attacks and ran in 10mins what would take me an hour to walk) and then went quite sensitive to aggressiveness.

Keep with the meditation, but try to see what personality traits (in general) and hindrances are predominant (within the meditation) and use an appropriate remedy for them.
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But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
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dude
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 4:18 am

Re: Can Meditation Distrupt Your Sleep?

Post by dude »

Yana wrote:Hi everyone,

I want to share with you some personal observations concerning meditation.and i am hoping someone can help me..

I really enjoy meditating but i find that if i do it constantly my sleep pattern becomes disturbed.It's not that i'm an insomniac i'm not actually and usually have no trouble going to sleep. But the same pattern has been repeating over and over again ever since i first started meditating.When i notice this happening i have to STOP meditating all together and stick to just reading dhamma books.Which is unfortunate if your determined to practice the dhamma and have your goals set on Nibbanna.

When i go to sleep it's like my brain refuses to shut down or lose consciousness i am constantly aware of my dreams which are lucid and some of you have advised me to just ignore as it is just "another phenomenon" as it arises and passes but..the thing is..sometimes i feel this light sensation almost like my ..i don't know what to call it.. about to lift out of my body..like i'm expanding out and up..getting larger..like a baloon... up into the ceiling sensation and this WILL ALWAYS scare me into waking up. it leaves me scared. when i try to go back to sleep, i have these micro sleeps and that disturbs and wakes me and leave me in a half sleep state all through out the night. it is affecting my lifestyle especially with work.i get very tired at work.And it doesn't look very good with my boss and all. I went to the doctors to seek help and they prescribed me sleeping pills and it helps a bit but am still a little conscious and a little aware.it's like when i meditate it's very hard to lose consciousness or awareness during sleep.

I know some of you have advised me not to meditate at night or before bed,but i tried just meditating in the early morning and keeping it short but that's enough to cause this phenomenon to happen at least for a good 4 days.Although its effect gradually lessen.The only way i can solve this problem is If i stop meditating all together, the lucid dreaming and sensations subsides until i sleep normally and lose awareness normally.But the downside is i'm not meditating any more.

It's just i feel like it's really inhibiting me.I feel very sad because i truly want to progress.But i don't want to deal with this phenomenon.It's not just the sleep patterns..but the dreams i have are very just not the usual types of dreams i have.Normally i don't even remember my dreams but now it's even hard to separate it from reality.which can be terrifying to be honest.it disturbs me through out the night..and leaves me drained when i wake up because of lack of sleep.

I just feel hypersenstive.i mean i'm a very sensitive person to begin with even before i became a Buddhist.But i never had sleep problems.I got no other word to describe it.I could almost SWEAR that meditation is making me ultra sensitive. which i don't know if it is normal or not.Is it possible that meditation could be giving me a different result.I feel inner peace and calmness and even bliss,and truly enjoy meditation.i do it when i'm happy or sad.Or even when i'm not in the mood or agitated.i just do it. when i'm awake i can feel the positive effects of meditation but when i go to bed it's like i have to note all these disturbing dreams and disturbing sleep patterns..i mean dreams are like everything in your subconscious..and there's Sooo many things going on...not to mention all the other unexplainable things..like past lives,dejavus etc and i could just note it arise and pass and ignore it all but that sensation of floating..that's what actually bothers me because i physically wake up scared and it disturbs my sleep.I really feel like i'm going through an important event as crazy as this may sound..i feel like i'm dying..like i am going through death.so i find it extremely hard to ignore or note.

so can anyone kindly advice me on this please..am i doing something wrong with my practice..is this normal...
Has anyone ever encountered the same problem..please inbox me at least...
i know i'm not making much sense and but i would really appreciate any help.

:buddha2: Thank You
I won't give up! :heart:

I also like to know...can meditation have negative results..I see this as a negative result..
I first read this post with great concern, but after taking time to reflect, I think congratulations may be in order!
No, I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Regular meditation practice causes profound changes in brain activity. I'm not a neurologist, but my own observation lead me to suspect that sleep patterns do change.
I had experiences something like yours, but not as intense; my dreams got a lot more vivid, and I was able to understand their meaning more easily. Both going to sleep and waking up were suddenly very different experiences, and I did have that floating feeling and woke up scared once in a while. As I recall, I stopped meditating for a time but started again later. I don't think I could have started again, maybe wouldn't have even wanted to if not for help from the books.
But...the more I think about it....the more I think that it's nothing to worry about, that it's a sign that you're doing things a little bit too well. At times of very rapid progress in practice, I sometimes feel irrational fear, for no reason. It's not that it's not working, you're just going too fast.
Yana
Posts: 396
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:45 am

Re: Can Meditation Distrupt Your Sleep?

Post by Yana »

dude wrote: I first read this post with great concern, but after taking time to reflect, I think congratulations may be in order!
No, I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Regular meditation practice causes profound changes in brain activity. I'm not a neurologist, but my own observation lead me to suspect that sleep patterns do change.
I had experiences something like yours, but not as intense; my dreams got a lot more vivid, and I was able to understand their meaning more easily. Both going to sleep and waking up were suddenly very different experiences, and I did have that floating feeling and woke up scared once in a while. As I recall, I stopped meditating for a time but started again later. I don't think I could have started again, maybe wouldn't have even wanted to if not for help from the books.
But...the more I think about it....the more I think that it's nothing to worry about, that it's a sign that you're doing things a little bit too well. At times of very rapid progress in practice, I sometimes feel irrational fear, for no reason. It's not that it's not working, you're just going too fast.
Hi dude,

I'm glad to hear you went through the same thing..i thought i was going crazy..nothing's worse than being left immobile by fear and doubt..not knowing whether your on the right track or not..whether meditating is really helping you or making things worse..but as long as i know in my heart that i mean well i know something's good will come of it..
But you shouldn't stop meditating!..you can do it! :buddha2:

I think you right my brain seems to be changing..i even noted that i use to have trouble remembering things and people always teased me at how dull i was but now when my supervisor teaches me something at the office i pick on it quickly even if he only mentioned it once..that never used to happen..it's like i am alert and remember everything he said.. my academic studies have also improved i don't need to review as much as i used to..i think meditation really can change your brain chemicals in some way..i'm not sure but i can SWEAR that it really improves your memory too..it could be all i my head but i could have sworn that i use to have bad memory...i practice mindfulness also daily..but i don't think i am making any progress this is not possible i only started becoming a Buddhist and started meditating at the start of this year and don't know any buddhists offline to practice correct meditation with..i also could never meditate more than a week without stopping because the lucid dreaming would just get unbearable.so i don't think i am making any progress.But i do practice the dhamma sincerely and i Won't give up i don't care how scary it gets..i'll have to face whatever' s inhibiting me because i am determined.. :reading:

Thanks for all the replies!
:group: :heart:
Life is preparing for Death
dude
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 4:18 am

Re: Can Meditation Distrupt Your Sleep?

Post by dude »

..it could be all i my head but i could have sworn that i use to have bad memory...i practice mindfulness also daily..but i don't think i am making any progress this is not possible i only started becoming a Buddhist and started meditating at the start of this year and don't know any buddhists offline to practice correct meditation with..


You're doing great, whether you know it or not. Just keep doing what you're doing. Be patient but consistent, and go at your own pace, what's comfortable for you but enough to be challenge. Do that and all obstacles will dissolve, I promise you.
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James the Giant
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Re: Can Meditation Distrupt Your Sleep?

Post by James the Giant »

My advice is to change your meditation style completely.
Change from, say, noting, to focussing on the breath.
Or change to metta. Metta can be a full practise, and it's extremely nice.

If your job is being affected, and if you need your job, you need to do something to change your meditation.
Then,
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
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