Sleep v Relaxation
Sleep and relaxation are not synonymous; they are both extremely important but they are not interchangeable and do not have identical effects on our wellbeing.
It is apparent that sleep is vital to our existence and necessary for our physical and mental health. Its powers are restorative and recuperative.
However, after a good night’s sleep we may awake feeling rested and refreshed, but before long habitual tendencies will reassert themselves - mental anxieties resurface, physical tightness is still with us, and nervous mannerisms or addictive patterns of behaviour are unchanged. Sleep does not increase our awareness, heighten our consciousness, or help us to improve our lot in life.
Deep relaxation, on the other hand, has the power and potential to help us transform ourselves and our future.
Resting more efficiently
During sleep the rate of metabolism decreases, which means that the body is using up less oxygen and conserving energy. This condition is called hypometabolism and is a state of rest. In the 1970s, however, it was found that deep relaxation also dropped the metabolic rate, but to a greater degree and much more quickly than during the state of sleep.
During sleep oxygen consumption (metabolic rate) drops slowly and gradually until after about 4 to 5 hours it is about 8% lower than when awake, indicating a restful condition. During the state of relaxation however, the decrease occurs in the first three minutes and drops by anything between 10% and 20%. From this perspective, a short period of relaxation (approximately 20 minutes) can prove to be as restful and restorative as about 4 hours’ sleep.
Brain wave patterns
Another difference between sleep and relaxation has been documented using the electroencephalogram (EEG) demonstrating different brain wave patterns dominant in each state.
Alpha waves, which are a slow wave pattern, increase in intensity and frequency during relaxation and are not commonly found in sleep. Alpha waves indicate that the brain is quietening down and that the individual is in a state of relaxed wakefulness characterised by effortless alertness. In other words, a condition whereby all systems are relaxed and resting, but the consciousness is still awake and aware.
Opening the eyes or applying any amount of concentrated effort will immediately bring the brain out of the Alpha (relaxed) state, returning one to the mentally active condition associated with being awake and engaging with our external environment.
Drifting from relaxation into sleep also shifts the brain out of the Alpha wave pattern, taking it into the first stages of light sleep. Deep sleep is the time during which the body and brain may rest and repair.
Although relaxation and sleep bring different rewards, it is worth noting thaty listening to a Guided Relaxation may help to induce sleep and break the cycle of sleepless nights.
Relaxation does not mean sleep
Relaxation means to be blissfully happy
It has no end.
I call bliss absolute relaxation
Swami Satyananda Saraswati
