4 ms·

Interesting. You may be right... but if I derive all the typical benefits of napping (increased alertness, ability to go for extended periods of a few weeks wi

by swombat 17y ago

Interesting. You may be right... but if I derive all the typical benefits of napping (increased alertness, ability to go for extended periods of a few weeks with a lot less sleep, etc), is it not fair to call it napping? After all, if it quacks like a duck... Also, it does happen, though probably no more than 1 out of 5 times, that I actually drift into a dream state while napping, which I would consider equivalent to being asleep.

eru 17y ago
Do you get lucid dreams? I am quite prone to lucid dreaming, especially when napping or getting back into bed after waking up in the morning.
- swombat 17y ago
  I've only had a couple of lucid dreams in my life, unfortunately (that I can remember). I wish I had more - they were both very enjoyable. I think part of the problem for me is that my dreams are so insane that it's very difficult for me to implement mnemonic-induced lucid dreaming.
  - eru 17y ago
    Habits tend to carry over into dreams. Just make a habit of testing for reality every once in a while (or when something looks remotely fishy). E.g. I found that I can not read in dreams--or at least everything longer than a few letters changes when I read it twice. (Jumping also works different in dreams, but that's too geeky to do while you are awake.)
darshan 17y ago
Perhaps -- but your list of benefits matches a list of typical benefits of meditation as well. And falling asleep while meditating isn't terribly uncommon, especially when you're tired. When I first started meditating, it was a lot more than 1 out of 5 times for me. I'm willing to overlook that every dictionary I've checked includes sleep as an essential part of what defines napping, since they all suck at defining meditation. To my mind, if we take successfully falling asleep out of the definition, a nap would still mean lying down, closing your eyes, and not engaging in a specific mental practice, but rather letting the sense of sleepiness overcome you. You might fall asleep, or you might just lie there, consumed in sleepiness for 20 minutes. As soon as you start an exercise to control what your mind/attention does or does not do, however, you're getting into meditation territory: directing your attention to specific parts of your body and willing them to relax, directing your mind to relaxing thoughts, directing your mind away from distressing thoughts, and trying to culture a state where your mind drifts freely all qualify as meditation techniques to me. I think intentions also matter. If you goal is to fall asleep for a while, then you probably napped, even if you didn't manage to fall asleep. If your goal is to let your mind and body relax and refresh, without preference to whether sleep happens or not, then that's meditation to me.

by swombat 17y ago

eru 17y ago

Do you get lucid dreams? I am quite prone to lucid dreaming, especially when napping or getting back into bed after waking up in the morning.

swombat 17y ago
I've only had a couple of lucid dreams in my life, unfortunately (that I can remember). I wish I had more - they were both very enjoyable. I think part of the problem for me is that my dreams are so insane that it's very difficult for me to implement mnemonic-induced lucid dreaming.
- eru 17y ago
  Habits tend to carry over into dreams. Just make a habit of testing for reality every once in a while (or when something looks remotely fishy). E.g. I found that I can not read in dreams--or at least everything longer than a few letters changes when I read it twice. (Jumping also works different in dreams, but that's too geeky to do while you are awake.)

darshan 17y ago

Perhaps -- but your list of benefits matches a list of typical benefits of meditation as well. And falling asleep while meditating isn't terribly uncommon, especially when you're tired. When I first started meditating, it was a lot more than 1 out of 5 times for me. I'm willing to overlook that every dictionary I've checked includes sleep as an essential part of what defines napping, since they all suck at defining meditation. To my mind, if we take successfully falling asleep out of the definition, a nap would still mean lying down, closing your eyes, and not engaging in a specific mental practice, but rather letting the sense of sleepiness overcome you. You might fall asleep, or you might just lie there, consumed in sleepiness for 20 minutes. As soon as you start an exercise to control what your mind/attention does or does not do, however, you're getting into meditation territory: directing your attention to specific parts of your body and willing them to relax, directing your mind to relaxing thoughts, directing your mind away from distressing thoughts, and trying to culture a state where your mind drifts freely all qualify as meditation techniques to me. I think intentions also matter. If you goal is to fall asleep for a while, then you probably napped, even if you didn't manage to fall asleep. If your goal is to let your mind and body relax and refresh, without preference to whether sleep happens or not, then that's meditation to me.