We're also alive when we're asleep ... The difference between being asleep or awake lying on the couch seems to have more to do with reduced/different mental ac

We're also alive when we're asleep ... The difference between being asleep or awake lying on the couch seems to have more to do with reduced/different mental activity than energy usage. Being unconscious, or in a coma, in a hospital bed is more akin to being asleep, which is why you can be in a coma for years without dying.