Why You Fall Asleep During Meditation

If you nod off during meditation, the first explanation is almost always the right one: you are tired. Most adults are behind on sleep, and sitting still with your eyes closed is a very efficient way to find out exactly how far behind.

Start by ruling out the boring answer

Have you been sleeping enough? If not, meditating at the end of a long day is a losing bet. Try it in the morning for a week, or after a walk, and see whether the problem simply disappears. I would guess it does, and I would guess that surprises you.

Is it always tiredness? No. But it usually is, and it is by far the cheapest explanation to test before you go looking for a subtler one.

Three adjustments that help

• Sit up rather than lie down.
• Open your eyes a little — a soft, unfocused gaze.
• Meditate somewhere cooler and brighter.

Posture matters more than people expect. Lying down tells the body it is bedtime, because for most of your life lying down has meant exactly that. Keep the spine upright and the instruction changes without you having to try harder.

When it is avoidance

Occasionally the sleepiness is not about sleep at all. Some sessions are boring, or bring up something you would rather not look at, and dropping off is a neat exit. There is no need to be dramatic about it. Notice which sessions you fall asleep in. If it is always the same kind of day, that is information worth having.

If you actually need a nap

Then have a nap. Do not turn it into a meditation failure. Twenty minutes asleep is often more useful than ten minutes of half-sleeping meditation, and the practice will still be there this evening, or tomorrow, or whenever you have the sleep to spare.

One caveat worth taking seriously: if you fall asleep the moment you sit down regardless of how much you slept last night, and it happens during the day too — in meetings, in traffic, at a red light — mention it to a doctor. That is worth checking properly, and I would rather you heard it here than nowhere.

If you would rather practise than read, start with An attic room — a slow story for the end of the day, when your attention is scattered — for winding down, Sleep story: a kitchen late at night, before you go back to something hard — for a restless night, A field under snow, when the day has been loud — for jet lag or Breathing exercises that help during panic — the unglamorous version, when you have been meaning to start. Each one is sleep story-length: a few minutes, no account, nothing to install. Or read next: What Progress In Meditation Actually Looks Like and Finding Your Zen: Beginner's Meditation Time.