RE: Problems with Energy/Sleep

Ronit Meduri, modified 2 Years ago at 4/26/21 6:47 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 4/26/21 6:46 PM

Problems with Energy/Sleep

Posts: 41 Join Date: 4/26/21 Recent Posts
I had a mini-awakening yesterday that involved a lot of energy and now I am having trouble sleeping. I don't feel sleepy either mentally or energetically but my body is sore in a lot of places, which is often what happens when I am sleep-deprived.  Any help in regards to how I may be able to solve/understand this problem would be greatly appreciated.
Adi Vader, modified 2 Years ago at 4/27/21 9:25 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 4/27/21 9:24 AM

RE: Problems with Energy/Sleep

Posts: 268 Join Date: 6/29/20 Recent Posts
I am not sure as to what you mean by mini - awakening. Some meditation experiences create agitation in the mind and thus prevent sleep.
Try the following:
1. lie down supine, eyes closed
2. Be generally aware of the weight of your body
3. Take slightly slower slightly deeper abdominal / diaphragmatic breaths
4. On the outbreath start noticing the relaxation of the diaphragm
5. Coinciding with the outbreath start relaxing the muscles in your head and face particularly the brow, the eyelids and the jaw
6. Similarly start relaxing all the major muscles in your body
7. Notice that the body is a lump of clay, it carries tension becasue the mind carries 'readiness'. Readiness to 'do'
8. Migrate to putting down the 'readiness' you carry in your mind
9. Dont control your attention, let objects self select. When ever attention lands on an object, notice the desire to engage and put down this desire
10. You may spend the whole night doing this - it creates relaxation in the body and eventually leads to 'stillness' in the mind
11. Don't fight hypnogogia, simply refuse to participate in anything

The objective of the exercise is to stay in a state of physical and mental homeostasis. If sleep happens, it happens. Dont try to force sleep - you cant.
Ronit Meduri, modified 2 Years ago at 4/27/21 11:04 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 4/27/21 11:04 AM

RE: Problems with Energy/Sleep

Posts: 41 Join Date: 4/26/21 Recent Posts
I am not completely familiar with what terms I should be using, perhaps it was a second jhana though; although I am not sure. Or more likely a second, milder A&P. What's relavent to this conversation is that it gave me a lot of energy that made it hard to sleep. Your suggestion sounds similar to a Michael Taft sleep meditation video I tried, and although it helped quite a bit it still didn't resolve the problem. Although I think I'll be able to get sleep more naturally over time, I'd still like a solution to the problem as it comes up every single time I make a lot of progress on the spiritual path: I get a lot of mental energy but not much physical energy, and that makes me unable to sleep, which further causes my body to feel like crap, even though my mind feels better than normal.
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Siavash ', modified 2 Years ago at 4/27/21 11:37 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 4/27/21 11:37 AM

RE: Problems with Energy/Sleep

Posts: 1679 Join Date: 5/5/19 Recent Posts
Hi and welcome,

The suggestion that Shinzen gives in this video was very helpful for me. You may find it helpful too.

I have two kinds of manifestation related to sleep too, one is that the energy and mindfulness is higher because of practice, so there is no sleepiness. Other is that although I've had enough sleep, all muscles in my body are sore and very painful, like I haven't slept for 3 days. The best thing that I've found is to just accept it and relax, and live with it, and find what is restful in the experience and bring it to the foreground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUQFw2jNf7s&t=1s
Ronit Meduri, modified 2 Years ago at 4/27/21 1:50 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 4/27/21 1:50 PM

RE: Problems with Energy/Sleep

Posts: 41 Join Date: 4/26/21 Recent Posts
I found it very helpful, thank you.
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David Matte, modified 2 Years ago at 5/12/21 7:41 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 4/27/21 6:05 PM

RE: Problems with Energy/Sleep

Posts: 108 Join Date: 8/3/19 Recent Posts
I know that feeling. Inability to fall asleep happens to me when letting the piti sustain for too long and too intensely in jhana.  The only thing I've found that somewhat works is deep breathing exercises: Lay down on your back and take deep slow breaths, and imagine you're breathing out the energy with every exhale. This didn't completely dissipate the energy for me but it was still an easy enough exercise to mitigate the energy.

It seems that to dissipate the energy completely you'll just have to wait it out. This can be frustrating and why it's a thing for people to skip over the 1st jhana with its strong piti and consequent side effects. ​​​​​​​

However, one thing I haven't researched much are energy practises like Qi gong. There may be some movements that can dispel, lessen, or move the energy to where it's not so much an issue with sleeping.

  ​​​​​​​Peace
Ronit Meduri, modified 2 Years ago at 5/12/21 5:20 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 5/12/21 5:20 PM

RE: Problems with Energy/Sleep

Posts: 41 Join Date: 4/26/21 Recent Posts
Thanks, I have started learning Tai Chi and have found it very useful. It does not really lessen your energy, but rather just gives you more physical energy - which means that I can do it in lieu of sleep to some extent.
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Kaloyan Stefanov, modified 2 Years ago at 5/18/21 7:30 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 5/18/21 7:30 AM

RE: Problems with Energy/Sleep

Posts: 83 Join Date: 2/18/21 Recent Posts
Just comming in to share that in my personal experience it is best to just accept it and relax, and live with it, as said by Siavash above. When there is sleepiness, I sleep, and when there are these A&P peaks, I don't, and then there are these nights when you don't seem to have any deep sleep, and that is also fine.

Even if an A&P peak somehow means I sleep less and contradicts my plans, it still somehow gets resolved and hasn't actually produced any trouble in hindsight. Life takes care, if we let it ;)
Ronit Meduri, modified 2 Years ago at 5/18/21 3:16 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 5/18/21 3:16 PM

RE: Problems with Energy/Sleep

Posts: 41 Join Date: 4/26/21 Recent Posts
If you also have too much mental energy during A&Ps (like me) I would highly recommend you do Tai Qi or some sort of physical/energetic practices. The biggest problem with Buddhism from my perspective is that it does not appear to have one of these practices. Even Kundalini does not really give you any physical energy (ime).