Cortical arousal - Discussion
Cortical arousal
Cortical arousal | Joseph Martin | 12/30/24 7:22 AM |
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Joseph Martin | 12/30/24 7:58 AM |
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Chris M | 12/30/24 8:19 AM |
Joseph Martin, modified 1 Month ago at 12/30/24 7:22 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 12/30/24 7:22 AM
Cortical arousal
Posts: 4 Join Date: 9/26/24 Recent Posts
Dr. Willoughby Britton famously found an inflection point below which meditation practice was sleep-promoting and above which sleep-inhibiting. Low practice amounts increased sleep duration, but as practice amount approached 30 minutes per day, sleep duration and depth began to decrease and cortical arousal (awakenings and microarousals) began to increase. Long-term meditators have also been found to have poorer sleep than non-meditators, with cortical arousal that is linearly correlated with lifetime meditation practice amount.Cortical arousal is the activation of the brain's reticular formation, which increases wakefulness, heart rate, muscle tone, vigilance, and minute ventilation.
I'm not sure what cortical arousal means for me, but I know I sleep less and feel more anxious when I meditate a lot.
Is cortical arousal a good or bad thing? Could it be a key component of “awakening”, or is it something to be avoided?
Thanks
I'm not sure what cortical arousal means for me, but I know I sleep less and feel more anxious when I meditate a lot.
Is cortical arousal a good or bad thing? Could it be a key component of “awakening”, or is it something to be avoided?
Thanks
Joseph Martin, modified 1 Month ago at 12/30/24 7:58 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 12/30/24 7:57 AM
RE: Cortical arousal
Posts: 4 Join Date: 9/26/24 Recent Posts
https://youtu.be/8VGhAPj6TQA?si=NGpW0oLXEcZP7y7F
"Everybody knows that if you meditate enough you stop sleeping"
She also mentioned that she read the first half of Jack Kornfield's Path With a Heart, and became a meditation advocate. Years later she read the second half of the book, which warns of the dangers.
"Everybody knows that if you meditate enough you stop sleeping"
She also mentioned that she read the first half of Jack Kornfield's Path With a Heart, and became a meditation advocate. Years later she read the second half of the book, which warns of the dangers.
Chris M, modified 1 Month ago at 12/30/24 8:19 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 12/30/24 8:19 AM
RE: Cortical arousal
Posts: 5604 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent Posts
I think more research is needed in this area in general. My experience over about 30 years is that these sleep effects are situational and stage-dependent. I recall specific times and stages when my practice negatively affected my sleep. These negative effects weren't long-term and subsided as the changes mediation was generating were accommodated. Secondly, finding and then practicing the jhanas has been an ongoing boon (positive effect) to my ability to get to sleep quickly and to maintain more extended periods of sleep.