Non-Sleep Deep Rest

Zero cost, tons of benefits!

Let me begin this article by saying that what’s to come may sound like pseudoscience or woo-woo alternative medicine practices. And while I’m not typing this wearing a full body leotard whilst sipping on lavender tea (or am I?), the scientific research objectively supports the claims to follow.

Good, I’m glad we could get that out of the way early.

This post will be about a practice called Yoga Nidra which is now commonly referred to as Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) – a term coined by Dr. Andrew Huberman. For the sake of brevity, I’ll simply refer to this as NSDR in the paragraphs to follow.

What is it?

NSDR is a body scan practice that allows you to enter a deep state of relaxation residing somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. It is characterized by a certain type of brain activity that is critical for the same restoration and recovery outcomes that sleep yields while also conferring some unique benefits.