Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) is an umbrella term coined by Andrew Huberman for various zero-cost protocols aimed at achieving a state of deep relaxation and rejuvenation without falling asleep completely. A similar practice to NSDR is yoga nidra , which is a traditional practice that pairs a guided meditation with the more typical “yogic” language you might hear in a yoga class. We often think of being awake and sleeping as a binary — however, numerous studies have shown that it is more accurately described as a spectrum, with NSDR protocols landing somewhere in the middle. 

While research has shown that napping can have benefits for cognition and alertness, these benefits are only achieved if you personally find naps helpful. If you are someone who finds that naps leave you feeling groggy or irritable, don’t nap and consider trying NSDR instead. If you like naps, try to keep them short and not too late in the day to avoid interfering with your sleep.

Meditation encompasses a variety of practices designed to train your mind’s capacity for awareness and attention. The consistent practicing of intentionally shifting your attention — either toward or away from external stimuli or internal thought patterns — has been shown to have numerous cognitive, psychological and physiological benefits. 

Meditation fosters neuroplasticity — the ability for the brain to form new neural connections — which is a cornerstone of learning, memory formation, emotional processing and healing from previous traumatic experiences. Researchers studying the effects of meditation have been able to observe and measure actual physical changes to brain structure and function — meditation induces beneficial state changes (immediate alterations in brain activity while meditating) and trait changes (long-term structural adjustments in neural pathways).

Meditation practices will fall somewhere along two spectrums: inward vs. outward attention and sharp vs. diffused focus. Interoceptive (inward-facing) practices direct attention to bodily sensations like your heartbeat or breathing. Exteroceptive (outward-facing) practices turn your attention to external stimuli like certain sounds or visual cues. Walking meditation is an example of a practice where you are noticing external stimuli while also noticing the bodily sensations of movement and breathing.

Focused meditation directs your attention to a single point of focus, which could be your breathing, a mantra or chant, visualization or external stimulus. Inevitably your mind will wander, but the goal is to continue to redirect your attention back to the point of focus. On the other hand, “open-monitoring” meditation involves observing any and all thoughts, emotions and sensations that arise and letting them pass without attachment or judgment, and it can be used to enhance creativity.

The type of breathing required to keep your body alive is passive and controlled by the autonomic nervous system — but you can also intentionally regulate your breathing to influence your nervous system, which can have benefits for both brain and body. 

If you spend your workday seated or at a desk, you are almost certainly taking shallow and incomplete breaths, which increases nervous system signals for stress, anxiety and general fatigue. Spending a few minutes each day practicing physiological sighs can restore appropriate oxygen and carbon dioxide levels and increase activation of your parasympathetic nervous system, keeping you calm yet alert. Conversely, cyclic hyperventilation (similar to the Wim Hof Method) increases adrenaline release, having an immediate effect on energy and ability to focus. 

Intentionally controlling your breathing can help manage stress and improve mood, enhance exercise recovery and benefit sleep quality and immune function.