Sleep
Non-Sleep Deep Rest: Replace Lost Sleep and Reduce Anxiety
A simple, free tool to calm your nervous system and create a state of deep rest.
Posted May 10, 2025 Reviewed by Devon Frye
Key points
- Non-sleep deep rest, or NSDR, is an evidence-based stress reduction tool that has wide-ranging benefits.
- NSDR induces a deep rest state between sleep and wakefulness, and can be used to replace some lost sleep.
- NSDR replenishes dopamine and reduces cortisol, providing a boost when used mid-day.
- Daily practice has been shown to improve attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation.
I've experienced periods of insomnia since I can remember. It worsened over the last decade, due to a combination of a difficult life situation and, I assumed, getting older. A particularly stressful season found me waking up regularly at 3 am, unable to fall back asleep.
Insomnia is a vicious cycle. The less you sleep, the worse you feel, and the less able you are to calm yourself and your brain down. You're exhausted, but when you finally get to bed, you lie there, tense and wide awake, because you want to sleep so badly. Waking in the middle of the night feels even worse.
I implemented various sleep hygiene strategies, as well as principles of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and discussed it all with my doctor. I sleep much better now, but still have occasional restless nights or mornings when I wake up too early.
For those nights when I don’t get enough sleep or wake up exhausted, I now have a secret weapon: Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR).
An Evidence-Based Stress Reduction Tool
Stanford neurobiologist and podcast host Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., coined the term and popularized this evidence-based tool for stress reduction and cognitive restoration.
Following similar principles to an Eastern relaxation practice called yoga nidra, NSDR is a science-based, non-spiritual form of mindfulness practice that directs your mind through a series of different attention practices. The parasympathetic nervous system is directly stimulated through periods of deep, focused breathing, with an emphasis on prolonged exhalation.
Engaging in this practice brings about a state of physiological “deep rest,” with the brain resting in a state midway between fully alert and sleep. When I practice NSDR, I feel deliciously relaxed while staying fully aware of my thoughts and my body.
Implementing The Practice of NSDR
I became interested in this practice because Huberman recommended it as a strategy to replace lost sleep. I started using NSDR on mornings when I woke up underslept or particularly tired.
I would get up, have a glass of water, and lie back down. I'd grab my phone, open my favorite NSDR protocol, put on my headphones, and hit play. One can do it sitting, but I prefer to lie down to maximize my body’s ability to drop into deep rest.
The session lasts just over 20 minutes. When it's finished, I get up and it feels like I’ve had another hour’s sleep. My mind is clear, my body alert and energized. It can’t completely replace sleep (nothing can), but it feels similarly restorative. Best of all, it's something within my control that I can easily implement.
I’ve never been someone who naps. I’m tightly strung, so I can’t just lie down at any time and sleep. Naps can also worsen insomnia by reducing accumulated sleep pressure on the brain. As a nap replacement, NSDR has been a godsend during periods of stress, and any time I need to perform at my best.
According to Huberman, NSDR replenishes dopamine and decreases cortisol, and can provide a mid-day energy boost. It can enhance learning and neuroplasticity, and calm anxiety and nervous tension that make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Now, when I wake up in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning, I take a few deep breaths and start going through the mental motions of NSDR. I don’t get very far, as sleep comes quickly.
Additional Benefits
In a 2019 study published in Behavioral Brain Research, NYU neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki, Ph.D., reported that a 13-minute daily NSDR practice enhanced attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in subjects who did not normally practice meditation.
The benefits of NSDR have been so notable that I now do it every morning. As a result, I've noticed that it seems far easier to manage my mind. If I start worrying or going down an unhelpful rabbit hole, I catch the thoughts quickly and redirect my attention to the present moment.
I’ve also noticed that I sink much more easily into a state of restful peace when I sit down to relax. I appreciate the warmth of the sun on my face and skin on a whole new level.
I’ve downloaded that favorite NSDR protocol onto the podcast app on my phone, so that I can do it anywhere, any time. I travel frequently for speaking engagements and listen to the recording on planes to get extra rest and prep my brain to perform.
How might it fit into your life?
Copyright 2025 Dr. Susan Biali Haas, M.D.
Facebook image: Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock
