Transcript:

So, over the past couple of weeks, I have noticed that some of my friends who are fellow meditators, they tell me that, "Sandeep, I'm meditating for 20 minutes twice a day, so I can get away with 4 hours of sleep." And I don't think that is right. Here's why.

Meditation is working on the mind. Meditation keeps the mind healthy. Sleep is essential to keep the brain healthy. And the brain and the mind are two different things. The brain is a physical organ.

Now, here's what happens during sleep. In the brain, along the neurons, there are these cells called glial cells. They're part of the glymphatic system. And the role of the glial cells is to remove the toxins or the metabolic byproducts which happen as a result of the functioning of the neurons. And the glial cells remove these.

In NREM sleep, what happens is these glial cells, they contract, and they open up the channels so that the cerebrospinal fluid can come and wash off all the metabolic waste from the brain, and it cleans the brain. So sleep is absolutely critical for a healthy brain.