Google CEO uses ‘deep sleep without sleep’ to relax: what is it?

People under pressure have to resort to different relaxation techniques to lower their heart rate and not fall into processes of stress and anxiety. These problems can become chronic if not addressed, which is why people like Google CEO Sundar Pichai resort to different strategies, such as ‘deep rest without sleep’ (NSDR).

These types of techniques are becoming more and more popular, due to the harsh social and work habits that reign in the big cities.

In fact, recently, a technique used by Navy SEALs, land, sea and air teams of the US Navy, to fall asleep quickly in moments of maximum tension. This method is known as 4-7-8: inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, and exhale for eight.

However, the NSDR popularized by the CEO of Google seems to be attracting the eyes of many people after an interview with Pichai with The Wall Street Journal.

What is ‘deep rest without sleep’?

Deep sleepless rest, or NSDR, is a term coined by Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman.

This technique aims “self induce a state of calm” and “direct our focus to something”, as they explain from Insider.

This method is really interesting for those people who are not able to meditate, according to Pichai. For him, his difficulties in applying meditation are not a problem, since he can find NSDR videos on YouTube that allow him to achieve calm in minutes.

‘Deep sleep without sleep’ helps people relax, fall asleep more easily, reduce stress and anxiety, relieve pain and speed up learning.

How to practice ‘deep rest without sleep’?

As a starting point, understand that ‘deep rest without sleep’ is achieved through two techniques: yoga nidra and hypnosis.

Yoga nidra requires the person to lie on the ground on their back with their eyes closed. At the same time, a guide, virtual or physical, will take you to a state of relaxation.

The intention is that the person concentrated on one aspect. To do this, you must focus on pressure points, breathing, or specific parts of the body, among many other possibilities.

The slowing of the heart rate and the change in the brain from beta waves to alpha waves allows the person to reach a level of relaxation where sleep is mixed with being awake.

In response to hypnosis, this state of relaxation can be achieved through a clinical professional or thanks to some application.

The intent of hypnosis is remove environmentin such a way that the person focuses on a single aspect and the same reaction occurs in his brain as with yoga nidra.