Nils Lodin: Do you think that meditation is a kind of sleep?
Sri Chinmoy: No. Meditation brings down peace. This peace energises the entire body. When your whole body is surcharged with peace, you do not need so many hours of rest. Sometimes two hours of rest will give you ample energy. Again, sometimes you may be in bed for hours and hours and not get any real rest.
Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy answers, part 29, Agni Press, 2001