Originally Posted by
Tranquil Toad
Well you do fall asleep, in a way. Whats happening is that you are remaining conscious while the mind goes into states which normally only occur when you lose consciousness - sleeping. The reason this is interesting or worth pursing is that you find these states contain a vast reservoir of awareness, of which your conscious mind was merely the tip of an iceberg. Sleeping states only seem the way they do now because you have blacked out. There is actually more consciousness in levels beyond your waking mind, its just that you blank out and don't experience them currently.
Also the whole process of observing your mind will, over time, cause you to understand yourself, allowing your personality to integrate. So your overall sense of well-being will increase as your psyche falls into alignment, which extends beyond the time you spend sitting in one place with your eyes closed.