Why do some Buddhist monks sleep in an upright position? (I wasn’t aware that they do.)

The monks at the Samye Dechen Shing Buddhist retreat in Dumfriesshire, England are supposed to sleep upright for five hours a night in a “meditation box,” according to the BBC. The idea is, you’re not as groggy when you wake up, having not descended into deep sleep, and thus sharper when you meditate.

Says the head monk: “If possible, if somebody is well-attuned to that kind of thing, they can develop the amount of time eventually to be able to use the sleeping time [for meditation]. Also if you are more upright when you sleep, when you wake up you haven’t slept so deeply, and it is easy to wake up quickly and get going.”