I have turned to meditation recently for those nights when I can’t sleep, and I feel it helps me. Nothing comparable to having slept well, of course, but it seems to ease my way forward during a few hours.

To be honest I’m not exactly sure if I should call it meditation. I just lie on the bed, or sit, eyes closed while I let my thoughts flow as freely as possible, getting to an quasi-dreaming state, where I experience images and sounds.

It’s the same thing I do when taking sleepless “naps”, with the difference of having a much more clear refreshing effect.

Sounds very unlikely, if someone interrupted your meditation would you feel groggy like interrupted sleep? I believe meditation is mostly psychological, while sleep is physiological.

That depends on the meditation - it's never quite the same, really varies a lot. Now, I've taken to doing a lunch time meditation in the tinted back seat of my car (secure carpark) and some times I've actually nodded off for a fraction of second or two - or who knows how long.

At any rate if I was disturbed between the 10 and 20 minute mark when I typically start to settle into it I'd feel a bit rattled. You're meant to spend a minute or two getting back, slowly stretching out and opening the eyes. Always feel a bit sleepy, but then also strangely refreshed.

As a programmer I do find slowing the "mind storm" rather beneficial. Definitely feeling less frazzled.

Possibly daydreaming/napping might achieve the same thing.

In fact, I think napping is possibly more useful than meditation in terms of compensating for lost sleep in general.