Suppose my character is sneaking around an enemy encampment, and, just before being discovered by a patrol, spends their last spell-slot to cast Meld into Stone on a nearby boulder. In doing so, they effectively avoid detection, but they are now out of spell slots.
Can my character take a rest while the Meld into Stone spell is in effect?
The Meld into Stone spell does not explicitly restrict my character from taking a rest while inside the stone, as far as I can tell. Is there any reason (e.g. something inherent in the rules of resting, or an issue with balance I may be missing) that my character wouldn't be able to do this while Meld into Stone is in effect?
This question asks what happens when the Meld into Stone spell ends naturally — this is tangentially related and interesting, but it doesn't provide an answer to this question.
Best Answer
Short rest: yes, Long rest: maybe
The only restriction Meld into Stone places on you is
Short rest is defined as
You certainly can take a short rest, as the character by doing nothing and not moving does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds.
Long rest is defined as
You may even be able to take a full rest inside the stone, as you need 8 hours, and the spell is just long enough for that. One could however argue that standing in stone is not sleep or performing light activity, and therefore does not rest you. It also is not clear if you could sleep, because the spell says "You remain aware of the passage of time". While you sleep you are not aware of the passage of time. So for the long rest, this will be up to your DM to decide.