/ 22 December 2021

The creative power of sleep

Image source: Unsplash
Image source: Unsplash

If you need an excuse to snooze, new research has revealed that a little bit of shut-eye can boost creativity. In a study by the Paris Brain Institute, researchers gave 103 volunteers a 20-minute break to sleep before being given a mathematical problem to solve. Those that slipped into the lightest form of non-rapid-eye-movement sleep were almost 3 times as likely to crack the code as those who stayed awake and were 6 times more successful than those that entered a deep sleep. It suggests that when we start to drift off to sleep, that’s when the magic happens. Researchers say that’s because that period is one of the most active times for the brain, as it can operate more efficiently when we are relaxed. Afternoon nap, here we come… 

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