Have you ever laid down for a nap and been woken up suddenly? You probably felt groggy or annoyed.
Well, a new study published in Science Advances revealed there are actual benefits to this sleep pattern.
People are more likely to be creative when woken up just after falling asleep.
This study, conducted by Sorbonne Université, intended to test the N1 interval. The N1 interval is separate from REM sleep or deep sleep– instead, this is the short period between being awake and asleep.
Just over one hundred people were chosen to participate in the study. They also each reported having little trouble falling asleep at night.
Then, the researchers used math problems to test their hypothesis. First, each participant was presented with an eight-number sequence and asked to use two math principles to find the following number.
But, there was a much simpler way to solve the problem. This trick was not told to the participants, though.
After answering while awake, the participants were asked to take a nap. Before going to bed, they were set up with probes in order to track brain waves.
This would ensure that each participant truly fell asleep. Finally, they each held cups of water, so once they fell asleep, it would spill over and wake them up.
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Once awake again, the participants tried to solve the same math problem.
The study found that “spending at least fifteen seconds in N1 during a resting period tripled the chance to discover the hidden rule, eighty-three percent versus thirty percent when participants remained awake.” Once reaching deeper sleep, though, this enhanced creativity disappeared.
The researchers believe they have found a “creative sweet spot.” But, using it to your advantage requires you to walk the fine line between “falling asleep easily” and “falling asleep too deeply.”
So, maybe next time you want to feel inspired or look at a problem from a different perspective, try taking a cat nap.
You may find a much easier and more creative solution.
To read the complete scientific study, click here.