The problem of sleeping will be solved.
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Editor’s note: If you think about it, you have a dream at night. It is not without scientific reason, and scientific research shows that falling asleep with problems can help solve problems better. There are many celebrity anecdotes in history related to sleeping problems. For example, when Kekule was sleeping, he realized that the carbon chain in the benzene molecule is a closed ring. Taking advantage of this “magic power” of sleep can help us solve problems better. This article is translated from Medium, author Markham Heid, originally titled “The Science of “Sleeping on It””, I hope to inspire you.
The great inventor Thomas Edison has the habit of taking a nap. It is said that Edison likes to sit in a comfortable chair with a ball bearing on each hand and a metal plate on the foot. After playing for a while, Edison’s hand will relax, and the ball bearing will slam into the plate and wake him up.
This is not without purpose. As soon as he woke up, Edison would immediately write down all his thoughts. He is convinced that many of his most inspirational ideas are generated during the stupid times before deep sleep, and his nap plan is to make better use of this creativity. A new study published in the journal Psychological Science shows that Edison is talking about ideas.
In this study, researchers at Northwestern University asked participants to solve a series of well-designed problems. Participants have two minutes to solve each puzzle. In these two minutes, there will be a unique sound clip that loops through the background. (Different puzzles will play different sound clips.)
The first stage of the experiment was carried out in the evening. After the experiment, people will bring some special equipment back. The device monitors their sleep, and when the participants are asleep, they play some sound clips that are played while doing the questions in the lab. The next morning, people go back to the lab and continue to answer the day before they are unhacked. The result is that the problem resolution rate is improved overall, but the participants are particularly good at solving the problem corresponding to the sound clips they hear while sleeping. The problem resolution rate after hearing the corresponding music is 32%, and there is no music corresponding. The problem resolution rate is 21%.
Mark Beeman, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, said: “In the past, there was a view that the brain was at rest during sleep, but now we know that the brain also has a lot of important things during sleep. Work to do.” During sleep, the brain classifies, consolidates, and stores new information. At the same time, he also “rehearsed” the most recent memories. He explained that this rehearsal seems to help the brain identify meaningful patterns while removing useless “background noise.” All of this helps solve the problem. Playing a sound clip for some issues seems to help with this rehearsal.
The first author of the study, Northwestern University Kristin Sanders, a Ph.D. student, said: “More and more literature shows that sleep can reorganize information to facilitate problem solving.” This also shows that the recurrence of problem memory during sleep This kind of restructuring is crucial.
The great people have long recognized the magical power of “thinking about sleeping.” Writer John Steinbeck once thought thoughtfully, “The problem that is difficult to solve at night is solved the next morning after sleep.” There are countless artists, scientists and philosophy. The anecdote of the family, they all have the experience of inspiration after sleeping.
This kind of anecdote is supported by scientific research. A study published in the journal Psychological Research in 1992Depriving people of a night’s sleep can greatly reduce their ability to solve problems compared to other advanced cognitive processes. Some researchers speculate that dreaming may be to some extent to help solve the problem. Deirdre Barrett, a psychologist at Harvard University, wrote in the New Science of Dreams: “Dream and wakefulness are different biochemical states to think or solve problems. Way.” Barrett believes that from the perspective of evolution and natural selection, any function of the brain must have a certain effect. The role of dreams may be to help the brain analyze problems in different and beneficial ways.
“Sleep can help the brain come up with new solutions because it won’t be disturbed by other tasks during this time.”
In addition, more research has shown that during sleep, the brain plays back the thoughts or problems encountered during the day. Although people tend to remember those weird dreams, studies using dream log records show that, to a large extent, people dream about the various activities they do while they are awake. A study published in Sleep magazine in 2010 found that when people just fell asleep or were about to wake up, the brain often played back pictures related to new experiences. Biman said that when a person’s conscious mind suddenly stops during sleep, other “unconscious” activities seem to happen.
In order to make full use of sleep to solve problems, you can think about the difficulties you face before going to bed. This may encourage your brain to continue working while you sleep. If you are really facing difficulties, or need new ideas or new insights, you can listen to music while listening to music during the day (such as the sound of the waves or the sound of rain), and then repeat the music when you sleep, this may It will further stimulate your brain to solve the problem.
It’s also important to spend some time thinking about the problems you face in the morning. Edison was anxious to write down his thoughts after a nap because he realized that these ideas might disappear as other things caught his attention. Take the time to let your brain look back at things that bothered you the night before, which may have a better effect.
Bieman said: “Sleep can help the brain come up with new solutions, because during this time, the brain will not be disturbed by other tasks.” Of course, when you are awake, your brain is less affected. Point interference also brings some unexpected benefits.
Translator: Jane
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