There’s evidence that napping is creatively beneficial.

by Anthony D. Fredericks Ed.D.

Key points

• Napping can be an excellent way to ignite your creativity.
• Research supports the notion that frequent naps can help you solve creative challenges.
• Taking a “creativity nap” requires practice and diligence.

What do Thomas Edison, Salvador Dali, and Albert Einstein have in common? Aside from the fact that they are all recognized as some of the most creative individuals in history, they also share a unique predilection: they all took daytime naps. On the surface, we might think there is little correlation between napping and creativity, but some recent research seems to contradict that assumption. If you’re looking for a “Eureka” moment or for inspiration to strike, you might want to consider taking a snooze. The results could be eye-opening.

What the Research Says

One research study noted that most of us have a short stretch of insight and creativity just as we begin to drift into sleep. This is a phase known as non-rapid-eye-movement (the N1 state) – that hazy time we all experience just before we enter deep sleep. The researchers suggested that this stage is when we often generate novel or innovative ideas.

The study, conducted at the Paris Brain Institute, provided each of 103 participants with a series of mathematical problems. Frustrated by their inability to solve the problems, individuals were then offered a 20-minute rest period with an invitation to take a short nap. After this break, the participants were re-introduced to the problems. The results demonstrated that those who had slipped into the N1 state were nearly three times more likely to solve the math problems than others who declined the opportunity to take a nap. The researchers concluded that most people have a “creative window” just before they fall into a deep sleep.

Delphine Oudiette, the chief researcher, noted that, “…some of the dreams that have inspired great discoveries could be hypnagogic experiences (the transitional state [N1] of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep) rather than night dreams [N2 sleep]). One famous example is the chemist August Kekelé finding the ring structure of benzene after seeing a snake biting its own tail in a ‘half-sleep’ period when he was working late.”

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Researchers from MIT and Harvard Medical School subsequently demonstrated that the time between wakefulness and sleepiness is a particularly fertile time for creativity. The results of their investigations showed that when we are prompted to dream about a specific topic during the N1 stage of sleep, we perform much more creatively relative to that subject. Kathleen Esfahany, one of the lead authors of the study, noted, “When you are prompted to dream about a topic during sleep onset, you can have dream experiences that you can later use for these creative tasks.” This prompting, also known as “targeted dream incubation,” was shown to generate more creative stories in people who napped that it did in people who stayed awake. According to the researchers, this dream state allows the brain to make more wide-ranging connections between seemingly disparate concepts resulting in a decided boost in creative thinking.

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In Practice

Although there is a lack of sufficient empirical research on the interface of N1 sleep and creativity, several experts have postulated a direct relationship between sleep onset and innovative thinking. Often cited are the unconventional sleeping habits of Thomas Edison who often scheduled micro naps throughout the day. Legend has it that Salvador Dali also took brief daytime naps in order to inspire his artistic imagery.

The key, according to the researchers in both Paris and Cambridge, is to focus on that brief period of pre-sleep (a phase of sleep that lasts about 10 minutes; the time when we slowly move from consciousness to unconsciousness). This is a time when the brain often conjures connections or concepts it may not generate during normal waking hours.

Related: Sleep Helps Clean Up Your Brain

Here’s how you can make it work: Before napping, take a few moments to write down an issue or creative challenge facing you. Place that note, along with a writing instrument, next to your bed or couch. Set your cell phone alarm for 10-15 minutes and lie down. Tell yourself that you are just going to take a rest (N1), rather than fall into a deep sleep (N2). Then, when the timer goes off, stand up, grab the note and pen, and walk to another room in the house or building. Write down whatever jumps into your mind. You may come up with a solution or two. You may also find yourself generating ideas that have nothing to do with your current issue. That’s OK. Save those thoughts in a special file. You may want to come back to them later.

It’s important to remember that just like world-class marathon runners, this is a procedure you have to practice on a regular basis. You may not create something innovative the first or third or tenth time you intentionally nap, but you will be training your brain to focus on the generation of new ideas in subsequent napping experiences. What to do when you don’t have time during the day to take a short nap? According to several researchers, meditating and mindfulness are excellent substitutes.