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| Problems are solved by sleeping | Problems are solved by sleeping |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Sleeping on a problem really can help solve it say scientists who found a dreamy nap boosts creative powers. | Sleeping on a problem really can help solve it say scientists who found a dreamy nap boosts creative powers. |
| They tested whether "incubating" a problem allowed a flash of insight, and found it did, especially when people entered a phase of sleep known as REM. | They tested whether "incubating" a problem allowed a flash of insight, and found it did, especially when people entered a phase of sleep known as REM. |
| Volunteers who had entered REM or rapid eye movement sleep - when most dreams occur - were then better able to solve a new problem with lateral thinking. | Volunteers who had entered REM or rapid eye movement sleep - when most dreams occur - were then better able to solve a new problem with lateral thinking. |
| Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has published the US work. | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has published the US work. |
| We propose that REM sleep is important for assimilating new information into past experience to create a richer network of associations for future use The study authors | We propose that REM sleep is important for assimilating new information into past experience to create a richer network of associations for future use The study authors |
| In the morning of the test day, 77 volunteers were given a series of create problems to solve and were told to mull over the problem until the afternoon either by resting but staying awake or by taking a nap monitored by the scientists. | In the morning of the test day, 77 volunteers were given a series of create problems to solve and were told to mull over the problem until the afternoon either by resting but staying awake or by taking a nap monitored by the scientists. |
| Compared with quiet rest and non-REM sleep, REM sleep increased the chances of success on the problem solving task. | Compared with quiet rest and non-REM sleep, REM sleep increased the chances of success on the problem solving task. |
| The study at the University of California San Diego showed that the volunteers who entered REM during sleep improved their creative problem solving ability by almost 40%. | The study at the University of California San Diego showed that the volunteers who entered REM during sleep improved their creative problem solving ability by almost 40%. |
| The findings suggest it is not merely sleep itself, or the passage of time, that is important for the problem solving, but the quality of sleep. | The findings suggest it is not merely sleep itself, or the passage of time, that is important for the problem solving, but the quality of sleep. |
| Lead researcher Professor Sara Mednick said: "We found that, for creative problems you've already been working on, the passage of time is enough to find solutions. | Lead researcher Professor Sara Mednick said: "We found that, for creative problems you've already been working on, the passage of time is enough to find solutions. |
| "However for sleep problems, only REM sleep enhances creativity." | "However for sleep problems, only REM sleep enhances creativity." |
| The researchers believe REM sleep allows the brain to form new nerve connections without the interference of other thought pathways that occur when we are awake or in non-dream-state sleep. | The researchers believe REM sleep allows the brain to form new nerve connections without the interference of other thought pathways that occur when we are awake or in non-dream-state sleep. |
| "We propose that REM sleep is important for assimilating new information into past experience to create a richer network of associations for future use," they told PNAS. | "We propose that REM sleep is important for assimilating new information into past experience to create a richer network of associations for future use," they told PNAS. |
| Dr Malcolm von Schantz of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey said: "Whatever the importance of the dreams themselves are, this paper confirms the importance of REM sleep, the sleep stage when most of our dreaming takes place." |