Whether you want to release your inner artist or simply think outside the box when it comes to problem-solving, a good night’s sleep is vital
We’re all familiar with the stereotype of the tortured artist – the idea that the more hardships we face, the more our creativity flourishes. Everything from addiction to grief and, yes, even sleeplessness, have been romanticised by the idea that we turn our pain into poetry.
However, there’s danger behind this message. It’s important to remember that, as the vessels for our own creativity, our efforts don’t flourish unless we do. Taking care of ourselves is an essential component of improving our work, and this includes getting a good night’s sleep.
And this doesn’t just relate to creative pursuits like art, writing and music. Creativity appears in every aspect of our lives, from problem solving to social plans to work meetings.
So if you want to boost your creativity, here’s why you should start by improving your sleep habits.
Sleep and creativity – what the research says
There is plenty of research into the impact of sleep and sleeplessness respectively, with many researchers looking at how sleep impacts various aspects of our day to day lives, including our creativity.
One 2009 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA found that REM sleep could enhance our creativity when compared to non-REM, or non-dreaming, sleep. It was concluded that REM sleep could support us in creative problem solving. As such, missing out on sleep means missing out on dreaming, which can lead to us not displaying as much creativity as we would otherwise.
Moreover, a more recent – and more experimental study – was carried out by the Journal of Sleep Research. Researchers gave participants a creative task to complete in the evening, covertly filling the room with a certain scent while the task was carried out. Overnight, some participants had the same scent pumped into the room while they slept.
It was found that those who slept with the scent present performed better on creative tasks the next day, suggesting that they were able to practice their creative problem solving during their sleep.
In 2017, a research review published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences cemented this theory, looking at historical dream records and modern laboratory research to conclude that dreams were essential for creative problem solving.
Why is sleep so important for creativity?
Alongside nutrition and fitness, sleep is one of the most important pillars of our overall health, wellbeing and function. It supports both our physical and mental health, and in doing so improves our ability to make connections and solve problems – both of which are essential for fuelling the creative process. Concentration, mood management, memory and more are all supported by a good night’s sleep.
So prioritising healthy sleep is essential not just to your creativity, but to your health overall. Set yourself a strict sleep-wake cycle that you can stick to every day, giving yourself enough time to enjoy the 7-9 hours of high-quality sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. You should also keep your bedroom cool and dark, and free from smartphones and other tech. In the run-up to bedtime, consider reading, having a bath or meditating rather than scrolling through social media. This will help your brain wind down effectively and get the rest it needs to be creative the next day.