Jane Sandwood
Improve your brain power by staying in bed! Sleep helps us to remember and reorganize our minds so we are more productive and ready to tackle the day. Research has found that the benefits on our brain, and on our bodies in general, is vital. The ability to utilize our brains for more than their daily functions expands whilst we sleep, with systems such as Integral Deep Listening (IDL) helping with everything from disorders and phobias to physical ailments.
What happens when we sleep
The physical and emotional benefits of sleeping include a reduced risk of obesity, a lower risk of depression and less toxins in the brain. The brain is more active during the times we sleep than when we are awake and recent research has shown that it has its own way of ‘clearing out’ unnecessary toxins, which could have great implications for future health studies.
When sleeping our brains are constantly active, thinking about what has gone on during the day. There are two main ways in which sleep helps with cognitive function and memory. Firstly, if we do not sleep enough than we will not be able to focus and therefore cannot take in and retain the same information as if we had achieved a good night’s sleep. Secondly is the role played by our brains during sleep, we subconsciously remind ourselves of the things we have done during the day, reinforcing the memory and creating stronger connections to help with future recall.
Creativity and dreaming
In the same way that cognitively we perform better on two different levels when we get a good night’s sleep, the same can be said for our creativity. We cannot be creative if we are sleep deprived. Our problem solving skills are increased at night and help us to find answers that we may not have found when conscious. A study consisting of 99 students was conducted, they attempted a 3D puzzle followed by a 90-minute break; half being allowed a nap, the other half kept awake. Those that had been allowed to sleep had a substantially improved performance. That is not to say that the answers came to them in a dream, however their brains consolidated the information they had learnt previously, creating new connections and helped them process the work they had done before in order to better their results.
Overall, the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep are vast and research indicates that we may only just be starting to understand why it’s so important. We must be sure to get a good night’s sleep and nap as often as possible… purely for the sake of our memory and creativity.
