Can Sleep Boost Your Creativity?
Michael Breus
Psychologist/ Board Certified Sleep Specialist/ Speaker (100+)/ Media (300+ appearances: Oz, CBS, Rachel Ray, etc)
How often do you wake up in the morning with a creative idea? Whether it comes to you spontaneously or it happens in a dream, you may find sleep is a major source of unbridled creativity. Not everyone thinks so though— just ask some of history’s greatest minds.
Some of history’s most well-known and influential geniuses actually believed that sleep would?harm?their creativity and their productivity! And while it’s hard to argue against their accomplishments, is there any truth to that notion? Let’s find out.
How Does Sleep Help— or Hurt— Creativity?
A good night’s sleep is vital to making sure that your body and your brain are firing on all cylinders.?Proper sleep ?maintains your body and keeps you healthy. It also maintains your brain health, helps you create and form memories, and removes clutter in your mind.
However, poor sleep can make it harder to get through the day, and harder for your brain to work properly. This can lead to memory problems, focus issues, and cognitive decline. It can cause physical problems too, and can make you more likely to be injured in an accident.
It can be extremely difficult to get anything done if you’re sleep-deprived. Many creative people, famous or not, have experienced sleep problems.
Are Creative People More Likely to Have Sleep Problems?
Actually, yes. According to a study from the?University of Haifa , creative people were more likely to report disturbed sleep that led to difficulty functioning the next day. They were also more likely to sleep more, and later into the day.
Researchers found that “visually creative people” reported sleep disturbance and daytime sleepiness, while “verbally creative people” tended to be night owls who went to sleep later, slept more during the night, and woke up later in the day.
But why is this the case? The connection between sleep and creativity isn’t well-established, so it’s hard to tell what has a greater influence on the other. However, one theory is that being more creative could make your mind more alert—?which can lead to sleep disturbances.
What is Creative Insomnia?
Creative insomnia is the idea that insomnia or a lack of sleep can make you more creative. While many artists credit minimal or poor sleep for many of their creative ideas, studies have not found a direct relationship between the two. Additionally, the relationship is not as cut and dried as you may think.
The Sleep Habits of Creative People
Whether they were artists, inventors, scientists, or something else entirely, the sleep habits of humanity’s most creative minds are the stuff of legends. Let’s take a look at six of these people, whose sleep schedules are as diverse and eclectic as their bodies of work.
Thomas Edison
You can thank Thomas Edison for many inventions you may take for granted today. During his life, he held over 1000 patents, and his creative insight played a role in inventing technology such as the incandescent light bulb, telegraphs, and alkaline batteries.
However, Edison actively worked to sleep as little as possible. He would actually do this by holding an object in each hand while falling asleep in a chair. As he drifted off to sleep, his hands would relax, dropping one or both items in his hands. The resulting noise would wake him up, and then he’d get right back to work.
Salvador Dalí
Best known for his bizarre paintings which often featured melting clocks, Salvador Dalí strove to portray the unconscious human mind in his work.
Dalí also followed Edison’s technique when it came to sleeping— he slept minimally and would wake himself up just before he drifted off to sleep.
Interestingly, both Dalí and Edison would wake themselves up just before N1 sleep would begin. N1 sleep is a stage of NREM sleep that lasts for less than 10 minutes before you transition into deep sleep— and you spend about 5 percent of your night in that sleep phase.
Does This Actually Work?
Yes and no. According to a study published in?Science Advances , sleep onset may actually be the “creative sweet spot” when it comes to problem-solving. However, the study notes that hitting said sweet spot requires a tricky balance between falling asleep too easily and falling asleep too deeply.
Over 100 participants were provided math problems, not knowing that there was a hidden rule that would allow them to instantly solve the problem. Participants who spent at least 15 seconds in N1 sleep tripled their chances of finding the hidden rule.
However, while students who spent at least 15 seconds in N1 sleep discovered the hidden rule, they would not reap this positive effect if they reached deeper sleep.
Albert Einstein
Odds are, if one person comes to mind when you think “genius,” it’s probably Albert Einstein. Best known for his theory of General Relativity, Einstein is a popular and well-known figure in our modern culture as well as in classrooms and science labs everywhere.
Unlike many creative geniuses, Einstein actually slept for about 10 hours per night and napped during the day.
Ludwig van Beethoven
It’s hard to meet anyone who isn’t familiar with Beethoven’s music. Famously, Beethoven himself was deaf while he composed many of his greatest masterpieces. But how did his sleep schedule affect his work?
Like Einstein, Beethoven actually maintained a proper sleep routine— going to bed at 10:00 PM and waking up at 6:00 AM.
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Maya Angelou
Poet, civil rights activist, and memoirist Maya Angelou unapologetically gave power to the marginalized voices in her writing, including?I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Angelou also prioritized sleep during her lifetime, usually going to bed at 10:00 PM and waking up at 5:30 AM.
Leonardo da Vinci
I’ve actually written a bit about?da Vinci’s legendary sleep schedule ?in the past!
While da Vinci was a true Renaissance man— being a master painter, sculptor, and inventor, among many other skills— he only got about 2 hours of sleep every 24 hours! Once famously saying “Sleep resembles death,” da Vinci believed that he had too much to do to be able to devote time to a full night’s sleep.
Instead, he was an avid napper who took 20-minute naps every four hours. Too bad he didn’t have any?Napjitsu ?handy— who knows what else he might have accomplished!
4 Tips for Better Creativity and Better Sleep
While the world’s most creative minds had sleep schedules as varied and unique as their contributions to society, what worked best for some of them may not leave you feeling so peppy in the morning. Here are my top 4 tips for better creativity and better sleep.
1. Prioritize Sleep
I think this is the most important sleep tip for creative people. While it’s true that many of the world’s most unique minds credit minimal sleep as a key part of their creative process, the truth is that you?need?sleep for your mind to be at its best— and for healthy longevity.
While you may often find a creative solution to a problem just before falling asleep, sleep deprivation can actually make you less creative. This is because you’re missing out on the vital REM, or rapid eye movement sleep you need to fuel creative thinking. Remember, REM sleep is also the sleep stage associated with dreams. If you short yourself on a good night’s sleep or sleep only in short bursts, you cheat yourself out of REM sleep and its positive effects on a creative mind. Remember, REM sleep is where most dreams take place too!
Be sure to aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night— that’s how much the average adult needs to wake up feeling refreshed each morning.
For more information, check out my article about?Why You Can’t Think Straight When You’re Sleep Deprived .
2. Sleep (and Create) According to Your Chronotype
As you’ve read above, even the most creative minds can have wildly different sleep schedules and work schedules. The same is true for every person— what may work for one person absolutely will not work for someone else. This is because everyone functions according to a unique internal system called a?chronotype .
Your chronotype is your natural inclination to be awake or asleep at certain times. Not only does your chronotype define your ideal sleep schedule, but it can also predict your ideal productivity windows. Some chronotypes are more productive in the mornings, while others are more productive in the evening. Knowing your chronotype is a huge boon to creating your ideal schedule from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed.
Want to find your chronotype? Check out my?chronoquiz !
3. Get Tested for Sleep Disorders
It’s hard to prioritize sleep if something beyond your control is preventing you from getting the rest you need. If you consistently have poor sleep or struggle to get the restful sleep you need to be at your best, you may have an undiagnosed sleep disorder. Sleep disorders like sleep apnea or insomnia won’t go away on their own, so it’s vital to get tested by a professional and get the necessary treatment for a better night of restorative sleep.
I recommend getting tested if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Need help finding an accredited sleep center near you? I recommend using this tool by the?American Academy of Sleep Medicine .
4. Take a Nap
Remember— Einstein and da Vinci both included naps in their sleep schedules. If you’re feeling tired during the day, taking a short nap— less than 90 minutes— could give you the boost you need to finish the day strong and get those creative juices flowing. Check out?Napjitsu ?for more great napping ideas and tips.
Just make sure you don’t nap too late in the day though. Napping too close to your bedtime can disrupt your circadian rhythm and make it harder for you to fall asleep. Instead, try napping between 1:00 and 3:00 PM— this is when your circadian rhythm naturally produces more melatonin during the day.
While many of history’s geniuses have accomplished astonishing feats on little to no sleep, this may actually do more to stymie creativity than foster it. Beethoven and Einstein certainly thought so too!
Sweet Dreams,
Michael J. Breus, PhD, DABSM
The Sleep Doctor