Sleep is Good for Creativity

EnergyPod

According to a recent New York Times article, we’re able to approach problems with a renewed perspective after some sleep.

Yeah! I’m so glad that science is catching up to what artists have always known about the Incubation stage (a la Jordan Ayer): that walking away from the problem and putting the mind in a restful state produces surprising and wonderful results. I wrote about this stage and the other 3 stages of the creative process here.

Another thing the article stated was that we often don’t see how our rest helps us, well most people don’t see it. I have to say that I relish a nap and night’s sleep to bring perspective. However, I also get a huge perspective change from staying up all night reading. I wonder if any studies have been done on that. And what I’d really love to know how to sleep more effectively. Alertness Solutions, a sleep consulting company in Cupertino, Calif., is said to teach their employees “specific strategies to improve performance. These included when and how long to nap, how to determine the amount of sleep one needs, and how to recognize signs of fatigue and symptoms of sleep disorders.”

Lastly, the NYT article features an EnergyPod (see image this post) made by MetroNaps. Now that looks wonderful. According to their site, the EnergyPod is ergonomic, semi-private, has soothing sounds, and built-in waking. Though I work from home, I’m still asking MetroNaps where and how I can test drive one of their pods. I’ll let you know what happens.