We all know examples of great discoveries made in a dream. And life practice confirms the saying: in the morning, brighter thoughts really visit the head than the night before. Why and how does the brain search for solutions to problems when we rest?
At night, we just want to sleep, and not think about life’s difficulties. The last thing for us is successfully engaged in our brain. That’s how it should be! During sleep, it does its job of finding new relationships, so we often wake up with a different perspective on the situation.
It may seem that this creates unnecessary stress for us. But, you see, it is much better to do a “debriefing” in a dream, and not think about problems while lying in bed and suffering from insomnia.
On the shelves
While awake, trying to solve a difficult problem, we often just grab a piece of paper and a pen and start making lists of pros and cons for all possible solutions. But usually there are too many options, and we do not always understand how to accurately assess the benefits and significance of each of them. What happens when we fall asleep?
“Our brain quickly prioritizes, recalls the events of the day and starts working on unfinished tasks. He considers the most important events that caused us strong emotions – they are clearly worth reflecting on, ”explains Robert Stickgold, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School.
At the level of physiology, two important changes occur. First, the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for rational planning and self-control, is turned off. Without her active work, various ideas and concepts are no longer limited to the strict boundaries of their categories. And the brain is free to create completely new, free associations.
When we get to the so-called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phase, another change occurs – norepinephrine and serotonin are “turned off”. “Norepinephrine allows the brain to focus on current and specific issues. It is thanks to him that we are not interested in hearing about someone’s “brilliant ideas” when we are working in emergency mode, trying to meet deadlines, ”explains Stickgold.
It seems that we make a choice instinctively and cannot even explain it properly.
Science does not yet know exactly how the cessation of the serotonin system affects the brain. “My suggestion is that when serotonin is “turned off,” the brain begins to consider fragile and implicit relationships more valuable. When both norepinephrine and serotonin are “off” the disparate fragments of various ideas begin to take shape. Our brains pick up patterns and associations that we would never notice in the waking state,” says Stickgold.
As a result, when we wake up the next day, we already have certain decisions in our heads: “No, I won’t go to another city for a new job” or “That’s it, it’s decided, I’m going!”. It seems that we make a choice instinctively and cannot even explain it properly.
Perhaps we will change our mind later, but the “scales” have already shifted in one direction or another. “During sleep there were some subtle changes. Science cannot explain exactly which ones, and does not know whether the decision will be correct. It’s an irrational process,” Stickgold emphasizes.
Why You Shouldn’t Think Over Your Problems Overnight
Many of us tend to think about things before bed while lying in bed. What is happening at this moment? Our brain tends to switch from problems to some other thoughts. We do not allow him to do this, concentrating on what worries us. Gradually, anxiety, regret, and other unpleasant emotions increase, causing the release of adrenaline, which prevents sleep.
At such moments, it is worth trying to simply be aware of the current stream of thoughts and allow it to move in any direction. This is similar to the practice of meditation, in which we simply note all the thoughts that arise without judgment or judgment. Imaging techniques can also help. Imagine, for example, that anxious thoughts fly away in a balloon. Or imagine them as a ball that you throw somewhere far away.
Even if it makes us uncomfortable, we should allow ourselves to think freely about “everything” before going to bed.
But what if the disturbing experiences stubbornly refuse to go away?
“If you’re worried about turning off the stove or closing the door, it’s okay to just get up and check. And if you are worried about a problem that cannot be immediately solved, you should write down a reminder in a notebook (which for this purpose it is advisable to keep on the bedside table) and postpone the decision until tomorrow. What you definitely shouldn’t do is get out of bed to “think right now.” You will deprive yourself of the necessary sleep and, most likely, will not find any solution, ”explains Robert Stickgold.
Even if it makes us uncomfortable, we should allow ourselves to think freely about “everything” before going to bed. This helps our brain prepare itself a “to-do list” that it will work productively on for the next 8 hours.