Sleep & Creativity

17-year-old Darryl Donald studies graphic design. he is also writing a book of poetry.

He’s noticed. often his best thoughts come after a full night’s sleep.

“The more sleep I get the better focused I am, the better my creative juices are rolling. I can concentrate more on what I’m doing,” says Donald.

New research published in the journal ‘Nature’ backs that up.

The study of 66 people found those who had 8 hours of sleep were three times more likely to solve a creative math problem than subjects who were sleep-deprived.

“The study is interesting because it’s making a claim that sleep is required for creative thought,” says Dr. Jeffrey Durmer, the Director of the Sleep Program and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Experts say that’s because, while we’re asleep, the mind not only keeps working, but works in a different way: unconnected thoughts and ideas are processed in a free-flowing and unregulated way.

“It puts things together that are usually not associated, and that’s sort of what we call flexible thinking or creative thinking,” says Dr. Durmer.

The result is that a good night’s sleep leads to new ideas the next day.

But many teens, like Darryl, or his classmate, Eve Edmonds. are almost always sleep deprived, getting at most 5 or 6 hours a night.

“I don’t ever get any sleep,” says Edmonds, 17.

Experts say the good news is you can make up for lost sleep. on the weekends for example.

“And so I think one big take home message for parents is that if your child is partially sleep deprived, not getting 8 hours of sleep a night. the weekends are very important. Those are time they need to catch up on their sleep so they can continue to function and not accrue debts in their neuro-cognitive function,” says Dr. Durmer.

By Larry Eldridge, Jr.
CWK Network, Inc.

A study performed by researchers at Stanford University found that teenagers require approximately one to two hours more sleep than nine- and ten-year-olds, who only require about eight hours of sleep. This goes against the school of thought that allows older kids to stay up later. Parents may want to be on the lookout for the following things, which could be caused from sleep deprivation.

• Difficulty waking in the morning
• Irritability in the afternoon
• Falling asleep during the day
• Oversleeping on the weekend
• Having difficulty remembering or concentrating
• Waking up often and having trouble going back to sleep

Sleep deprivation also can lead to extreme moodiness, poor performance in school and depression. Teens who aren’t getting enough sleep also have a higher risk of having car accidents because of falling asleep behind the wheel.

By Larry Eldridge, Jr.
CWK Network, Inc.

As the lives of children seem to be getting busier, their sleeping habits may be one of the first things to be impacted. Sleep, though being something that often gets sacrificed, is actually one of the most important things in a child’s life. Experts have developed some suggestions about sleep:

• Sleep is as important as food and air. Quantity and quality are very important. Most people need between seven-and-a-half to eight-and-a-half hours of uninterrupted sleep. If you want to press the snooze alarm in the morning you are not getting the sleep you need. This could be due to not enough time in bed, external disturbances or a sleep disorder.
• Keep regular hours. Try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day. Getting up at the same time is most important. Getting bright light, like the sun, when you get up will also help. Try to go to bed only when you are sleepy. Bright light in the morning at a regular time should help you feel sleepy at the same time every night.
• Stay away from stimulants like caffeine. This will help you get deep sleep, which is most refreshing. If you take any caffeine, take it in the morning. Avoid all stimulants in the evening, including chocolate, caffeinated sodas and caffeinated teas. They will delay sleep and increase awakenings during the night.
• Use the bed just for sleeping. Avoid watching TV, using laptop computers or reading in bed. Bright light from these activities and subject matter may inhibit sleep. If it helps to read before sleeping, make sure you use a very small wattage bulb to read. A 15-watt bulb should be enough.
• Avoid bright light around the house before bed. Using dimmer switches in living rooms and bathrooms before bed can be helpful. Dimmer switches can be set to maximum brightness for morning routines.
• Don’t stress if you feel you are not getting enough sleep. It will just make matters worse. Know you will sleep eventually.
• Avoid exercise near bedtime. No exercise at least three hours before bed.
• Don’t go to bed hungry. Have a light snack, but avoid a heavy meal before bed.
• Bedtime routines are helpful for good sleep.
• Avoid looking at the clock if you wake up in the middle of the night. It can cause anxiety.
• If you can’t get to sleep for over 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something boring in dim light till you are sleepy.
• Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature.
• If you have problems with noise in your environment, you can use a white noise generator. A fan will work.

National Sleep Foundation
Shuteye
American Sleep Apnea Association