New study: Does "I'll sleep on it" really help with problems?

It's not uncommon for people to advise us to sleep on it before making a big decision. "Follow your gut feeling early in the morning, without having thought about it too much beforehand," I've heard many times. And I admit: It's actually worked several times. While I was still unsure in the evening, after a good night's sleep, my decision was made.

I've repeatedly wondered whether my sudden sense of security is a coincidence or whether there's a scientific basis for the connection between aha moments and sleep. Recently, I came across a new study in which researchers investigated exactly that.

The “I’ll sleep on it” phenomenon: Does it really work?

In the experiment, 90 participants were given a seemingly simple task: They had to indicate the direction in which the cloud of dots on their screen was moving. For "top left" and "bottom right," they were to press the X key, and for "top right" and "bottom left," they were to press the M key . The dots were all either purple or orange.

And these colors also had a secret function: They were the shortcut to the solution. Starting with the fourth test block, the color alone immediately revealed the direction the dots were moving. Initially, however, only 15 participants noticed this.

20-minute nap – the breakthrough!?

After the four blocks, the participants were given the opportunity to sleep for 20 minutes in a dark room. During this time, an EEG was recorded, which measures the brain's electrical activity. This allowed the researchers to precisely determine the sleep phases.

After sleeping, the participants completed the task again – and suddenly, 70.6 percent saw the connection between the color and the direction. Significant differences were observed depending on the phase:

• 87.5 percent of people who entered the deep sleep phase experienced an aha moment.
• For those who slept only lightly, the figure was 63.6 percent.
• Among the subjects in the waking phase, 55.5 percent had the inspiration.
• In an earlier study with the same task, there was no opportunity to sleep – here less than half (49.6 percent) came up with the color solution.

The study shows, with individual exceptions, of course: According to science, sleeping on a task, a problem, or a decision can indeed help with the solution. However, it seems to be important to get into deep sleep. So what are we waiting for? Good night—and good decision.

Brigitte

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