#20: The creativity of sleep: just in case this caught you thinking about a nap, here’s why you should
Did you know our brain is at a creative peak just before we sleep?
You already know this if you turn off the lights and find your mind ricocheting ideas that have you reaching for your phone in the dark — lest you forget them while gallivanting in your dreams, which is likely.
But have you considered the creative power of the nap?
A rest or siesta in between productive sessions is a habit some of the most famous people in history have used to enhance their creativity.
A short nap is said to be followed by a boost of creative activity and a surge of productivity. Talk about ways to get over the midday slump!
While we’re at it, here are 4 of the most famous nappers in history:
Aristotle
The man who said, ‘the energy of the mind is the essence of life’ is said to have been the first self-professed napper in history.
He was a hypnogogic napper, which means he used napping to induce inspiration — how have we not known this all this time?
Leonardo Da Vinci
The man who made Mona smile slept only 2 hours a day — yikes — he would sleep for 20 minutes every 4 hours. It’s called the Polyphasic Sleep Process. Sounds exhausting.
Thomas Edison
The man with the patent patience found napping to be an inconvenience, but he only slept 4–5 hours a night, so ostensibly, had to crack a few naps in between toiling on his inventions.
Albert Einstein
The genius of this crowd was a liberal and enthusiastic sleeper, he indulged 10 hours of sleep each night and took regular power naps during the day. Now this is my kind of nap success story.
So as it turns out, sleeping is the most productive thing you can do all day!
Recommended nap time is 20–30 mins. Enough time to reset and recharge, temporarily fight off fatigue and let the good ideas flow back into session.
Go on and treat yourself to a snooze of inspiration!
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