REM for Creativity

Did you know that REM or Rapid Eye Movement sleep allows the brain to form new nerve connections without the interference of other thought pathways that occur when the brain is awake or in non-REM-sleep? In sleep studies at UC San Diego, volunteers who entered REM states during sleep improved their creative problem solving ability by almost 40% (as compared with quiet rest and non-REM sleep). The passage of time is enough for the brain to find solutions for creative problems that the person has already been working on. Lead researcher, Professor Sara Mednick, indicated that for new problems, however, only REM sleep enhances creativity.