To Sleep, Perchance to--Problem Solve?

In one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays, Hamlet, the title character muses, "To sleep, perchance to dream." But if a new study is accurate, that dream-filled sleep may have been a perfect chance for him to problem solve as well.

Researchers report in the June 2009 issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that naps including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep led to improved problem-solving abilities.

In the study, 77 volunteers were given word-association tests before and after spending a day without a nap, napping without REM sleep, and napping with REM sleep. Everyone did slightly better on the evening exam as compared to their first attempt in the morning, but those who took naps improved their results even more. For those who napped long enough to have REM sleep, they enjoyed a nearly 40 percent improvement over their initial performance.

So next time you find yourself burdened with a seemingly impossible problem, take a nap and you may potentially dream yourself to a solution.

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