How to Find Solutions to Your Problems While Sleeping.. Science Answers

SadaNews - A scientific study conducted in the United States has concluded that the human mind may be more capable of dealing with problems while sleeping than previously thought. Researchers from Northwestern University in Illinois observed changes in how volunteers in the study dealt with certain life challenges upon waking after influencing the content of dreams during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of sleep.

They found that dreams may play a more effective role in the problem-solving mechanism of humans. Psychologists have long noted that diverting the mind from difficult dilemmas for some time can lead to suddenly finding a solution, but they have had difficulty studying dreams and their impact on problem-solving mechanisms due to the lack of a reliable way to access or direct dream content without waking the volunteers in various scientific experiments.

The research team at Northwestern University observed evidence of the possibility to control dream content while sleeping. These findings support the idea that the REM sleep phase, during which the eyes move rapidly under the eyelids, is linked to vivid dreams, indicating a form of creative thinking occurring during sleep. In the study published in the journal "Neuroscience of Consciousness," which focuses on neuroscience research, the researchers employed a technique known as "targeted memory reactivation" by playing certain sounds while volunteers attempted to solve specific puzzles and then playing the same sounds again while they were falling asleep.

The goal was to remind the brain of problems it had not solved while awake and encourage it to produce dreams related to those problems or puzzles. This method proved to be effective, as 75% of the participants reported dreaming about the problems for which they had not found solutions, and they successfully identified solutions to the problems that appeared in their dreams at a significantly higher rate of 42%, compared to 17% among those who did not experience the dream stimulation.

Researchers caution that these results do not definitively prove that dreaming about problems directly leads to solving them; rather, other factors such as increased interest in the puzzle might lead a person to dream about it and find a solution. Researcher Ken Paller, head of the study and a professor of psychology at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, stated in comments to the scientific research website "Psych Daily" that "many of today’s problems require creative solutions, and by understanding how creative thinking works in the brain, we can approach solving the problems we want to solve, leveraging what is called sleep engineering."

During the experiment, the researchers asked 20 volunteers, who had previous experiences recalling their dream content after waking up, to solve a series of challenging puzzles, dedicating three minutes to each puzzle while a specific audio clip was played during each attempt. The tests were difficult enough that most participants could not find a solution. The volunteers were then asked to spend the night in the lab while their vital and mental functions during sleep were monitored using polysomnography. The researchers played audio clips associated with half of the puzzles that the volunteers could not solve to activate specific memories in their minds during sleep.

Upon waking, the researchers asked the volunteers to recount the dreams they had during sleep. Analysis of the results revealed that most dreams included segments of the puzzles or related ideas, and that 12 out of the 20 volunteers had dreams linked to specific puzzles related to the audio clips played during sleep, and these individuals were able to arrive at correct solutions for the puzzles when asked to try solving them again, with their problem-solving ability significantly increasing from 20% to 40%.

Researcher Karen Konkoly, who holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Northwestern University, noted that the biggest surprise from the study was the effect of the audio clips on the unconscious dreams of the volunteers. She explained in comments to "Psych Daily" that "one volunteer asked a person who appeared in his dream to help him solve the puzzle, and another volunteer dreamed that he was walking in a forest of trees knowing that the puzzles he was asked to solve in the experiment were shaped like a tree, and a third female volunteer dreamed that she was fishing in a forest while thinking about that puzzle."

Konkoly believes that "all these narratives are wonderful examples of the potential to control dreams through auditory stimuli." The next step is to apply targeted memory reactivation techniques to stimulate dreams in order to study other functions of dreams such as emotional regulation and incidental learning. Konkoly states: "If scientists affirm that dreams are an important means for problem-solving, creativity, and emotional regulation, we hope people will view dreams more seriously as a priority for maintaining mental well-being."