Sleep and Rest

In which of the following situations do you suddenly come up with bursts ofcreative ideas, floods of memory, or the solutions to probelms on which youhave been working?

a.. In the bath

b. Taking a shower

c. While shaving

d. While putting on make-up

e. In the toilet

f.. In bed

g.. During sleeping/dreaming

h.. Walking in nature

i.. While driving (particularly on freeways)

j.. When jogging/swimming 

k.. While doodling

l.. While listening to music

Most people say yes to at least one of the above, and this is because rest is a necessary part of mental as well as bodily function. It is much like a mental inhalation and exhalation, where inhalation is equivalent to active learning and the assimilation of data, and exhalation is equivalent to sorting, integration and rest.

The qualities common to the situations in which people are most creative and most capable of reviewing memories are ...

 a.. rest

 b.. relaxation

 c.. solitude

To function most effectively, your brain needs regular breaks as well as regular periods of activity. If you don't take these breaks your brain will make you do so in the form of loss of concentration, nervous tension, and in more extreme cases a nervous breakdown.

Sleep, one of the deepest forms of rest, is a period where the brain integrates the day's and life's experiences, sifting, sorting and filing as well as solving problems. Dreams are a natural part of this process, and are one of the creative genius's greatest sources of inspiration.

A focused attention on dreaming can greatly enhance general well-being and creative output. This is confirmed in the lives of those with great minds where dreaming and fantasy are often the well-springs for great new ideas and paradigm shifts.

In a well-exercises and well-fed body, sleep will be deep and curative, and will often provide, from an infinite source of creativity, major insights and revelations.