A man named Harry* is lying in bed in a mountain cabin, and he is in pain. A logical 44-year-old computer engineer, he is not the type to panic. But his hiking vacation has barely begun and already his Achilles tendons are throbbing.
“Then I dreamt that my feet were wheels, rolling round and round. Waking up, the idea came to improve my foot strike and do a proper heel-to-toe roll. I tried it the next day, and it worked. I still think of that from time to time when I am on a hike.”
Harry didn’t know it, but he was thinking in his sleep. While his body rested, his mind brainstormed the problem at hand: the pain in his feet. He hadn’t found the solution by worrying about it during the day, but his dreaming mind dug deep and found a good idea.
A fluke? Hardly. Most of us know that sleep is essential for processing memories. But during sleep, we also begin making new connections with the information we collect. “Sleep seems to stimulate your mind to make non-obvious connections,” says Matthew Walker, Berkeley University sleep scientist, and author of Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams. “This is the basis of creativity – connecting ideas, events, and memories that wouldn’t normally fit together.”
Most people believe that to solve a problem we have to think harder and focus more. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes, it’s about letting go. Have you ever tried to think of a name really hard, only to have it pop into your mind in the shower or while falling asleep? Those moments of letting go are when our brains allow what’s called the “default mode network” to do its thing: make new, unexpected connections.
Not surprisingly, this creative network is also very active during REM sleep–the stage of sleep when our most vivid dreams occur–so we often wake up with a new insight or a good idea.
Even rats dream up solutions to problems, found researcher Matthew A. Wilson, PhD, in his laboratory at MIT. He let his rats walk through mazes during the day with their brains wired to scanners. When they fell asleep, he saw them dream of mazes and devise new routes to find an exit.
How the dreaming brain functions
A dreaming brain and a waking brain are remarkably similar. During REM sleep, our brains are nearly as active as in waking life. The same stresses and concerns we have in waking life, such as the stress of a pandemic, tend to show up in dreams, though not always literally. If, for example, we see a face or dream of a face, our facial recognition centers light up just the same.
But they are different in the way that during REM sleep, our brain makes new neural pathways without that internal censor. Our neurotransmitters shift to make new and unexpected connections while logic takes a backseat. We automatically become divergent and out-of-the-box thinkers. Anything can happen in a dream.
How to use your dreams to solve problems
When we’re stuck with a nagging problem and not getting anywhere and we need to see an issue from a different perspective, sleeping can offer novel solutions.
Here are six ways you can try to leverage the flexibility of your dreams at home.
“Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.” - Thomas Edison, inventor
1. Think about a problem before falling asleep
We’ve all probably had the experience of waking up with a new insight or a good idea. Science says that’s not just because we wake up with rested neurons. It’s also because our brains stay active all through the night. We think and brainstorm in our sleep, even if we don’t remember.
Psychology professor Barrett ran a study asking students to intentionally sleep on a problem for a week and try to dream up a solution. Even after the first try, half got a relevant dream, and a third found a solution.
One key to success that Barrett identified is to care about the problem you’re trying to solve. A dreaming brain is emotionally driven, so it’s easier to dream about your love life or the pain in your feet than about math problems. And that was exactly what Harry did – he worried. And fell asleep.
Try this at home: Before going to bed, think about a pressing challenge you’re having. If you like, write it down as an open question that deserves a surprising answer. While you’re asleep, your brain will work on the problem.
2. Ditch your alarm clock
Brainstorming takes time, even if you’re asleep while doing it. Harry was on vacation, so there was no alarm clock. He could let his brain do its thing. And that turns out to be necessary.
If we want to tap into our sleeping resources, an alarm clock might be the enemy. That’s because idea generation happens in REM sleep, most of which takes place in the morning hours, right before you wake up. Cut your sleep off with an alarm clock, and you might end up losing some of that brainstorming time.
REM sleep is a perfect environment for our brains to explore options. Our sleeping brain is hardwired to come up with original solutions — but it needs time to do the work.
Try this at home: Instead of jumping out of bed, take a minute or two to remember your dreams. No dreams? No worries! Your brain works for you regardless. Check how you feel: Are there any thoughts floating around? Catch your subconscious intelligence and write down whatever comes up.
“A problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.” - John Steinbeck, Author and Nobel Laureate
3. Explore and apply
Waking up, Harry didn’t dismiss his dream. He started exploring. Sure, the dream was physically impossible, but to Harry that didn’t make it nonsense. He inspected his dream (What do wheels do? They roll) and saw what it made him think of (Hiking 101: Roll your feet).
Harry used his dream as a starting point to see his problem from a new angle, as a clever visualization of “rolling your feet.” And when he was happy with the insight, he tried it out in waking life.
Thinking while we rest often leads to connections we previously missed. It’s not like Harry didn’t know how to walk or that he wasn’t doing it properly. He just didn’t connect the dots. Sometimes it’s important to let go of focus for a bit, to let our mind be open for new insight. Making new connections between existing ideas is what our sleeping brains are hardwired for.
4. Journaling and reflecting
Keep a dream journal beside your bed and write down your dreams immediately after waking. Record as many details as you can remember, including emotions, colors, symbols, and people. Regularly reviewing your dream journal can help you identify patterns, recurring themes, and emotions in your dreams. By reflecting on these patterns, you may gain insights into underlying issues or aspects of your life that need attention.
5. Interpretation and symbolism
Explore the symbolism in your dreams. Dreams often communicate in symbols and metaphors. Try to understand what each symbol or element in the dream might represent to you personally. For example, a dream about flying could symbolize a desire for freedom or to escape from a challenging situation.
Dreams about water might represent feelings and emotions or the subconscious mind. There are various resources, such as dream dictionaries, that can offer some general interpretations, but the most meaningful insights come from your own associations with the symbols in your dreams.
6. Lucid dreaming and guided dreams
Practicing lucid dreaming can allow you to become aware that you are dreaming while you are in the dream state. This awareness gives you a unique opportunity to influence the dream's direction or ask questions directly to dream characters or elements. By deliberately engaging with the dream, you can explore different perspectives, ask for guidance, or even attempt to find solutions to specific problems.
Guided dreams involve setting intentions before sleep, asking specific questions, or seeking clarity on a particular issue. Though not guaranteed, some people report receiving helpful insights through this process.
Gaining perspective through dreams
Remember that dreams are highly personal and subjective, and their interpretation can vary from person to person. The goal is not to seek one definitive meaning but to use dreams as a tool for self-discovery, introspection, and gaining new perspectives on your thoughts, emotions, and life experiences.
If you find it challenging to interpret your dreams on your own, consider discussing them with a therapist or dream analyst who can provide additional insights and perspectives.
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