When we have a worry or a problem, the popular advice is well known: ‘Don’t rush to solve it; sleep on it first.’ This advice is usually passed on to us by our elders and our parents. Even so, we usually don’t want to wait until tomorrow to solve our problems. So what is the real answer?
The remarkable design of the human brain makes it possible to solve many problems during sleep. All we need is a little patience and to give ourselves the gift of high-quality sleep that night, in a dark, cool environment, away from digital media.
Studies conducted by the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School have found that we often solve our problems while we are asleep. The most important function the brain performs at night is forming new connections. That is why, when we wake up in the morning, we have developed a new perspective. What we need to do, hard as it is to be patient, is to leave the matter to the brain’s overnight evaluation. This will protect us from the nightmare-filled/sleepless nights we might otherwise experience throughout our lives.
Trying to solve a fixed problem while awake is like taking a sheet of paper and writing down the pros and cons. Yet there is so much that could be written, and it will be very difficult to give each item enough attention and weigh it properly. When you go to bed and fall asleep, however, the brain sets priorities, reviews the assessments made during the day and analyzes what has not yet been completed. It combines the emotional elements that occurred before or after an event. In this way, the brain’s decision-making center will actively help you solve all the problems that may be important to you.
There are various methods for pushing thoughts out of your mind. Sending them away in an imaginary balloon or covering them with colorful ribbons are examples of such thought techniques.
If the thoughts still keep coming back, there are calming methods. If you are wondering whether the door is locked or whether you left the stove on, it is better to check rather than lie there thinking about it and worrying. For other things that may be on your mind, keeping a sheet of paper by your bed and jotting them down can serve as a reminder for tomorrow. That way, you set aside for the moment something you are afraid of forgetting.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is waking up in the middle of the night and trying to solve a problem. You then feel exhausted in the morning and end up further from solving the problem.
Hard as it may be, letting your thoughts parade through your mind, so that they gradually wear down and your brain solves your problems through its perfect 8-hour creative process (the time spent asleep), is a remarkably elegant and soothing method.
The information on our website is not intended to direct individuals to any treatment. Do not take any diagnostic or treatment steps without consulting your doctor. The content does not contain information about İzmir Can Hastanesi's therapeutic healthcare services.
