I’m about to drift off to sleep. I’m exhausted and looking forward to a night’s rest, and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I have a brilliant idea or a stroke of insight and my entire night is ruined.
Has that ever happened to you? Because it has happened to me plenty and I’ve always wondered why!
To satiate my curiosity, I did some research into the subject. In the simplest of terms, this happens because it is necessary for our brains to be in a relaxed state for us to come up with insights and unique ideas about something we are dealing with or a problem we are facing in life.
Usually when we are trying to solve a problem, we focus all of our attention on that, which is handled by the left brain. In the end, we tend to not come up with anything because we are actively looking for that solution.
On the other hand, when your brain is in a relaxed state, such as when you’re in the shower or just getting to bed (damn you!), you are accessing your right brain, which brings about these insights and ideas that are otherwise hidden from you.
You can learn more about it here, but at least now I know why I couldn’t sleep last night.
