(Artwork Credits: Nicholas Slater)

A deadline approaching?

New relationship struggles?

A fizzling friendship? 

Familial crises?

Anxious over a big decision?

And then, is it 'lights out' for you?

When encountered with problems or issues, many, many people choose to 'Sleep On Them'.

For way too long, folks questioned the authenticity of this practice, wondering whether it really holds any matter. There have been arguments against this hypothesis as, on the face of it, it looks like an excuse to evade a tough situation and procrastinate it - until you no longer can.

While there is nothing wrong with taking some time off to defog your headspace and come back to whatever it was you had to do (after all, we should strive for rational conclusions over hasty, emotionally-driven decisions), research has found some essence.

Turns out... it works!

Wait, what does 'sleeping on it' even mean?

Several published research shows stress levels are rising globally. Work, relationships, and personal equations with dear ones are all getting tested. Why? Reasons are myriad.

Over two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and mandatory isolation have made many of us want to be more alone than before. The constant imposition and relaxation of rules and health guidelines isolated us without notice, shoving us in our private spaces for way too long.

And then, what happened? We are just used to being alone. (And, perhaps, lonely!)

Plus, with being constantly knee-deep in work - owing to the diluted work-life boundaries, pressures of work have invaded the comfort of being at home.

(Artwork Credits: eamesBot)

The lines are too blurry to take into account.

But, what can sleeping help with?

Often, in stress-mired crises, we tend to look for:

  • some space or distance,
  • a third-person or an aloof mindset (to evaluate the situation at hand rationally),
  • and, time.

    Sleeping can equip us with all of them!

(Via Pinterest)

When we sleep, our mind still remains active. It continues to process all the knowledge we intake during the waking period. And then, as astonishing as it may sound, in the time we nod off, our brain collates various pieces of information stored in different parts of the brain. So, when we get up, we have a clearer and more streamlined focus on things.

In other words, it is because of our brain's sleep-time hustle that even our perspective is altered.

Sleeping obviously grants us the much-needed time in which we are not consciously thinking about the problem. It bestows the space needed to rationally assess the situation, ponder the possible solutions, and finally reach a decision.

Result: we feel better prepared & more collected to work on tasks or deal with difficult situations.

Furthermore, not only when grappling with issues, but even when you feel mentally strained, you might feel peaceful and coolheaded when you have taken some time off and slept on it.

Our brain relieves what is referred to as "emotional turbulence". It does not mean you will be stripped of your emotions - of course, not! - but you would be able to place yourself much better in the larger scheme of things, providing you with a relaxing nexus of logic and feelings. You would probably find yourself better equipped, and have a better hold on your emotions, thus granting you a calmer setting to think.

(It is also why people experiencing depression and other grave mental health disorders find it so hard to sleep - thereby, making it worse to deal with their emotions.)

Is this really what science says?

It is exactly what science says!

Several research experiments have proven the importance of sleeping - especially before tackling important, urgent or difficult problems.

(Artwork Credits: Jeannie Phan on Tumblr)

In a study conducted a few years back, researchers found that when the participants were given "difficult problems to solve", they performed better when they slept on them.

Strong, intricate links have been discovered over the years warrant that sleeping helps with processing information and remembering it. It is why students are advised to sleep sound the night before their exams, or people are asked to doze off early before a big presentation.

You perform better and retain the information more clearly.

Life throws lemons and, sometimes, many at once. You go get that sleep! We promise, you will feel much better! :)

Want to experience what good sleep feels like?

If you have trouble falling asleep or relaxing, check out our app on the Play Store: http://bit.ly/neend-app. You can stream our stories in Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil & Telugu. (Coming super soon on the App Store!) Try it out and doze off every night with #Neend!

​P.S. We love some good company. Spark sleepy conversations with us on Twitter, Instagram, & LinkedIn! See you there! :D