Creativity is dependent on sleep.
If you’ve ever pulled an all nighter or had a bout of insomnia, you know lack of sleep makes it almost impossible to think the next day.
Now imagine trying to think of a novel idea or write a short story. It’s hard to get in touch with your creativity when you are running short on sleep.
When you are sleep-deprived, a type of thinking called “divergent thinking” is heavily affected. This type of thinking is called “outside-the-box” thinking. We can thank divergent thinking for many of the world’s great works of art, inventions and artistic accomplishments.
If you’re not an artist, writer or inventor, you may think you don’t need to be creative. Yet, creativity is in everything you do, from the way you do your hair to how you communicate with your loved ones. Creativity makes the world and your life a happier, healthier place to thrive.
Challenge yourself today to think of all the decisions you make that involve a degree of creativity. Now think if you would have made a different decision if you had more or less sleep the night before.
How can you get more sleep to unleash your creativity? Tonight try to avoid all screens within an hour before bed. The blue light from TVs, phones and tablets can trigger your body into a state of wakefulness. Try reading a book, taking a warm bath or drinking a cup of tea instead of using screens to relax.