When you are seeking the solution to a problem, one bit of advice you may receive is to “sleep on it.” But before you head off to take a nap, follow these tips to activate your subconscious mind and get the answers you need.
I often use the time while I am sleeping to come up with new ideas and answers to questions. This is the process I follow. Try it and see if it works for you.
Because many times the answer will come immediately upon awakening, make sure you do not forget it by recording it as soon as it comes to you. Put a pad and pen or a voice recorder within arm’s reach before dropping off to sleep.
Waking to the shrill sound of an alarm clock may banish the great idea your brain came up with, so consider allowing yourself to wake up when you are ready (without an alarm) or to a more soothing sound, such as music.
Do not take a sleeping pill or drink alcohol. You may think that they will help you to sleep better, but you will not get the restful, energizing sleep your brain needs. Some people find that drinking a bit of milk (particularly warm milk) right before bed helps them to sleep. There is some medical basis for this (milk contains tryptophan), so you might give it a try.
Shortly before bed time, spend a few minutes thinking about the question you want to answer or the problem you are trying to resolve. Roll it around in your brain, considering the facts you have. The point here is not to seek the answer, but to store the brain food that you will process during the night. Tell yourself that you will wake up when you discover the answer.
Turn off your brain and go to sleep. If your mind is racing through all of the things you must do tomorrow, or reviewing everything that happened today, you need to slow down and drift off to sleep. Try meditating, listening to gentle music, or just breathing deeply. Allow your mind and your body to relax and fall asleep.
You may wake up with the answer in the middle of the night. Or, it may come to you as you awaken in the morning. Whenever it happens, write it down or speak it into the recorder while it is still fresh. You may think you will remember it later, but it is very possible that you will not recall the idea once you are fully awake.
Do not be disappointed if the answer does not come to you immediately. I find that sometimes it occurs to me later in the day, or after another night of letting my brain work on the question while I sleep. Whenever the idea comes to you, write it down or record it in some way before it disappears.
Be open to the possibilities that exist in your mind, and you can discover ideas that you did not know were there.
Copyright Cathy Stucker.
