The sleep study found that 70% of people had an 'aha' moment after a nap

When something is troubling you, it's common to hear that 'sleeping on it' can help before making any big decisions.

For some it might feel like delaying a difficult task, procrastinating, or even prolonging the worry – but researchers at the University of Hamburg recently published a study in the journal PLOS Biology that found it is indeed an effective problem solving tool.

In their sleep study of 90 people, researchers gave participants a seemingly simple task of tracking a series of dots on a screen. They were given instructions, but researchers intentionally left out a trick that could make the task easier.

After four sets of the dot-sorting game, participants were sent away to have a 20-minute nap whilst researchers tracked their sleep patterns.

Post nap, the group were tested again, and amazingly, 70% of them had an 'aha' moment where they figured out how to make the task easier.

Whilst dot-sorting improved across the board after napping, 85% of those who achieved the first deeper sleep phase — called N2 sleep — had the breakthrough. The research shows that a deeper sleep is linked to improved problem-solving.

"It's really intriguing that a short period of sleep can help humans make connections they didn't see before," said one of the researchers, Nicolas Schuck. "The next big question is why this happens."

Ready to have your next big 'aha' moment? Here's how to incorporate micronaps into your day:

Schedule breaks: Whether it's on your notepad or your online calendar, make a note of your daily nap time as a reminder to get some rest.

Lean into your slump: Notice when your energy starts to flag throughout the day and try a short nap to see if it improves mental clarity.

Tweak your environment: You might want to close the curtains, wear an eye mask, use noise-cancelling headphones, earplugs, or sleep music to signal to your brain and body that it's time to rest.

Set an alarm: Stick to the 20-minute rule so that you are more likely to have that 'aha' moment without disturbing your nighttime sleep schedule.

For anyone facing difficult decisions or creative challenges, incorporating strategic micronaps into daily routines could be a simple yet powerful tool for achieving those elusive 'aha' moments. Rather than viewing napping as procrastination, it has potential to work as a problem-solving strategy backed by solid scientific evidence.