When inventor Thomas Edison needed inspiration, he would nap in his chair with a metal ball in each hand. The moment he fell, the ball also fell and hit the floor, causing him to wake up shaking. Edison claimed that this allowed him to capture creative ideas that momentarily bubbled up in his semi-conscious mind as he drifted off to sleep.
The state Edison was pursuing is known as the sleep onset period (SOP), a little-studied stage of the sleep-wake cycle. Once thought to be just a brief period between wakefulness and sleep, it is now recognized as a distinct and important stage in its own right. Not only is it involved in regulating the cessation of consciousness, but it may also play an important role in many of the functions of sleep, including memory processing and, of course, creativity.
However, for some people, it may be disrupted. Insomnia and narcolepsy can be the result of it not working. A deeper understanding of SOP could lead to new treatments for these sleep conditions, as well as help those who want to be more alert and creative, so it could be useful for almost everyone. ” says. Delphine Houdiettea cognitive neuroscientist at Sorbonne University in Paris, France.
We all experience transitions from wakefulness to sleep, sometimes several times every 24 hours. And many of us know that it can be like this:
