How many times have you lost a whole night’s sleep trying to figure out a creative solution to a gnawing problem? It could be repairing a relationship, meeting the demands of a client or how to fit a family of five into a two-bedroom apartment. If you could just come up with the answer, you could finally get some sleep, you think desperately as you turn over in bed for the thousandth time.

But, what if you have things in the wrong order? Perhaps, if you got a good night’s sleep, the answer would be staring you in the face when you woke up. It’s probably what your parents told you when you were younger, and now, some scientists think they might have been right all along.

Creative thought has been at the forefront of scholarly inquiry for decades, and there’s a growing body of research linking it to getting enough rest. If the science is right, practices like yoga and meditation might not just be appealing to already creative types; they might fuel creativity in all brains.

Creativity is the source of all innovation; when we think creatively, we can solve problems, create new systems that might help others and are more open-minded. Creative thinking is known as “divergent thinking” in psychology and essentially describes being able to think in a nonlinear fashion. A simple analogy is the highway model: linear thinking involves taking the same route to work every day regardless of traffic; divergent thinking allows you to consider different alternatives, taking into account the various circumstances that might affect your drive time. From getting us to work on time to solving the climate crisis, the more innovative thinking there is happening in society at large, the greater the benefit to us all.

Many of us have been raised to believe that creativity is either something that you possess or you don’t. If you are naturally creative, you might be a painter, a dancer or a yoga teacher. If you’re not, you’ll head for accounting or law. Of course, this couldn’t be farther from the truth; many dancers are simply proficient at memorizing sequences and have good proprioception, while tax season produces some of the most impressive mental gymnastics ever witnessed amongst accountants.

It may be true that some of us are more naturally inclined towards creativity, but it’s a state that can be cultivated or hindered, and one of the main factors hindering it may simply be lack of sleep. A 1988 study titled “Sleep Loss and ‘Divergent’ Thinking Ability” published in Oxford Academic found that test subjects that were deprived of sleep demonstrated significant impairment to their divergent thinking, which was gauged by markers such as mental flexibility, the ability to change strategy, originality and the generation of unusual ideas.

You might have learned in art school that pulling all-nighters was the best way to fuel your creative process, but the science says otherwise, at least in the long term. Getting enough rest and lowering your stress levels boosts creativity.

The problem is that lots of us aren’t getting a good night’s sleep. Between 50 and 70 million Americans report suffering from sleep disorders and one third of Americans experience “short sleep,” which is less than seven hours per night.

There are many reasons for not getting enough rest, from stress and illness to a snoring partner or living near an airport. While your sleep issue might be solvable by ear plugs or divorce, if stress is the culprit, there’s a strong argument for practices such as yoga and meditation, which have been found to lower stress levels, improve sleep quality and even reduce your need for sleep. In improving your sleep, meditation and yoga may actually boost your creativity capacity, allowing you to think in new and different ways. Those 15 minutes you spend with your eyes closed or 30 minutes on your mat could be making your mind — as well as your body — more flexible.

Access to these benefits doesn’t have to be restricted to those who can afford it or are free of injury and able to get their leg behind their head. In fact, gentle practices like restorative yoga, which emphasizes deep relaxation through supported, reclining postures, may be
more effective at activating Alpha brain wave states, which a 2015 study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers correlated with improved creative thinking.

Next time you can’t figure out a way around a problem and you want to go and hide under the covers, go for it. But while you’re at it, grab yourself a bolster and an eye pillow, and do it with intention. By the time you’ve finished, you’ll have come up with 108 different
solutions to that problem that’s keeping you awake at night.

RESTORATIVE YOGA SEQUENCES FOR BOOSTING CREATIVITY

Photos by Rick Cummings

1. BASIC RELAXATION

10-20 minutes

Lie down on your back with your knees over a bolster and a folded blanket or pillow underneath your head. Release your arms so that they’re comfortable, and soften or close your eyes. To come out of the pose, roll over onto one side and come up to sitting.

2. HEART POSE

5-10 minutes

Turn your bolster so that it’s long, and then turn around and sit with the base of your spine touching the narrow end of the bolster. Feel free to stretch your legs out long, or bend your knees and place the soles of your feet together, using a rolled blanket or blocks to support your thighs. Reach behind you, and hold the bolster with both hands. Relax your abdominal muscles, and lie down on the bolster. If your low back feels sensitive, move the base of your spine away from the edge of the bolster. To come out of the pose, bend your knees, roll over onto one side and come up to sitting.

3. GROUNDING SPINAL TWIST

2-5 minutes per side

Leave your bolster as it is and sit on your right hip, with your knees bent and your right hip touching the narrow end of the bolster. Place your hands on either side of the bolster and gently lower your belly, heart and either cheek to the bolster. Then, relax your arms. When you’re ready, press into your hands to sit up, leave your bolster as it is and guide yourself onto your left hip to repeat this pose on the other side.

4. SUPPORTED CHILD’S POSE

2-5 minutes

Leaving your bolster as it is, come onto your hands and knees facing the bolster. Bring your big toes together, your knees on either side of the bolster, then sit back toward your heels (place a folded blanket between your calves and hamstrings if this hurts your knees). Bend your elbows and lower your belly, heart and either cheek onto the bolster. Half way through, turn your head to place the opposite cheek onto the bolster.

Originally published in Winter + Spring 2023-24 issue of Well.