“A good laugh or a long nights sleep are the two best cures for anything.”
Day 10 Morning Scorecard and Sleep Self-Reflection:
Dreaming: The Last Frontier
While dreaming is still not completely understood, evidence points to the conclusion that dreams are an important part of a well-functioning brain. Studies indicate that dreams help your mind to consolidate learning that has occurred during the day and synthesize that knowledge with previous experiences. Researchers even theorize that we use dreams as a testing ground for future possible scenarios, using the safe setting of dreams to act out dangerous alternatives. So while slaying a dragon or driving a car at breakneck speeds may not seem to apply to your future self, your brain is "training" you to survive when life gets hard. This may be why research indicates that two-thirds of dreams are reported as having anxiety-provoking aspects. Allowing your brain to roam freely, does have its downsides, but it also gives your brain the chance to make new connections that may have otherwise remained hidden. This may be why great thinkers of our time, such as Thomas Edison and Einstein, attribute their greatest insights to their dream life. During sleep, your prefrontal cortex, which focuses on rational thought, shows dramatically decreased activity. This allows your brain to wander, create fantastical scenes, and make connections that otherwise wouldn't have happened during your waking hours. So, at the very least, dreaming should be viewed as an enlightening keyhole into how your brain works and appreciated as a tool that keeps our brain's alert even while we are fast asleep.
FACT: Your brain produces much less cortisol (a stress chemical) when in REM sleep (when most people dream).
TAKEAWAY: Dreaming is a time to heal the unresolved issues from your day in a less stressful environment to gain a clearer perspective.
Dream Journal
Writing down your dreams may seem like an unnecessary endeavor and truthfully many dreams have no meaning at all. However, your dream life is a direct line of communication from your unconscious brain to your conscious mind and can be used to your advantage if you take the time to examine it. This treasure chest of information can tell you what's bothering you on a deep level, give insight into how your brain processes stimuli, and give you creative solutions to problems that otherwise would have passed you by. Research has hypothesized unconscious processes are responsible for over 90% of the decisions you make throughout the day, so why not try to understand this force that has so much power over you. At the very least, you will get a good laugh at the crazy dream world your mind can create. So give it a try and as soon as you wake up in the morning write down what you can remember of your dreams and analyze what the dreams mean to you.
FACT: NASA did a study where they showed that a 25-30 minute nap improves cognitive performance by 30%.
TAKEAWAY: Sleep is the best way to increase your problem-solving abilities.
“Sleep is the best meditation.”