Hearing a sound while working on a complex puzzle, and then hearing it again during sleep, helped lucid dreamers better tackle the problem the next day
Your brain could be gently coaxed into working on complex problems while you sleep, making you better able to tackle them the next day. Neuroscientists and psychologists are increasingly using sounds, touch, movement and, particularly, smells to influence the content of people’s dreams.
This dream engineering has shown promise forat Northwestern University in Illinois and her colleagues have shown it could also aid problem-solving. The team recruited 20 self-identified lucid dreamers – people who are aware they are dreaming during a dream and can control the narrative – who attempted a series of puzzles while fully awake across two sessions in a sleep lab. Each puzzle was paired with its own soundtrack, such as birdsong or steel drums. The researchers monitored the activity of each participant’s brain and eyes to determine when they had entered the rapid eye movement stage of sleep, whentend to be long and abstract. At this point, the team randomly selected some of the puzzles that the participants had been unable to solve and played their associated soundtracks. The participants were told to indicate lucidity by performing at least two rapid left-to-right eye movements. They also indicated that they had heard the puzzle sound and were working on solving it by doing at least two rapid in-out sniffs. The next morning, the participants reported being more likely to have the puzzles feature in their dreams if they heard their soundtracks while asleep. What’s more, this increased the chance that they could now solve them: of those who dreamed about the puzzles, about 40 per cent went on to solve them, compared with 17 per cent of those who didn’t report having the puzzles in their dreams.Your science-backed guide to the easy habits that will help you sleep well, stress less, eat smarter and age better.Although it is unclear why this occurred, pairing the sound stimuli with the learning task while they were awake may have activated memories of that puzzle when they heard the same noise during sleep. Known as targeted memory reactivation, this seems to trick the hippocampus – a brain region that is important for memory – by evoking what looks like a spontaneous reactivation of a memory. This may then influence what the hippocampus replays during sleep, enhancing learning., Konkoly thinks the targeting of REM may have enhanced the participants’ problem-solving prowess. “REM dreams are hyper-associative and bizarre. They mix new and old memories together, and even mix memories with fantastical imagination,” she says. “You have this brain that’s active , but maybe with less inhibition, so you can reach farther into the corners of your mind.” Researcher Karen Konkoly prepares a participant for the study by fitting a cap to their head that records their brain activityat Harvard University says the work shows that “people may be able to deliberately focus on a specific unsolved problem while dreaming”. But some say dream engineering could disrupt the other functions of sleep, such as clearing the brain of debris, or that it could one day be hijacked by companies taking out advertisements on at-home devices, which Cunningham is particularly concerned about. “Our senses are already assaulted from all directions by ads, emails and work stress during our waking hours, and sleep is currently one of the few breaks we get from that,” he says. Konkoly now plans to investigate why hearing sound stimuli on different days can have varied results in the same individual. “When running this study, I was up all night, watching people’s brainwaves and cueing them during REM sleep. Sometimes they responded with signals, other times not. Sometimes they woke up and had incorporation of the associated puzzle, sometimes just the sound, and other times nothing. How is it that the same stimuli, presented in the same state of consciousness, can be processed so differently?”
Trending
A gorgeous April afternoon in store across the Denver metro area 
‘Artemis Mission Cannot Lead To Interplanetary Wild West,’ Astronomer Warns 
Trump says US forces will ‘finish the job’ soon in first prime-time speech since starting Iran war 
Former Wisconsin football player, who left the sport amid mental health struggles, dead at 24 
Drew McIntyre Gives Honest Take About His Recent WWE Title Reign 
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders introduces bill that could keep the Padres in San Diego United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Frankenstein,' 'Wuthering Heights' star Jacob Elordi: 'My dream was to play in the movies'At 28, Australian actor Jacob Elordi has earned his first Academy Award nomination for his haunting portrayal of the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein.' He talks about his love of acting, and why he has no relationship with social media.
Read more »
‘One Dream’—Liverpool Star’s Surprise Real Madrid Ambitions RevealedThe links between Real Madrid and Liverpool’s best player this season have been ratcheted up a few notches.
Read more »
Rachel Scott Scores Her Dream Artist Collaboration for Diotima’s Latest CollectionInside Rachel Scott's collaboration for the Diotima fall 2026 ready-to-wear show.
Read more »
Massie Criticizes Bondi's Performance in Epstein HearingRepresentative Thomas Massie criticized Assistant Attorney General Kristen Bondi's performance during a hearing about the Epstein case, citing her use of insults, lack of confidence, and failure to acknowledge victims. Massie also raised concerns about the Justice Department's handling of the files, including over-redaction of certain individuals' names and the exposure of victim identities.
Read more »
Congressman Massie Criticizes Justice Department Official Over Epstein Case Hearing PerformanceRepresentative Thomas Massie of the U.S. House of Representatives expressed strong criticism of a Justice Department official following a recent hearing concerning the Jeffrey Epstein case. Massie argued that the official's performance was subpar, citing a focus on personal attacks and a lack of substantive engagement with the issues. He also questioned her accountability and ability to handle the case effectively. This criticism comes in the wake of the release of millions of pages of documents related to the Epstein case, adding to the ongoing scrutiny of the Justice Department's handling of the matter.
Read more »
Massie Criticizes James' Handling of Epstein Case Hearing, Expresses Lack of ConfidenceRepresentative Thomas Massie voiced strong criticism of Attorney General Letitia James' performance during a hearing on the Jeffrey Epstein case, citing her demeanor, perceived lack of substance, and the Justice Department's redaction practices. Massie expressed a lack of confidence in James and highlighted specific instances where he felt she failed to address critical issues or show empathy towards victims.
Read more »