New research results from 2024 confirm that sleep not only helps restore strength, but also makes us able to make more rational and informed decisions. Scientists from Duke University (USA) conducted an experiment that showed that sleep significantly improves the ability to analyze information and avoid errors that may occur due to initial impressions.
In the experiment, the participants were offered a game that simulated a "garage sale". Participants had to choose one of several boxes with unnecessary things. Most of the items in the boxes were cheap, but some contained more valuable items. When participants had to make an immediate choice, they tended to evaluate the boxes based only on the first items they encountered. This led to the fact that they often did not take into account all the information received later.
However, after the participants had rested and slept, they made the choice again and made a more informed decision. Sleep helped them not to succumb to first impressions, and they took into account all the details when evaluating options.
Sleep helps the brain to solve complex problems
Seemingly simple solutions can turn out to be much more difficult when faced with fatigue. A 2019 study found that sleep can be beneficial even for complex problems. Participants in the experiment were given puzzles with clues related to sounds. During sleep, these sounds were played, which allowed the brain to "process" information and solve tasks the next day.
Despite the fact that the puzzles seemed difficult at the beginning, after sleeping, the participants showed a significantly higher speed of solving the same problems. This suggests that sleep activates mechanisms that help the brain find connections and solutions that were not obvious without rest.
Increased ability to associations after sleep
One of the most interesting aspects of research points to the ability of the brain after sleep to detect subtle associations between objects and events. In a study conducted in 2023, participants were asked to study associations between various objects and events. Those who slept showed much better results in detecting indirect connections that were not obvious at first glance.
This discovery proves that sleep not only helps us make more informed decisions, but also develops our capacity for complex thinking, revealing connections that we might not notice when awake.
Conclusion
Sleep plays a key role in our cognitive process, allowing us to make more informed decisions, find solutions to complex problems, and improve our ability to make logical associations. Therefore, it is important to value time for rest, because it has not only physical, but also great importance for our intellectual health.
