Overview

• In a PLOS Biology study of 90 participants, 70.6% experienced a sudden insight after a 20-minute nap.
• Participants who entered N2 sleep had an 85.7% chance of a ‘eureka’ moment compared with lower rates for lighter N1 sleep or no nap.
• EEG recordings revealed that deeper N2 sleep specifically increases the likelihood of post-nap problem-solving breakthroughs.
• Researchers linked a steeper EEG spectral slope during N2 sleep to cognitive processes underlying sudden insights.
• The findings resonated with creatives and suggest brief targeted naps could enhance innovative thinking.