News: Dreaming about work could improve your performance

Do you ever dream about work? I often do, and I interpret it as a sign of job-related stress. But new research suggests that dreaming about a task can actually help people perform better. The study, published this week in the journal Current Biology, revealed that people who were taught a new task and later reported dreaming about it during a nap performed the task more accurately when they tried it again, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in a story posted on the CBC.

Drew Dawson, director of the Centre for Sleep Research at the University of South Australia (an expert who is reviewing the study) told the ABC that these results could have implications for people who don’t get enough sleep. Here’s what he said:

"It may be the case that there are some very important elements of learning that occur while we are sleeping and that those individuals that don’t get sufficient sleep may actually have their learning compromised."

This report proves once again how important it is to get a good night’s sleep’something I’m currently struggling with. Knowing how vital it is to get your zzz’s, how do you make sure you’re getting the sleep you need? What do you do when you have trouble sleeping?

Related:
‘ 6 ways to improve your sleep
‘ Quiz: What’s your sleep style?
‘ 10 ways to stress less and sleep more