SLEEP ON IT

Have you ever been blindsided by a major life decision, confronted by an ex-best friend seeking resolution or even received a text to grab coffee with someone you’re not sure you want to hang out with?

After you ask your friends and family what you should do, they’ll often advise you to “sleep on it” – the ageold phrase telling you to push your decision to the next morning.

While sleep allows the brain to relax and allots time for processing, one can’t help but wonder if “sleeping on it” (in its most literal sense) is just a clever way to procrastinate the inevitable.

Do we sleep better if we just make up our minds? Or does this extra unconscious period allow us to wake up refreshed with a perfectly clear decision?

The phrase originated in the 1500s when King Henry VIII would tell state papers that “he must sleep on the matter.”

Over 500 years later, this wisdom still stands. However, in a world that never stops moving, the pressure to be decisive is ever-present. Swift decisions can showcase one’s confidence and level-headedness, while sleeping on it exhibits patience and inner trust.

The Harvard Business Review put this theory to the test by conducting an experiment based on decision-making. One group had to make a snap decision on a laptop case purchase, while the other group was granted a night’s rest to mull it over. Defying age-old wisdom, the results reflected that the group with less time to decide was far more satisfied and confident in their choice.

While we may not know whether or not sleep always leads to clearer answers, understanding the psychology behind decision-making at large is a a good place to start.

When we are confronted with a choice, our mind begins collecting information from multiple sectors of our brain – including biases, emotions and memories.

This analysis leads to weighing the benefits of saying yes or no, along with processing the hypothetical consequences and opportunity costs.

While this step-by-step process provides the ideal scenario for making up our minds, it begs the question if humans are rational enough to truly think through and consider each of these factors in a shortened amount of time.

So what about the other perspective? Does sleep allow us to make rational and informed decisions?

The short answer is yes. Sleep can act as our private advisor, slipping answers into our minds each night without our knowledge. According to a study from Current Biology, while falling asleep leads to a decrease in “sensory awareness,” complex stimuli like decisionmaking can be processed unconsciously. This version of auto-pilot is between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, to make enlightened decisions from recharging our brains and allowing our memories to consolidate.

And if you don’t have time to sleep on a decision, there are still plenty of tips and tricks to get you where you need to be. After initially recognizing the situation, don’t immediately go searching for your solution without taking a step back to consider all options. Gather the data! This could look like a pros and cons list, or jotting down what would happen if you said yes or no to explore all options.

Just like your class assignments, the more research and sources the better. Visualizing the aftermath of either path you decide to take will also give you a taste of what to do. The more comprehensive and in-depth your personal research, the more profound your sense of process doesn’t always stress and anxiety – be enthusiastic, be grateful and be open to the new opportunities and curveballs life has decided to throw at you. And if you do have time before your decision’s due date, get plenty of sleep so you can make your dreamiest decision.

The art of decision-making cannot be mastered overnight. There is comfort in knowing that even if you feel like you have made a nightmarish choice, a lesson will come along with it, letting you know what you want for your future. Understanding your own decisionmaking process – whether it be wellconsidered or a little impulsive – is the first step to becoming confident in your choices. Trust that either process will bring you the clarity you seek.

To the midnight thinkers and the decisive deciders, rest assured that each choice you make will somehow make your dreams come true.

Style: Peggy Smith

Glam: Lilly Pilat

Photo: Megan Rabaut, Jade Lily

Words: Peggy Smith

Models: Emily Cassetti, Advait Paliwal

Spread Designer: Bailey Maloney