Have you heard of lucid dreaming? It’s a state of being asleep and being aware that you’re dreaming. You might have seen that in Inception. The idea of lucid dreaming might be interesting, because it’s said to be about finding new and creative solutions to problems that you couldn’t fathom whilst awake. Can’t crack a case, Dr House? Lucid dream and have your epiphany.
On the other hand, someone like House Of Cards’ Francis Underwood might remark, “I’ve always loathed the necessity of sleep. Like death, it puts even the most powerful people on their backs”.
But, can people be productive in their sleep? Should we even entertain the thought of working in our sleep? Impractical Jokers had a bit about it, where they could try to get children to learn even while sleeping. Or remember how Dr Strange was still studying about the Mystic Arts even as he was asleep? That’s a great way to visualize this.
So, what are we talking about here? Instead of just nodding off, working, creating and innovating while dreaming? How’s that even possible?
There’s a US startup called Prophetic that wants to get people to do just that. It seems like they’ve developed a wearable device called “Halo”, which could help induce a lucid dream state, where a sleeper could become consciously aware that they’re dreaming.
This is said to look like a headband worn on the head like a crown. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. The idea is to send gentle sound waves into a specific part of the brain that’s linked to lucid dreaming. These waves could, in theory, activate the areas responsible for decision-making and self-awareness. You usually entertain some unrealistic scenarios while dreaming, right? But, you still don’t realize you’re dreaming, Well, this way, with these sound waves, you might be able to realize you and – for lack of a better phrase – gain control.
The part of your brain that would have to be stimulated for this is called the prefrontal cortex and the startup claims that the more stimulation there is, the stronger the ability to control dreams. There may have to be more testing to validate this idea.
That’s interesting, because people spend one-third of their life sleeping. What a waste of time, it seems like, to want to recharge.
If you’re going to dream in your sleep, might as well have the dream be productive, right? Don’t waste a single drop. SN Subrahmanyan of L&T and Narayana Murthy of Infosys are salivating.
In theory, just before a big presentation, a CEO could prepare in their sleep. So could someone who has a tough job interview the next day. Imagine that. The startup proclaims: “The only limiting factor is your imagination”. That sounds like something someone in the critically-panned Green Lantern might say whilst training.
So, is the world ready to turn dreams into productive workspaces? Or would we just prematurely wake up?
But, if somehow, this all turns out correct and okay, if it’s possible, would people be expected to work overtime in their dreams? Maybe, dream-based labour should be voluntary.
Maybe, sleep was just brushed off as something passive and unproductive. Should we let it become an active domain for work or creativity? But, also, what work could be tangibly done in your sleep? There’s no laptop in your brain attached to the Internet, right? Would people find a way to still get things done?
Would India’s EdTech space be interested in leveraging this to help learners better retain information or augment their problem-solving skills? Could you use this to develop skills in your sleep, especially when you don’t have time for that when you’re awake? Or could this state be used to help with PTSD or other trauma? Woah, that could be a big deal. That’s really using technology to truly help people. A lot of mental wellness might be figured out this way.
What if someone in India wanted to prototype or refine some ideas in their sleep? Or if they wanted to train themselves to better deal with pressure? If people are acclimated to meditation, would this be easier for them? Remember when Jerome Seinfeld, in his titular series, came up with that joke in his sleep and he didn’t want to forget it? This tech could have helped.
Of course, while it all sounds cool, maybe, inducing and sustaining lucid dreaming might not be all that easy for long periods of time. Be it someone in the US or in India, putting together the tech to foster controlled and productive lucid dreaming might entail a lot of R&D. And how many people are solid enough to train their brain to not have abstract and unpredictable dreams and follow something with structure?
People are already facing brain rot with social media content and already have severely compromised attention, so this would be a huge leap from that point. Dream on.
Plus, could there be risks to your cognitive wellbeing? If the brain is overly productive and active, would the body get the deep rest it needs to optimally function?
And we still have to factor in whether this creates further fatigue or anxiety. Furthermore, what if people start losing their ability to figure out what’s real and what’s not? That could be worrisome.
What are you doing the next time you feel drowsy? Will you have promises to keep and miles to go before you sleep?
