To emphasize, being on the edge of sleep causes our thinking processes to be extremely different compared to their usual patterns. Hypnagogia is a source of creativity and inspiration. In addition, visual sensations, such as fleeting dreams and imagery are quite vivid and intense during hypnagogia.
THOMAS EDISON THINKING ROCK FULL
To emphasise, ‘hypnagogia’ is simply a fancy term to describe the fine border between being asleep and being awake.ĭuring hypnagogia, the brainwaves are typically alpha-theta, meaning that thinking patterns are usually different compared to full wakefulness.
Importantly, the hypnagogic state is NOT ‘real’ sleep. Rather, he was in a constant stage of pre-sleep, called the ‘hynagogic state’. In reality, Thomas Edison probably barely ‘slept’ during these sessions. While the scientists of his time didn’t understand the mechanisms behind Thomas Edison’s sleeping pattern, we now have a very good understanding of the biology of his sleep. Thomas Edison credited many of his discoveries to his unique sleeping technique, which he kept secret for most of his working life. Hypnagogic sensations and experiences are wide ranging, from simple lights to intense memories Thomas Edison Called Hypnagogic a ‘Twilight State’ He’d then repeat this process a couple more times during the day, thereby getting his 4 to 5 hours of sleep. Immediately upon awakening, he’d grab a pen and paper to note any creative thoughts or ideas that were in his mind. The impact of the steel balls generated a loud ‘BANG!’, startling him to full wakefulness. These images were normal parts of his hypnagogic experiences.Īt the most intense part of his visualizations, he’d drop the steel balls onto a set of metal saucers that placed on the floor.
As he began getting drowsy, he’d see visualizations and imagery float behind his closed eyelids. In preparing for a 1 hour ‘session’ of hypnagogia, Thomas Edison would hold a small steel ball in each hand, and get comfortable in a chair or work bench. Immediately upon awakening, Thomas would grab a pen and paper, and note down his thoughts Interestingly, there’s a statue of Edison holding a steel ball. If Edison fell asleep during his hypnagogic sessions, his grip would reflexively relax, causing him to drop both balls. He famously held steel balls in each hand during these naps. He’s known to hold steel balls while sleeping.Įdison averaged 4 hours of sleep per night, and took short naps that he spaced throughout the day. – Thomas Edison Edison in a hypnagogic state. I enjoy working about 18 hours a day … I average about four to five hours of sleep. Throughout the history, there have been many notable figures who have looked down on sleeping. The hypnagogic state lets you unlock new levels of imagination, and creativity. In addition, he’d waste precious productive time, since after all, he believed that sleep was for the week. If he fell asleep while in hypnagogia, he’d forget all the creative ideas and thoughts he’s come up with in this stage. Thomas Edison was well aware of the fleetingness of hypnagogic sensations and experiences. This is because we fall asleep shortly afterwards, and any lucid thoughts or images that we experienced during hypnagogia are drowned out of memory by the hours of deep sleep that follows. While all of us enter the hypnagogic state just before falling asleep each night, most of us don’t remember our thought processes during this stage. Hypnagogia is known for altered thinking processes, such as lucid thought. During hypnagogia, a person’s consciousness is on the delicate threshold of the world of sleep and dreams, and the real world. The hypnagogic state is a brief transitional stage between full wakefulness and sleep. Home » Night » How Thomas Edison Used the Hypnagogic State Thomas Edison vs the Hypnagogic State