Dark is far, far is more creative, and night owls tend more far (and creative) than morning larks. Fitting with this, and the confused but wide ranging nature of the sleeping mind, it seems to me the mind is likely in a more far state while asleep. If so, sleep should be more creative, which it is:
Both scientists and artists have suggested that sleep facilitates creativity, and this idea has received substantial empirical support. … In the evening prior to sleep, all participants were presented with a problem that required a creative solution. In the two-odor conditions, a hidden scent diffuser spread an odor while the problem was presented. In the sleep-with-conditioned-odor condition, task reactivation during sleep was induced by means of the odor that was also presented while participants were informed about the problem. In the sleep-with-control-odor condition, participants were exposed to a different odor. … After a night of sleep with the conditioned odor, participants were found to be (i) more creative and (ii) better able to select their most creative idea [on the presented problem]. (more; HT Barker)
That seems like a really, really, really important finding about task reactivation through smell.
So we can start working on a problem while eating popcorn, then go to sleep and time-release some popcorn odor to work on it while we're sleeping?
That is so cool.