Your brain emits “theta waves” when you’re falling asleep or waking up. Here’s how to use them for problem-solving.
无论你睡着或醒来，你的大脑都会发出“θ波”。下面是如何使用它们解决问题的方法。
 
Eat. Sleep. Solve problems. Repeat. You probably spend a large part of your waking hours tackling challenges, especially when you’re at work.
吃东西。睡眠。解决问题。重复。你可能在醒着的时间里花了很大一部分时间来应对挑战，尤其是在你工作的时候。
 
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Many of the world’s top business visionaries owe their success to their ability to identify problems and deliver solutions.
这未必是件坏事。世界上许多顶尖的商业家，都将他们的成功归结于发现问题、解决问题的能力。
 
Of course, regardless of how expected (or important) workplace problem-solving is, it’s still stressful, and some people seem to be better at it than others.
当然，不管你期望的(或重要的)工作场所解决问题的方式是怎样的，它仍然是有压力的，而且有些人似乎比其他人做得更好。
 
So, if you want to raise your game here, I suggest you start finding the answers in your sleep–literally. It’s called riding the theta brain waves.
所以，如果你想提高你的水平，我建议你从睡眠上开始寻找答案，即“驾驭脑波”。
 
But first, let me back up:
首先，我们来看些背景资料：
 
WHAT ARE THE FOUR BRAIN WAVES?
四种脑波是什么?
As educator Ned Herrmann explains, brain waves—the “electrical activity emanating from the brain”–occur in four states depending on your level of activity. Herrmann continues on to break down each state by decreasing wave frequency.
正如教育家Ned Herrmann解释的那样，大脑的波动——“大脑中的电活动”——根据你的活动水平可分为四种。Herrmann通过减少波动频率来区分每个状态。
 
Learning to utilize theta waves takes some practice. Do it regularly, though, and you’ll develop a positive habit that may take your productivity to new levels.
学习利用波需要一些练习。不过，要经常做，你会养成一个积极的习惯，它会把你的效率提升到新的水平。
 
At your most active, you generate beta waves (for instance, when you’re in the middle of a job interview). When you’re relaxed (like when you’ve finally wrapped that big project and can take a breath), your brain switches to alpha waves. Now, jumping ahead for a minute, the fourth stage is delta and it’s when you’re in a deep sleep.
在你最活跃的时候，你会产生β-波(比如当你正在面试的时候)。当你放松的时候(比如你终于完成了那个大项目，可以喘口气)，你的大脑就会切换到阿尔法波。现在，跳上一分钟，第四种脑波是∆波，产生于深度睡眠时。
 
I skipped over the third stage, theta, because that’s the one that’s best for problem solving.
我没有讲第三种波，即θ波，因为这是解决问题的最好工具。
 
Individuals who do a lot of freeway driving often get good ideas during those periods when they are in theta . . . This can also occur in the shower or tub or even while shaving or brushing your hair. The ideation that can take place during the theta state is often free flow and occurs without censorship or guilt.
那些在高速公路上开车的人，在那些时间里经常会有好的想法……这也可能发生在淋浴或浴缸，甚至在刮胡子或梳头时。θ波状态下人们的想法是自由的，不假思索的。
 
You’re also in theta when you’re falling asleep or waking up and between active alertness and deep dreaming.
睡着或者醒来的时候、非常敏锐的时候或者正处在梦境时也处于θ波状态。
 
During this awakening cycle it is possible for individuals to stay in the theta state for an extended period of say, five to 15 minutes–which would allow them to have a free flow of ideas about yesterday’s events or to contemplate the activities of the forthcoming day. This time can be an extremely productive and can be a period of very meaningful and creative mental activity.
在这一觉醒周期中，个人可能会在一段较长的时间内停留在“θ波状态”，即5到15分钟——这将使他们对昨天的事件有一个自由的想法，或者对即将到来的一天的活动进行思考。这可以是非常有成效的，可以是一段非常有意义和创造性的精神活动的时期。
 
IS THERE ANY REAL PROOF THIS WORKS?
有什么切实的证据吗?
 
Taking advantage of when your brain is prepared to give you the best ideas is something successful people have been doing for hundreds of years. Artists like Salvador Dali, writers like Mary Shelley, and great thinkers have understood that the early “nodding off” stage of sleep, when theta waves predominate in the brain, is the best time to let the creative juices flow.
利用好这段时期，古往今来的大师们都是这样做的。像萨尔瓦多•达利(Salvador Dali)、玛丽•雪莱(Mary Shelley)这样的作家和伟大的思想家都明白，当θ波在大脑中占据主导地位时，早期的“打盹”阶段是让创造性思维流动的最佳时机。
 
Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison also relied on half-sleep moments to chew over big ideas. A nimble, creative mind is primed for solving problems. What worked for Einstein can work for you, too, although maybe not in a theory-of-relativity kind of way.
阿尔伯特•爱因斯坦(Albert Einstein)和托马斯•爱迪生(Thomas Edison)也依赖于半睡眠时间来思考重要问题。一个灵活的、有创造力的头脑会为解决问题做好准备。这一理论对爱因斯坦是有效的，所以即便你不能提出相对论，这对你来说也应该是有效的。
 
HOW CAN YOU USE THETA WAVES TO GET AHEAD?
如何利用好θ波？
 
Learning to utilize theta waves takes some practice. Do it regularly, though, and you’ll develop a positive habit that may take your productivity to new levels. Here’s how to get started.
通过实践可以学会运用θ波，经常练习之后就会养成习惯，由此可以提升自己的能力和工作效率，具体方法如下：
 

1.Pick a task. Just as you start to become conscious in the morning, but while your eyes are closed and your brain’s still dreamy, think of the most immediate problem or task you have to face today. Maybe it’s having a tricky conversation, negotiating with a client, writing a report, or creating a new marketing campaign. No matter how many to-do’s might be racing around in your mind, choose only one and let the brain ruminate.
1．选择一个任务。早晨开始变得清醒时，当你闭着眼睛、大脑依然如梦似幻时，想想今天最紧迫的问题或任务。也许这是一个棘手的对话、与客户谈判、写报告，或创建一个新的营销活动。不管你脑子里有多少事情要做，只选一个，让大脑开始思考。
 
Often, you’ll nab a useful idea or two. Every so often, you’ll score a sheer flash of genius. Now, to be honest, you’ll probably forget to do this every day when you first start, but over time you’ll be able to make it a habit, just another part of your morning routine.
通常，你会发现一两个有用的想法。每隔一段时间，你就会发现自己有一些天才想法。现在，说实话，刚开始的时候你可能会忘记每天都这样做，但是随着时间的推移，你会养成习惯，这就变成是你早晨例行公事的一部分了。
 
2. Take notes. If you’re like me, the most frustrating part of problem-solving in theta is that you tend to forget these inspired ideas once you get up and start rolling. You’ll be wracking your brain in the shower trying to recall those three brilliant bullet points you mentally drafted. That’s why you need to write them down in as soon as you rouse yourself enough to open your eyes.
2．做笔记。如果你和我一样，在解决问题的过程中最让人沮丧的是，一旦你起床开始工作，你就会忘记这些灵感。你会在洗澡的时候绞尽脑汁，试图回忆起你在脑海里想出来的三个点子。这就是为什么你需要睁开眼睛之后马上把这些点子记下来的原因。
 
The most frustrating part of problem-solving in theta is that you tend to forget these inspired ideas once you get up and start rolling.
在解决问题的过程中，最让人沮丧的是，一旦你起身开始活动，你往往会忘记这些灵感。
 
Grab your smartphone and jot down or voice record your thoughts. Make this quick. Stick to key words, descriptions, and phrases that’ll jog your memory later when you’re ready to use the information.
拿起你的智能手机，然后快速记下你的想法：用关键词、描述和短语来记，当你准备好使用这些信息的时候，你的记忆就会被唤醒。
 
3. Review. Keep track of your “theta thoughts” so you can look them at them over time and find patterns. You may find that, for you, it’s best for tackling creative work, like writing or designing. Or you could discover it gives you an edge in spoken communications or scheduling. This will help you know what questions to ask yourself during this mental state in the future.
3．审查。时常查看“θ波想法”，这样你就可以随着时间的推移观察它们并找到它们的模式。你可能会发现，对于你来说，这是最好的解决创造性的工作，比如写作或设计。或者你会发现它能让你在口语交流或安排中有优势。这将帮助你知道在未来的θ波状态下，你应该问自己什么问题。
 
Inspiration comes at us from all corners. But so do obstacles. Thinking in theta exploits the mind’s inherent problem-solving skills in a way that lets you recall solutions and use them.
灵感来自四面八方。“θ波想法”能够唤醒大脑深处的处理问题的方法，让你能够发现解决方法。