Can a nap that only lasts a few seconds stimulate creativity ?

Both Thomas Edison and Salvador Dali used a technique that might prove it true.

Closeup of Edison Statue

Thomas Edison 1847-1931

There is a statue of Thomas Edison in Fort Myers, Florida that shows him with a steel ball in his left hand. It depicts a habit he used to enter a certain state of consciousness.

The practice is sometimes credited to Capuchin monks, as far back as the 16th century.

When confronted with a very difficult problem, he would catnap in the chair in his office. He placed metal pans beside his chair and held a steel ball in each hand. As he fell asleep, his hands relaxed, dropping the steel balls in the pans. Awakened, he immediately recorded any insights gained during the period between wakefulness and sleep.