What does the 'You've got some new ideas to sleep on' notification mean in Stardew Valley?

While playing Stardew Valley, you now occasionally receive a notification in the bottom left of the screen noting you have ‘new ideas to sleep on’. This is a recent addition with update 1.6, so it’s resulted in players questioning its meaning. 

It’s actually remarkably simple — the ‘You’ve got some new ideas to sleep on’ notification shows up whenever you level up a skill, letting you know you’ve made progress before turning in for the night. Previously, you’d have to wait until the end of the day for a level increase, but this notification can happen at any time of the day. 

There’s no more satisfying moment than leveling up, regardless of what game you’re playing, and Stardew Valley is no different. Each level up brings additional recipes or skills, so you’ll want to pay attention to this notification. 

How to level up skills in Stardew Valley

Each skill — Foraging, Mining, Fishing, Farming, and Combat — has 10 levels gained through earning exp. This exp comes from performing actions related to that skill, such as Combat exp earned while exploring Mines and Farming exp earned through planting or harvesting crops. 

Each increase in level requires more exp to achieve:

Once you’ve reached level 10 in every skill, you can unlock the new Mastery System which was added in the 1.6 update, offering the chance for you to get new tools and skills that otherwise aren’t available.