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Scientists Discover Why Toxic Thoughts Run Rampant When We’re Tired
A study shows what happens in our brain to allow negative thoughts to flourish when we’re sleep deprived.
Have you ever done something embarrassing? Like, really embarrassing? Something so uncomfortable that the memory haunts you long after the event? I sure have. And somehow it’s even worse when I’m sleep-deprived, making it harder to keep the memory at arm’s length.
This link between poor sleep and intrusive thoughts has been elusive, but recent research brings us closer to an answer. And, it turns out that a lack of sleep does indeed make our brains less efficient at keeping unwanted thoughts out of our conscious mind, and likely also contributes to the onset and continuation of mental health struggles.
Memory Containment and Retrieval
Side note: I’m including a bit more than is necessary in this section simply because I think it’s interesting, but feel free to skip ahead.
We don’t have just one type of memory, and there isn’t only one area in our brain that stores them. We experience several kinds of memories, and they’re stored in interconnected regions across our brain.
