Poor sleep and mental health problems are often linked, but the reasons behind this connection have remained unclear.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) have uncovered a possible explanation: deficits in specific brain regions that help keep unwanted thoughts out of mind.
These findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could pave the way for new treatments and prevention strategies for mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
The study, led by Dr. Marcus Harrington from UEA’s School of Psychology, explores how sleep deprivation affects memory control.
Using functional neuroimaging, the research team demonstrated for the first time that sleep loss interferes with brain regions responsible for suppressing unwanted memories.
Additionally, they found that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep appears to rejuvenate these brain regions, helping maintain better control over thoughts and emotions.
Unwanted memories, especially those tied to unpleasant experiences, can occasionally intrude into awareness for most people. However, for individuals with mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), these intrusions can be vivid, persistent, and deeply distressing.
Dr. Harrington explained, “Failures in memory control could help explain why poor sleep is so strongly linked to emotional difficulties. Understanding the mechanisms that lead to intrusive memories is crucial for improving emotional well-being and reducing mental health burdens worldwide.”
The study involved 85 healthy adults who were asked to suppress unwanted memories while their brain activity was recorded using functional MRI. Half of the participants had a full night’s rest in a sleep lab, while the other half stayed awake all night.
The well-rested participants showed more activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain responsible for controlling thoughts, emotions, and actions. In contrast, those who stayed awake all night struggled to engage this brain region.
The rested participants also displayed reduced activity in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory retrieval center, during attempts to suppress unwanted thoughts.
Interestingly, the participants who spent more time in REM sleep demonstrated even greater ability to engage the prefrontal cortex during memory suppression. This suggests that REM sleep plays a vital role in restoring the brain’s ability to manage intrusive memories and maintain emotional balance.
Dr. Harrington emphasized the broader significance of these findings: “Sleep is essential not just for physical health but also for mental and emotional well-being.
Our research highlights how sleep helps us maintain control over our memories and ongoing thoughts, offering new insights into how sleep loss may contribute to emotional challenges.”
These results provide a clearer understanding of the link between poor sleep and mental health issues, highlighting the importance of prioritizing healthy sleep habits.
They also point to REM sleep as a potential target for future treatments aimed at improving emotional resilience and reducing the burden of mental illness.
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The research findings can be found in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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