In a study published in the journal Pnas, a British research team highlights the crucial importance of sleep in maintaining our mental balance. A good night’s rest would help the brain to master intrusive, these unforeseen and often disturbing ideas that are imposed without preventing, out of any context.
Limit intrusive thoughts, easier after good rest
The researchers had proof of it after carrying out an experience involving 85 healthy adults. Among them, half had benefited from a night’s resting night, while the other had been deprived of rest. Subsequently, all the participants were faced with faces they had already seen, each being previously associated with an image illustrating a scene, sometimes marked by a strong negative emotional load, such as a car accident or a fight. For each face, the participants had to either remember the associated scene or try to erase the memory.
Thanks to functional MRIs, the researchers studied the reactions of the brain of volunteers when they were to remember or forget emotionally striking scenes.
- Among well -rested participants, they noted an increased activation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an essential region for controlling thoughts, emotions and actions. Simultaneously, the activity of the hippocampus, this small area of the brain usually involved in the recall of memories, was reduced. This indicates that these individuals had better ability to block intrusive memories. “”Deletion is an ingenious brain function: it weakens the connections associated with the memory, thus preventing the complete reconstruction of the experience when it is revived by an external stimulus“Explains Dr Cairney, co -author of the study, in a press release.
- On the other hand, people deprived of sleep did not manage to activate the area of the brain involved in the suppression of unwanted memories. “This prevents them from interrupting memory processes at the hippocampal level, giving rise to intrusive thoughts,” adds Dr Cairney.
Important consequences for mental health
These conclusions resonate particularly in the field of mental health. Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome (SSPT) are often linked to sleep disorders. By deepening the understanding of the brain mechanisms, the researchers hope to open the way for targeted treatments, mixing behavioral therapies and improving the quality of sleep for the people concerned by these issues.
This study reaffirms the crucial importance of sleep to preserve our mental balance. While sleep disorders are multiplying on a global scale, it forcefully underlines the need to ensure quality rest to protect our psychological health. Because a well -rested spirit cannot be polluted by parasitic thoughts.