Negative thoughts are cognitions about the self, others, or
the world in general that are characterized by negative perceptions,
expectations, and attributions and are associated with unpleasant emotions and
adverse behavioral, physiological, and health outcomes. [1] complicated, isn’t
it! In simple words, it is a thought process where people tend to expect the
worst outcomes in everything or reduce their expectations to the worst possible
end from anything they do, talk or even think. These are usually associated to
psychological conditions like depression (most common), anxiety, loneliness,
and hostility etc. Globally up to 20-25% women and 7-12% men are having
clinically significant depressive negative thoughts in their lives. [2] But
perhaps this problem affects almost all of us to some extents at some point of
time of our lives.
Present management
approach:
·
Cognitive-behavioral
therapy, or CBT which include mainly [3]
o
Recognizing
thought distortions
o
Challenging
negative thoughts
o
Taking
a break from negative thoughts
o
Releasing
judgment
o
Practicing
gratitude
o
Focusing
on your strengths
o
Or
Seeking out professional support
·
Drug
therapy etc.
But the outcome is unsatisfactory in
most of the cases with limited good results or recurrence of symptoms. Hence
scientists have tried to find out some effective solution for this universal
problem from our day today practices. One of such effective findings is the
role of quality and quantity of sleep in negative thought productions.
Scientific evidences:
· Shorter
sleep duration is associated with more rumination or deep thinking about
unnecessary things and delayed sleep timing is associated with more
obsessive–compulsive symptoms. [4]
· Sleep
disruption may be associated with a specific impact on cognitive resources that
are necessary for the inhibitory control of attention to emotionally negative
information. [5]
· About
three fourth of depressed patients have insomnia symptoms, and hypersomnia is
present in about 40% of young depressed adults and 10% of older patients, with
a predominance in female population. [6]
· Numerous
studies provide findings indicating the remarkable relationship between sleep
alterations and depression. [7]
· Chronic
sleep deprivation rather than acute sleep loss may lead to depression that is
potentially attributable to the neurochemical changes that occur in the brain
& depression may lead to disturbed sleep. [8]
· sleep
disturbance may be a risk factor for development, an initial manifestation of
the disorder, or a comorbid condition of unipolar depression. [9]
From above research findings,
it is obvious that negative thoughts arising due to mental disorders are strongly
associated to sleep disorder or disturbances & more so with long term
conditions. But it is yet to find out through further researches, whether sleep
disorders are cause of or result of psychological ailments. But one thing is
clear that, a healthier and rhythmic sleeping habit will definitely have
positive impact on our thought process.
Good sleeping habit:
[10][11]
· Be
consistent at going to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same
time each morning, including on the weekends
· Make
sure that your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable
temperature
·. Remove
all electronic devices, such as TVs, computers, and smart phones, from the
bedroom
· Avoid
large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime
· Get
some exercise. Being physically active during the day can help you fall asleep
more easily at night.
· At
least 7 hrs. of sleep for adults and 9hrs for young adults per night is recommended.
Healthy sleep requires adequate duration,
good quality, appropriate timing and regularity, and the absence of sleep
disturbances or disorders. [11] A good quality life needs good quality sleep
too, which not necessarily means how much time we have spent on bed, rather how
much time we have actually spent in having a healthy sleep to make the next day
an energetic and positive one. Thank you, be healthy and keep smiling………..
References & further reading:
1.
Tiro
J, Lee S, Lipshultz S, Miller T, Wilkinson J, Mestre M et al. Negative
Thoughts. 2018.
2.
Wang
J, Wu X, Lai W, et al. Prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms among
outpatients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open.
2017;7(8):e017173. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017173.
3.
7
Ways to Deal With Negative Thoughts [Internet]. Psychology Today. 2018 [cited
10 January 2018]. Available from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/women-s-mental-health-matters/201509/7-ways-deal-negative-thoughts
5.
Nota
J, Coles M. Shorter sleep duration and longer sleep onset latency are related
to difficulty disengaging attention from negative emotional images in
individuals with elevated transdiagnostic repetitive negative thinking. Journal
of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 2018;58:114-122.
6.
Nutt
D, Wilson S, Paterson L. Sleep disorders as core symptoms of depression.
Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. 2008;10(3):329-336.
7.
Tsuno
N, Besset A, Ritchie K. Sleep and depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 2005
Oct;66(10):1254-69.
8.
Al-Abri
MA. Sleep Deprivation and Depression: A bi-directional association. Sultan
Qaboos University Medical Journal. 2015;15(1):e4-e6.
9.
Wiebe
ST, Cassoff J, Gruber R. Sleep patterns and the risk for unipolar depression: a
review. Nature and Science of Sleep. 2012;4:63-71. doi:10.2147/NSS.S23490.
10. CDC - Sleep Hygiene Tips - Sleep and
Sleep Disorders [Internet]. Cdc.gov. 2018 [cited 10 January 2018]. Available
from: https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html
11. Watson N, Badr M, Belenky G, Bliwise
D, Buxton O, Buysse D et al. Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A
Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep
Research Society. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2015;.
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