Jason Fitzpatrick
From playwrights of yesteryear to grandmothers everywhere, “sleep on it” is an oft-repeated bit of advice. The results of a recent sleep study indicate it’s probably the scientific way to dial back your anxiety, too.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkley found, according to a study published recently in the journal Nature Human Behavior, that deep restorative sleep had a profound impact on study participants.
“People with anxiety disorders routinely report having disturbed sleep, but rarely is sleep improvement considered as a clinical recommendation for lowering anxiety,” Simon said. “Our study not only establishes a causal connection between sleep and anxiety, but it identifies the kind of deep NREM sleep we need to calm the overanxious brain.”
On a societal level, “the findings suggest that the decimation of sleep throughout most industrialized nations and the marked escalation in anxiety disorders in these same countries is perhaps not coincidental, but causally related,” Walker said. “The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night of sleep.”
If you’re in need of a good night’s sleep—to fight anxiety or otherwise—take advantage of these sleep hygiene tips to help get to sleep faster (and sleep deeper) tonight.
[Via Berkley News]
