People who have anxiety disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) often complain of interrupted and troubled sleep. Over time, unsatisfying sleep tends to make anxiety sufferers feel more stressed and worried.
Sleep is an important aspect of your life that can have effects on your mental and physical well-being. Recently researchers in psychology and science have been interested in the unique ways in which a lack of sleep or disrupted sleep can affect people who are prone to worrying and developing anxiety disorders.
A study at the University of California, Berkeley, explored the concept of sleep affecting anxiety levels in more detail. The researchers, who work in neuroscience, recruited participants with varying levels of anxiety.
The participants were made to feel anxious at key points in the study. The researchers would observe the brain activity of the participants. The people in the study who were more prone to feeling anxiety reacted more strongly to disturbing stimuli. This was even more noticeable when the more anxious participants were also sleep-deprived.
Inadequate sleep was shown to increase the brain’s reaction to anxiety-inducing images. People who were more sensitive to anxiety-provoking stimuli were found to have greater activity in their brain when the researchers attempted to create feelings of anxiety in them.
The study has many implications for people with anxiety disorders as well as the general population. If you are interested in finding out more about it, visit the link below for details.
