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Anew studyhas explored the link between sleep deprivation and the inability to stop intrusive thoughts and memories.

The results of this study suggest a link between poor sleep and difficulties in suppressing memory retrieval.

Man in bed unable to get to sleep

What are intrusive thoughts and memories?

They are often unusual, disturbing, repetitive, and difficult to push away.

What did the study find?

Young woman lies in bed with sleep problems cause by choosing a memory foam hybrid instead of a latex hybrid

The study was conducted by monitoring eighty-five healthy adults and their attempts to suppress unwanted memories.

Here are the top three simple things you might do to get better rest and to reduce intrusive thoughts:

A woman wearing a pink sleep eye mask and silk pyjamas stretching her arms in bed waking up from quality sleep.

A man in a blue t shirt holds his head in his hands and sits on the edge of his bed because he can�t sleep due to intrusive thoughts and needs to try cognitive shuffling for sleeping

A woman lying on her side sleeping with a handdrawn thought bubble over her head to show she�s thinking

A woman scrolls on her phone in bed during the middle of the night

A nurse wearing blue scrubs asleep on her side on a bench in a hospital

A woman sleeping on her front looking towards the camera in bed looking tired from not sleeping

A chocolate Easter egg in pink tin foil next to image of blonde woman in purple star patterned pyjamas struggling to sleep in bed with white sheets

Woman lying down on the bed and smiling feeling comfortable

A woman with dark brown hair lies on her side staring at the back of a white alarm clock that shows the time as 2.30am

A woman with short brown hair sitting on bed with white sheets with a glass of green Spirulina smoothie in hand

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