Skimping on sleep and staying up late could indicate you’re headed for a negative spiral of persistent worry and negative thinking, according to new research from Binghamton University.
The researchers asked 100 students to complete several questionnaires and two computerized tasks to gauge repetitive negative thinking (RNT) by measuring how much the subjects worried, ruminated or obsessed over something. The subjects also answered questions about their sleep habits and schedules.
Subjects who described themselves as “evening” people, as well as those who slept fewer hours at night, were found to experience more negative thoughts than those who described themselves as “morning” people, as well as those who slept longer. Though the data suggests a correlation, it does not imply causality. The researchers note that it is possible that worry leads to disruptions in the timing and duration of sleep, rather than late sleep times causing greater worry.
Repetitive, intrusive negative thoughts like those described by the students who stayed up late are often associated with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
