When you go to bed and how long you sleep at a time might actually make it difficult for you to stop worrying, according to researchers at Binghamton University. The study, led by Binghamton Anxiety Clinic Director Meredith Coles and graduate student Jacob Nota, found that people who sleep for shorter periods of time and go to bed very late at night are often overwhelmed with more negative thoughts than those who keep more regular sleeping hours. The findings appear in Springer's journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, being published this month. 
 
 People are said to have repetitive negative thinking when they have bothersome pessimistic thoughts that seem to repeat in their minds without the person feeling as though he or she has much control over these contemplations. They tend to worry excessively about the future, delve too much in the past and experience annoying intrusive thoughts. Such thoughts are often typical of people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder. These individuals also tend to have sleep problems. 
 
 Previous studies have linked sleep problems with such repetitive negative thoughts, especially in cases where someone does not get enough shuteye. Nota and Coles set out to replicate these studies, and to further see if there's any link between having such repetitive thoughts and the actual time when someone goes to bed. 
 
 They asked 100 young adults at Binghamton University to complete a battery of questionnaires and two computerized tasks. In the process, they measured how much the students worry, ruminate or obsess about something -- three measures by which repetitive negative thinking is gauged. The students were also asked whether they were more habitual morning or evening types, preferring to hold regular hours or to have a sleep-wake schedule that is more skewed towards later in the day. 
 
 The researchers found that people who sleep for shorter periods of time and go to bed later often experience more repetitive negative thoughts than others. This was also true for those students who described themselves as evening types. 
 
 "Making sure that sleep is obtained during the right time of day may be an inexpensive and easily disseminable intervention for individuals who are bothered by intrusive thoughts," said Nota. 
 
 The findings also suggest that sleep disruption may be linked to the development of repetitive negative thinking. Nota and Coles believe that it might benefit people who are at risk of developing a disorder characterized by such intrusive thoughts to focus on getting enough sleep. 
 
 "If further findings support the relation between sleep timing and repetitive negative thinking, this could one day lead to a new avenue for treatment of individuals with internalizing disorders," added Coles. "Studying the relation between reductions in sleep duration and psychopathology has already demonstrated that focusing on sleep in the clinic also leads to reductions in symptoms of psychopathology." 
 
 This study is part of a line of research examining the relations between sleep behavior and mental health. Based on growing evidence linking sleep and psychopathology, Nota and Coles and their colleagues at Binghamton University are aiming to understand how information about sleep may be used to help individuals with anxiety disorders. 
 
 ### ||||| Better Sleep Could Help Those Overwhelmed By Negative Thoughts 
 
 by Chuck Bednar 
 
 Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online 
 
 Those who go to bed extremely late at night and sleep for shorter periods of time are more likely to feel more consumed by worry, researchers from Binghamton University report in this month’s edition of the journal Cognitive Therapy and Research. 
 
 Binghamton Anxiety Clinic Director Meredith Coles, and her colleagues recruited 100 young adults to complete a battery of questionnaires and two computerized tasks designed to measure how much the students worry, contemplate or obsess about something, the three measures used to gauge repetitive negative thinking. 
 
 Those participants were also asked if they were more habitual morning or evening types, and if they preferred to maintain regular hours or to have a sleep-wake schedule that is more skewed towards later in the day. The study authors found that those who kept regular sleeping hours tended to be less overwhelmed with negative thoughts. 
 
 “Higher levels of repetitive negative thinking (RNT; a perseverative and abstract focus on negative aspects of one’s experience) are associated with reduced sleep duration,” Coles and graduate student Jacob Nota wrote in their study. “This information is already informing theory and clinical practice. However, we are not aware of any studies examining the relation between RNT and the timing of sleep.” 
 
 Their work revealed that “shorter sleep duration was cross-sectionally associated with more rumination and delayed sleep timing was associated with more obsessive-compulsive symptoms,” and that “individuals who endorsed a preference for later sleep and activity times also reported more RNT.” The findings, the study authors reported, “suggest that RNT may be uniquely related to both sleep duration and timing.” 
 
 According to the researchers, people are said to practice repetitive negative thinking when they have troublesome pessimistic thoughts which tend to repeat in their heads. These individuals feel as though they cannot control these thoughts, tend to be excessively concerned about the future and delve too much into the past. 
 
 These types of thoughts are said to be typical of patients suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder, the researchers said. Previous research has linked sleep problems with such repetitive negative thoughts, especially in cases where someone does not get enough shut eye, and Nota and Coles set out to replicate these studies. 
 
 “Making sure that sleep is obtained during the right time of day may be an inexpensive and easily disseminable intervention for individuals who are bothered by intrusive thoughts,” Nota said in a statement. The research also suggests that sleep disruption may be linked to the development of repetitive negative thinking. 
 
 The study authors suggest that people who are at risk of developing a disorder characterized by these types of intrusive thoughts could benefit from making sure that they are getting enough slumber every night . The research is one part of a line research examining the link between mental health and sleep behavior. 
 
 “If further findings support the relation between sleep timing and repetitive negative thinking, this could one day lead to a new avenue for treatment of individuals with internalizing disorders,” Coles said. “Studying the relation between reductions in sleep duration and psychopathology has already demonstrated that focusing on sleep in the clinic also leads to reductions in symptoms of psychopathology.” 
 
 ----- 
 
 Follow redOrbit on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. ||||| Can the time you hit the hay actually influence the types of thoughts you have? Science says yes. (Gallerystock) 
 
 Are you a chronic worrier? The hour you’re going to sleep, and how much sleep you’re getting overall, may exacerbate your anxiety, according to a new study published in the journal Cognitive Therapy and Research. 
 
 The great news here? By tweaking your sleep habits you could actually help yourself worry less. Really. 
 
 Researchers from Binghamton University in New York used the results of questionnaires and two computerized tasks from a group of 100 young adults to measure sleep amounts, as well as how much each of the participants talk about fear and fret. 
 
 After analyzing the cross-sectional data, they found that people who sleep for shorter amounts of time and go to bed later have greater levels of worry, rumination, and obsessing, the three factors that contribute to a process called “repetitive negative thinking.” 
 
 Related: How to Win at Sleep 
 
 Additionally, the study found that those who classify themselves as an “evening type” — meaning they tend to stay up later, shaping their daily activities around night-owl behaviors — are more likely to report repetitive negative thinking than those who subscribe to morning-centered daily regimens or don’t adhere to either morning or evening schedules. 
 
 Study co-author Jacob Nota, a clinical psychology Ph.D. candidate at Binghamton, says scientists aren’t yet exactly sure how these variables are connected. However, those affected by mood and anxiety disorders frequently report repetitive negative thoughts. 
 
 Sleep may be a form of thought clarification and regulation. 
 
 “We do know that getting enough sleep is important for emotional and cognitive functioning,” he tells Yahoo Health. “Research has shown that while you’re sleeping, your brain is hard at work building and refining connections, integrating memories and emotions, and preparing you for the next day.” 
 
 As to why late-sleepers have more negative thoughts than morning-risers? “Within any 24-hour period your body prepares you for many different tasks, like paying attention, solving problems, and regulating emotions,” Nota says. “You’ll do best if you do these tasks during the time your body is prepared for them.” 
 
 When it comes to timing tasks, your body functions on its own clock. 
 
 Circadian rhythms, anyone? If you refuse to operate by your body’s timeline, you may be in for a rude awakening. Literally. 
 
 “For example, we know that most people are best able to focus their attention in the few hours following waking up,” Nota says. “It seems that high-level cognitive processes, like the ability to inhibit thoughts and images, may be diminished as the day goes on. Therefore, individuals who go to bed later may be more prone to experience these repetitive negative thoughts and have trouble dismissing them.” 
 
 There are ways to control your mind and sleeping habits. 
 
 For some who truly can’t shut off their minds (or get much rest at all), Nota says cognitive-behavioral therapy has been effective in reducing repetitive negative thinking. Chronotherapeutics are also an option, which are aimed to improve sleep through light exposure, melatonin and other interventional techniques taking into account a person’s natural circadian rhythms. 
 
 Related: Talk Therapy Substantially Reduces Suicide Risk, Study Finds 
 
 For most, simple at-home hacks to sleep more and worry less might be all you need. 
 
 “It may be helpful to build a routine around bed and wake times that is kept regularly and designed to be relaxing,” says Nota. “Also make sure your sleeping space is conducive to sleep — dark, a comfortable temperature, and only used being for this purposes.” And if you’re not actually ready to go to sleep, do other activities in different places (read: not your bedroom). 
 
 Restricting your hours of sleep at first might be a useful technique to get better rest in the long run. “This is so you’re not just lying in bed with mind racing and worried thoughts,” says Nota. As you tire earlier with less sleep, you can progressively increase the amount of time you’re in bed each night. 
 
 Overall, Nota says, people need to think about sleep more completely. “It’s not just about how much you get, when you get it matters too,” he explains. 
 
 Read More
– Those who feel stressed and anxious all the time might want to try one simple remedy before others: Go to bed earlier. It's not just a matter of getting a good night's sleep, however. Researchers at Binghamton University say that when you go to sleep matters when it comes to fending off "repetitive negative thinking," according to a post at Eureka Alert. While they don't specify bedtimes, the researchers say that people who are night owls and thus wake later in the day tend to obsess about their problems more than people who keep more regular sleeping hours, reports Red Orbit. "Making sure that sleep is obtained during the right time of day may be an inexpensive and easily disseminable intervention for individuals who are bothered by intrusive thoughts," says one of the researchers for the study published in Cognitive Therapy and Research. The scientists can't say exactly why this is the case, but it might have something to do with the body's natural rhythms, explains a post at Yahoo Health. As the researcher explains, the brain might be better suited to handle "high-level cognitive processes, like the ability to inhibit thoughts and images" in the morning. (Another recent study reaffirms that about eight hours of sleep is optimal.)