Not social media, THIS is the No 1 sleep killer

The number one sleep killer is not what you think it is. An uncomfortable mattress or social media is probably not what’s keeping you up all night.

Aric A Prather, a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the University of California and a clinical psychologist, has revealed that the main factor that might cause sleep disruption is rumination.

Prather, who is also the author of The Sleep Prescription: Seven Days to Unlocking Your Best Rest, came to this conclusion after his painstaking research where he worked with hundreds of patients to help them improve their sleep through cognitive behavioural therapy.

On a brighter note, he has also suggested ways to fix it in just over 15 minutes.

Let’s take a close look.

What is rumination?

In layman’s terms, the dictionary describes rumination as an “obsessive or abnormal reflection upon an idea or deliberation over a choice.”

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While according to the National Library of Medicine, rumination is a form of perseverative cognition that focuses on negative content, generally past and present and results in emotional distress.

Psychologist Nolen-Hoeksema, says that rumination is a mode of responding to distress, “one that entails repetitively and passively focussing on the distress as well as its possible causes and consequences.

Factors like personality traits such as perfectionism or neuroticism, stressful events in one’s life, poor self-esteem, stress about a certain fear, traumatic events and worrying about future events, might be a cause of rumination, according to an article by verywellmind.

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Rumination in turn can be the cause of a number of psychiatric syndromes and disorders. It has been associated with acute stressors, depressive syndromes, alcohol misuse, generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and bulimia nervosa.

According to Healthline, rumination can happen to anyone at any point in time. However, it can particularly be distressing to someone who is trying to get some sleep because rather than relaxing, the mind stays active with obsessive thoughts which makes a person stay up all night.

What has Dr Aric said?

In a recent essay for CNBC, Dr Aric said, “Rumination is a sleep-blocker because it keeps you mind aroused, especially in bed, when it’s dark and quiet.”

“Your attention is drawn back, again and again, to this thing that didn’t go well or to regret. I’ve laid in bed and replayed a dumb comment I made at a party, even though the person I said it to probably forgot it moments later,” he added.

Because these thoughts and emotions are so noticeable and loud, neuroscientists term them as “salient”.

How to cure rumination?

While Dr Aric agrees that there’s no magic switch to turn off rumination completely, there are ways to train our minds in order to block these obsessive thoughts from ruining our sleep.

“Our brain’s job is to consolidate information and build new synapses by dredging up moments and memories from your day — even the things that upset you,” he said.

The psychologist has suggested ways to fix this problem and claims that they take only 15 minutes to do.

Step one, “worry early”. Prather says that someone who is troubled with rumination should set aside 15 minutes of his or her time during the mid to late afternoon just for oneself. He calls it “emotional worry” times.

It is important to ensure that there are minimum distractions during this time. He said, “Some of my patients have locked themselves in the bathroom to avoid being disturbed. Some take a walk outside.”

“Once the timer starts, give yourself the freedom to worry about one topic at a time. Think of it as a to-do list that you go through one by one, except what you’re checking off are topics you feel the most anxiety about.”

In case someone finds himself or herself worrying outside this “emotional worry time”, Dr Aric asks people to tell themselves, “Look, I just need to postpone this to the next emotional worry time.” This same technique can be used if worrying thoughts pop up again during bedtime.

Prather advises practicing this two to three times a week until rumination at night slowly starts to fade.

Step two is to “practice constructive worrying”. This method requires a piece of paper and a pen. Dr Aric suggests that someone suffering from rumination must create two columns on a paper labelled ‘Problem’ and ‘Solution’. “Come up with a short list of current issues you’re dealing with. Focus in particular on what you’re likely to ruminate about tonight.”

Under the ‘Solutions’ column he has asked readers to come up with the next steps they would like to take to tackle each issue. He said, “Remember, the goal is to chart out a plan for how to get started with actionable steps for tomorrow, or within the next few days. You are not solving it completely.”

Following this, the paper should be put next to the bed and people should remind themselves that they have a plan. “Some people I’ve worked with will even reach out and touch the paper,” he added.

Prather says that through this method a person has already spent a considerable amount of time and energy on these problems so that the mind does not have to ponder them over at night.

How serious of a problem is sleep deprivation?

Recently, California passed a law that requires school days for middle schools and high schools to begin no later than 8 am and 8:30 am respectively to battle sleep deprivation among teens.

In 2014, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention declared sleep deprivation as a “public health epidemic.”

All of these instances point out a growing problem of lack of sleep and its effects on well-being.

According to Healthline, sleep deprivation can dramatically lower one’s quality of life. A 2010 study also found that sleeping too little at night can turn fatal.

Chronic insomnia can disrupt how the body usually sends and processes information, hampering the central nervous system.

With inputs from agencies

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