News Every Day |

Sleep could help erase bad memories, study finds: ‘Therapy for our emotions’

Sleep has been shown to have a long list of physical and mental health benefits, and now a new study suggests it could also help to "erase" bad memories.

That’s according to researchers from the University of Hong Kong, who implemented a procedure called "targeted memory reactivation" (TMR) to reactivate positive memories and weaken painful ones during sleep

"Recollecting painful or traumatic experiences can be deeply troubling," the researchers wrote in the findings, which were published in the journal PNAS. "Sleep may offer an opportunity to reduce such suffering."

DEEP SLEEP CAN KEEP TWO BIG HEALTH PROBLEMS AT BAY, NEW STUDIES SUGGEST

"We developed a procedure to weaken older aversive memories by reactivating newer positive memories during sleep."

In the study, a total of 37 participants were shown 48 "nonsense words," each paired with a different unpleasant image, before going to sleep for the night.

The next evening, they were shown half of the words paired with positive images from four categories: animals, babies, people and scenes. 

ANOTHER REASON TO GET MORE SLEEP AND THIS ONE MIGHT SURPRISE YOU

During the following "non-rapid-eye-movement" sleep, the researchers introduced "auditory memory cues." 

When the participants woke, they had less memory of the negative images and stronger memory of the positive ones.

"Our results were aligned with recent TMR research showing that episodic forgetting could be induced via reactivating interfering memories during sleep," the researchers wrote in the study.

"Going beyond prior research on neutral memories, our results suggest that TMR preferentially reactivated recently acquired positive memories and weakened older aversive memories, thus altering the fate of emotional experiences." 

‘I CAN’T SLEEP BECAUSE OF RACING THOUGHTS AT NIGHT — HOW CAN I STOP THEM?’: ASK A DOCTOR

Dr. Earnest Lee Murray, a board-certified neurologist at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee, noted that TMR has been a method for treating PTSD and other aversive (bad) memories.  

"This is done by combining sensory cues with therapeutic interventions and then re-presenting these cues during specific sleep phases," Murray, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. 

This treatment has been shown to reduce the emotional impact of aversive memories, the neurologist added.

"This study not only shows a suppression or a weakening of aversive memory, but does so by reactivating newer positive memories while the patient is asleep," Murray said. "This will open the door for additional research in ways to weaken traumatic or other bad memories."

DO WOMEN NEED MORE SLEEP THAN MEN? HERE’S WHAT EXPERTS THINK

In addition to psychotherapies, medications are sometimes used to suppress nightmares or other aversive memories, he noted. 

"This study continues to show ways to treat these conditions without the use of medications, which oftentimes are fraught with adverse side effects."

Alex Dimitriu, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, was also not involved in the study, but said it is "fascinating" in what it reveals about how the brain processes memories during sleep.

"Our brains are unpacking, processing and repacking emotions in our sleep," he told Fox News Digital. "I had suspected this before, and have often told my patients that sleep is like therapy for our emotions."

Many of the doctor’s patients have reported improvements in mood and anxiety when sleep was improved.

"There has been evidence that in REM (dream sleep) in particular, a lot of emotional processing and rehearsal occurs," Dimitriu said. "In this study, however, the intervention was in non-REM sleep, which shows that emotions are processed in other sleep phases as well."

The process of using TMR to suppress negative emotions and fortify positive memories could have a "tremendous impact" on people with depression or trauma, the expert said.

"I am excited to see further research into this area, which essentially means we can learn and change while we are asleep."

The study did have some limitations, the researchers noted.

"First, although our experiment aims to weaken aversive memories, the lab-induced emotional experiences of viewing aversive/positive images may not mimic typical traumatic experiences," they wrote. 

It can also be difficult to find positive components within some highly traumatic experiences, they noted. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

"Future research should explore ways to introduce positive interfering memories, such as positive autobiographical memories or therapy-related memories, to effectively weaken real-life trauma memories," the researchers stated. 

"Second, the role of REM sleep in modulating emotional memories shall be further investigated."

The study received ethical approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of Hong Kong.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

Funders included the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, along with other grants.

Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.

Москва

Каспийский курс: что сулит Западу договор России с Ираном

Реклама
Top 6 nutrition questions men should ask themselves after 40

To maintain health and remain full of energy, men will be helped by this

Your daily UFC trivia game, Friday edition

'Ceasefire deal 'will happen': Incoming US admin exercising necessary leverage over Netanyahu

Who is Afghan Dan? Meet rapper set to star on Misfits Boxing 20 card

Bigg Boss 16 fame Sreejita De to play an antagonist in Doree 2

Ria.city
Реклама
  • ИП Попов А.П.
  • ИНН: 602715631406
Ревматолог: "18 января 2024 в г.Колумбус запущена квота"

Каждый человек с больными суставами имеет право получить...






Реклама
  • ИП Попов А.П.
  • ИНН: 602715631406
Ревматолог: "18 января 2024 в г.Колумбус запущена квота"

Каждый человек с больными суставами имеет право получить...


Реклама
  • ИП Попов А.П.
  • ИНН: 602715631406
Ревматолог: "18 января 2024 в г.Колумбус запущена квота"

Каждый человек с больными суставами имеет право получить...

Read also

Jill Biden: The Worst First Lady Ever

We're a better outfit than the last two games: Klusener

LGBTQ+ social-media apps are seeing a spike in new users as Meta changes its content-moderation policies

News, articles, comments, with a minute-by-minute update, now on Today24.pro

News Every Day

Footballer’s Wag and unseeded tennis star causes huge Australian Open upset as she KO’s world No6 Jessica Pegula

Today24.pro — latest news 24/7. You can add your news instantly now — here


News Every Day

'Ceasefire deal 'will happen': Incoming US admin exercising necessary leverage over Netanyahu



Sports today


Новости тенниса
Юлия Путинцева

Всегда непросто. Первая ракетка России объяснила победу над Путинцевой



Спорт в России и мире
Москва

В САРАТОВЕ ПРОШЛИ СОРЕВНОВАНИЯ ПО ЗИМНЕМУ ОФИЦЕРСКОМУ ТРОЕБОРЬЮ СРЕДИ СОТРУДНИКОВ ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНОГО УПРАВЛЕНИЯ



All sports news today





Sports in Russia today

Москва

Столичные медики оказали помощь женщине, которую в Китае покусал дикий примат


Новости России

Game News

Scarlet Girls заняла топ-3 место в App Store на релизе в ЮВА


Реклама
Top 6 nutrition questions men should ask themselves after 40

To maintain health and remain full of energy, men will be helped by this

Реклама
Top 6 nutrition questions men should ask themselves after 40

To maintain health and remain full of energy, men will be helped by this

Реклама
The most beautiful beach towns with cheap living

A huge number of people around the world dream of one day breaking out of the daily routine

Russian.city

Реклама
The most beautiful beach towns with cheap living

A huge number of people around the world dream of one day breaking out of the daily routine


News Every Day

'Ceasefire deal 'will happen': Incoming US admin exercising necessary leverage over Netanyahu


Губернаторы России
Янис Тимма

СК проверяет переписки Седаковой и её умершего экс-мужа Яниса Тиммы


В Новосибирске пройдет региональный отборочный тур фестиваля детского творчества «Добрая волна»

В Москве пройдет Russian Cider Festival – праздник настоящего сидра

Создание Ремикса. Создание ремиксов песен. Создание ремиксов музыки.

В Новосибирске пройдет региональный отборочный тур фестиваля детского творчества «Добрая волна»


Почему Писателям, Поэтам и Авторам книг стоит обратиться к литературному агенту!

AI Певица. Создание AI Певицы. AI Певец. AI Артист. Создание и продвижение AI Певицы.

Певицу Аниту Цой заподозрили в желании уйти из музыки и заняться фермерством

В думе Владивостока не увидели оснований лишать Лагутенко почетного звания


Джокович стал рекордсменом по количеству матчей на турнирах "Большого шлема"

Медведев проигрывает Лёнеру Тину и завершает выступления на турнире ATP

Фриц: Ужасно вылетать в третьем круге

«Фонсека в матче с Рублёвым в Австралии сыграл просто великолепно и не дал Андрею вернуться» — Петрова


Реклама
The most beautiful beach towns with cheap living

A huge number of people around the world dream of one day breaking out of the daily routine


ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ ОХРАНЫ ПОРЯДКА И БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ В ПРАЗДНИКИ

В Москве пройдет Russian Cider Festival – праздник настоящего сидра

ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ ОХРАНЫ ПОРЯДКА И БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ В ПРАЗДНИКИ

ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ ОХРАНЫ ПОРЯДКА И БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ В ПРАЗДНИКИ


Собянин: Москва инвестирует 1 млрд рублей в производство дорожных знаков

Вдова Градского потребовала миллионную компенсацию за потоп в квартире

Чемпионат России по волейболу (жен). 19-й тур. «Заречье-Одинцово» сыграет с московским «Динамо», «Тулица» встретится с «Ленинградкой», другие матчи

Отец Яниса Тиммы заявил, что прах его сына до сих пор не похоронен


Объявление О создании «Всеармянского единого совета» новая сила

В Москве в преддверии Крещения дополнительно обеспечили водой 37 церквей и храмов

В Подмосковье сотрудники Росгвардии задержали подозреваемую в краже дорогостоящих товаров

Уходивший от погони пьяный водитель иномарки упал в Фонтанку в Петербурге


Реклама
Top 6 nutrition questions men should ask themselves after 40

To maintain health and remain full of energy, men will be helped by this


Путин в России и мире
Реклама
The most beautiful beach towns with cheap living

A huge number of people around the world dream of one day breaking out of the daily routine



Реклама
The most beautiful beach towns with cheap living

A huge number of people around the world dream of one day breaking out of the daily routine



Реклама
Top 6 nutrition questions men should ask themselves after 40

To maintain health and remain full of energy, men will be helped by this



Реклама
The most beautiful beach towns with cheap living

A huge number of people around the world dream of one day breaking out of the daily routine

Персональные новости Russian.city
Певец

Певец Соколовский заявил, что ему диагностировали правостороннюю пневмонию



News Every Day

Bigg Boss 16 fame Sreejita De to play an antagonist in Doree 2




Friends of Today24

Музыкальные новости

Персональные новости