Sleep Relieves Painful Memories

We already knew that resting muscles recover and we can reduce the symptoms of many diseases and ailments. However, a study has revealed that sleeping alleviates painful memories.

In this article we will tell you more about a more than interesting discovery.

Sleep helps the brain

When we have had a very busy and complicated day, all we think about is getting home and going to bed to rest until the next day.

And it is that sleeping relieves a cold, a headache, and even stress. It is one of the best medicines.

Sleeping helps the brain in many ways.  As well as the muscles so that they can regenerate and recover after exercise or daily activities.

The eyes and skin also benefit from a night’s rest. Even the neurons feel renewed after several hours of naps.

Also, when we rest we can better process emotional experiences of the present and the past. In this way the brain can alleviate traumatic memories.

This is the conclusion reached by scientists at the University of Berkeley, in California (United States). According to the researchers (whose study was published in the scientific journal Current Biology ), the chemical signals produced by stress are turned off when we sleep.

This happens during the phase called REM, in which there are more dreams and daydreams (also nightmares). Thus, it has been concluded that there is a link between dreams and memories.

In addition, thanks to this research, it can be explained why people who suffer from post-traumatic stress (for example, war veterans or refugees) have difficulties to recover from bad memories and suffer nightmares continuously.

Sleep relieves painful memories; it is the best therapy

The science of sleep is not only present in laboratories, but also in the cinema. In any case, it refers to the dream world as a refuge from everyday life.

The pleasure of sleeping soothes far beyond the muscles; it is more than a way to pass the time. In fact, it is very good for our emotional health.

During the REM phase we enter a “therapy” or a kind of balm that gradually attenuates until we eliminate the painful memories of that day.

When we go to bed and sleep, sleep goes through different stages. However, in this particular one, brain activity is similar to that of wakefulness.

Our eyes move quickly (even if we have them closed), we capture a lot of information about our environment and we dream. However, it is also the time when we are most relaxed.

In this phase, the chemistry generated by stress (a product of the emotional experiences of the day) is reduced while the brain processes negative situations.

Later, the problems subside and the emotional force softens.

Since we human beings spend a third of our lives sleeping, it is not strange to understand why rest is so important.

The REM phase is one that, in addition to attenuating emotions, regulates mood, improves memory and fixes learning.

In addition, this stage produces a large decrease in norepinephrine levels. This is one of the chemicals related to stress.

It gives us emotional tranquility

Although we have not suffered any trauma and we can sleep normally, the chemicals that cause stress are still reduced.

This is one of the reasons why to the next day we woke up with a sense of emotional “tranquility”.

On the other hand, those who have suffered a painful experience such as, for example, an accident, a robbery or a dramatic situation, have trouble falling asleep and have many nightmares.

In them, the “sleep therapy” may not be working properly or the trauma is so great that it takes more than 8 hours of sleep to reverse it.

For these people, it is easier for them to be awakened by a painful memory caused by an external stimulus and the desired benefits are not achieved. For example, in a war veteran, the sound of a firecracker or a car alarm. Even when a high degree of relaxation occurs during rest.

In severe trauma, it can be difficult for the person to process so much information. That is, assimilate that experience in a single sleep session. Especially if that event has had a strong impact on your daily life.

Medications to help them sleep are often prescribed for them. These, in turn, aid in emotional repair through longer rest.

Sleeping has many benefits

Lack of sleep increases the risks of making wrong decisions. As well as, having an accident on the public highway or not performing properly at work.

Not getting enough sleep has consequences for our health. Well, it increases blood pressure and appetite, puts us in a bad mood and even our skin looks dull and wrinkled.

Therefore, sleeping benefits us in many ways. Improving motor skills, reducing the risk of premature death, avoiding obesity, and protecting the heart from cardiovascular disease are just some of the benefits.

Now that you know how much sleep relieves, take care of your time and quality of rest as much as possible.