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Traumatization relieves sleep, helping to process traumatic events
Many people who experience something terrible are then traumatized - often for a lifetime. Traumatizations, which are at first purely psychological in nature, may subsequently result in psychosomatic suffering. Researchers have now found that sleep in the first 24 hours after a mental trauma could help better classify and process stressful memories.
The experience can not be reversed
According to the German Trauma Foundation, traumatization results in a massive stress reaction, accompanied by a deep mental, physical and social insecurity. "Even if the experience can not be reversed - a targeted trauma therapy with special psychotherapeutic methods helps to stabilize again and to cope with everyday life," write the experts. It may also be possible to help people affected soon after the traumatic event. This is indicated by the results of a recent study from Switzerland.
A new study has shown that sleep in the first 24 hours after a mental trauma helps to better classify and process stressful memories. (Image: fotek / fotolia.com) Processing stress and trauma
Does sleep help with the processing of stress and trauma? Or does it even aggravate the reactions? This hitherto unexplained question is of great importance for the prevention of consequential disorders in trauma.
How such extremely stressful experiences are processed right at the beginning can influence the further course and development of a post-traumatic stress disorder. "Sleep could play a key role here to process the experience," writes the Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich on its website.
Positive effect on severe emotional stress
Researchers from the Psychological Institute of the University of Zurich and the Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich have investigated whether sleep in the first 24 hours after a trauma has a positive effect on severe emotional stress.
For the healthy volunteers, a traumatic video was first shown. Thereafter, the study participants were divided into two groups. One slept one night in the lab after the video, and her sleep was recorded using the electroencephalogram (EEG). Another group stayed awake.
Seen things reappeared out of nowhere
The subjects were also in the first days in a diary to capture the recurring memories of the images of the film. Apparently out of nowhere, the study participants saw parts of what they saw again in their mind's eye - and the unpleasant feelings and thoughts during the film were there again.
"The quality of these memories is therefore similar to that of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder," says the university. The results of the study were published in the journal "Sleep".
Protective effect of sleep
"Our results show that people who slept after the movie had fewer and less burdensome recurring emotional memories than those who stayed awake. This supports the assumption that sleep after traumatic experiences has a protective effect, "said first author Birgit Kleim of the Department of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy at the University of Zurich.
Contradiction to previous studies
However, the APA news agency points out that the findings of Swiss researchers contradict earlier studies that concluded that sleep deprivation can relieve frightening memories.
Kleim said, "Memories, according to a common theory, consist of two parts, the content and a kind of emotional shell." Sleep supports the storage of content, but at the same time reduces the associated negative emotions.
"That makes the memory less stressful. And finally, a trauma should indeed be classified in the autobiography of an individual. "
Natural early prevention
According to the scientists, there is still too little research on the effect of sleep in the period immediately after a stressful experience.
"The question is what you can offer people right after a trauma to reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. Our approach offers an important non-invasive alternative to current attempts to erase trauma memories or to support them with medications, "says Birgit Kleim.
"The use of sleep could prove to be a natural early prevention strategy." (Ad)