Feeling more stressed than usual? If so, getting enough sleep is essential for keeping unwanted thoughts from hijacking your mind. Insufficient sleep can significantly reduce your ability to keep unwanted thoughts at bay, according to a study out of the United Kingdom. In a collaborative effort, researchers from the department of psychology at the University of York and the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at University of Cambridge, determined that individuals who are deprived of sleep are significantly less able to stop the intrusion of negative memories than those who are well-rested. The study, published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, suggests that poor sleep habits and emotional disturbances can create a vicious cycle that exacerbates itself, highlighting the importance of sleep in recovery from emotional distress. Your Body Remembers Trauma Unpleasant thoughts and associated physiological responses, like nervousness and sweating, may occur as the result of a triggering encounter. For example, someone …