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Why You Can’t Sleep: The Surprising Role of Rumination

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Stress and sleep share a tricky dynamic. Quality sleep is crucial for managing stress, yet intense stress can hinder sleep. It’s a relentless cycle that many fall into, especially in today’s hustle culture where work-related stress is nearly inescapable.

Work-related stress, according to the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model, often happens when there’s a discord between the effort you put in and the rewards you receive. Whether it’s lack of recognition or low pay, this type of stress doesn’t stay at the office—it usually follows you home and messes with your rest.

While it’s well-known that work-related stress can disrupt sleep, a recent study from Germany highlights another player in this equation: rumination, defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “obsessive thinking about an idea, situation or choice especially when it interferes with normal mental functioning.” In other words, it’s not just the stress itself that sabotages your power nap—it’s how you process it. So, how does rumination feed into the stress-sleep cycle and what does that mean for your rest?

The study, part of the Dresden Burnout Study (DBS), explored the link between work-related stress and sleep quality. It tracked 360 participants (aged 18 to 68) who worked either full- or part-time over four years. Participants reported on their stress levels, sleep quality and how often they thought about work during off-hours.

The researchers evaluated stress using an ERI survey, which measured effort versus reward at work, while they assessed sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, a self-assessment questionnaire designed to measure sleep quality over a one-month period. Participants also completed a work-related rumination questionnaire to consider how frequently they mentally replayed work problems or struggled to disengage.

The data was analyzed to gauge the impact of work-related stress on sleep and the potential mediating effect of rumination.

The researchers found that work-related stress was positively linked with poor sleep quality. They also found that affective rumination and detachment were identified as partial mediators between work-related stress and sleep quality. In other words, ruminating on work-related stress affected how well you slept.

Rumination has three types: affective rumination, detachment and problem-solving rumination. Affective rumination involves repeatedly chewing on stressful work events—often in a negative way. This cycle of thoughts can heighten mental and physical tension, making it harder to fall asleep. But what drives this intense response?

According to psychotherapist Lauren Farina, LCSW, the nervous system is constantly scanning for safety or danger. It can’t differentiate between real threats and imagined ones, so when we replay past events or worry about the future, our body reacts as if we’re facing them in real-time.

“When the stress response is activated, the body is mobilized, and it is nearly impossible to achieve relaxation and restorative sleep in that state,” Farina explains.

Meanwhile, detachment—the ability to mentally switch off altogether during off-hours—is key to avoiding stress responses like ongoing sleep issues. Unfortunately, heavy work demands can make it difficult to truly give your mind a break from work. “Lower detachment due to work-related stress predicted lower sleep quality,” the study authors write.

Interestingly, the researchers found that problem-solving rumination—where you tackle work-related issues in a constructive way—didn’t seem to cause the same mental and physical drain. Indeed, this analytical approach might even offer relief by interrupting the loop of overthinking.

While rumination can feel unavoidable, here are some practical techniques to help keep your racing thoughts in check.

To loosen the grip of nagging thoughts on your mind, therapist Alison McKleroy, M.A., LMFT, suggests keeping a thought log, a key tool in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

You can jot down your thoughts in this log, noting the intensity of your emotions and identifying cognitive distortions that might be influencing your thinking, including all-or-nothing thinking or self-blame. Recognizing these patterns allows you to reframe those thoughts with evidence that challenges them.

“This helps disrupt the cycle of rumination by proving that the negative thought isn’t true or isn’t as catastrophic as it seems,” says McKleroy.

Psychologist Molly Moore echoes this approach as a way to clear the mind. She recommends setting aside five to 10 minutes before lights out to jot down your thoughts, which helps externalize your concerns and prevent disruptions to your rest.

According to Brooke Sprowl, LCSW, an integrative therapist, exposure and response prevention (ERP)—a technique commonly used for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)—can also address rumination.

ERP involves exposing yourself to the thoughts that stress you out while discouraging the habits that perpetuate rumination.

“In the case of work stress, ERP would involve allowing yourself to acknowledge the stress or unresolved issues but resisting the urge to mentally ‘fix’ or replay the situation,” explains Sprowl. “Over time, this builds tolerance for uncertainty and breaks the compulsive cycle of overthinking.” The key is to let the discomfort sit there without giving in to it.

That sounds counterintuitive, isn’t it? But imagine you’re holding a plank during exercise. Those first few seconds always feel uncomfortable, and your innate response is to quit. But as long as you don’t try to escape it, over time, what once felt unendurable will become manageable.

Crafting a calming bedtime routine might be a game-changer in mitigating work-related anxiety.

There are various ways to unwind, whether it’s reading, watching a movie, gentle stretching—whatever brings you peace. Among these, therapist Beth Lorell, LCSW, MPH recommends meditation, which has been shown to reduce ruminative thoughts and dial down emotional reactivity for a better sleep.

“Focus on the physical sensations of relaxation, such as the feel of the pillow beneath your head, the support of the mattress and the rhythm of your breath,” says Lorell. When thoughts pop up, simply acknowledge them without judgment and gently bring your focus back to the present.

Another technique you can use to cultivate mindfulness, as suggested by psychotherapist Lauren Farina, is “box breathing”—a form of breathwork that has helped her clients. It’s simple: inhale air through your nose for four seconds, hold for four, then breathe out through your mouth for four. Two to five minutes of practice once or twice daily can help reduce stress, she says.

Photo courtesy of Kieferpix Photography/Shutterstock

Josee Ng is a pen-for-hire based out of Southeast Asia with five years of experience under her belt. Her work has taken her across continents, from fast-paced newsrooms to deep dives into cultural trends. Currently, she is juggling her passion for writing with studying law, hoping to one day lend her voice to the legal realm.

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