People who sleep less than the recommended eight hours a night may suffer from anxiety or depression. <br/><br/>Researchers from the Binghamton University in the US assessed the timing and duration of sleep in individuals with moderate to high levels of repetitive negative thoughts like worry and rumination. <br/><br/>These negative thoughts are believed to leave people vulnerable to different types of psychological disorders, such as anxiety or depression. <br/><br/>According to the study published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, the researchers discovered that regular sleep disruptions are associated with difficulty in shifting one's attention away from negative information.<br/><br/>Participants were exposed to different pictures intended to trigger an emotional response, and researchers tracked their attention through their eye movements.