7 Healthcast: Sleep on it

Thinking about buying a car, maybe a new house?

If you have a tough decision to make what do you do?

A Dutch study says when in doubt, sleep on it.

Researchers say letting the unconscious mind sort through complex decisions will lead to better outcomes.

Suffolk University Psychologist Jane Bybee isn't surprised by the study. "There have been a number of past studies that have shown effects of sleep and how it gives better perspective and decision making," she says.

And sometimes having a lot of information about something and analyzing it for a long time does more harm than good.

"Sometimes emotions get in the way and if a person makes a decision right away they can make bad mistakes because they haven't had time to process the information," says Dr. Bybee.

The bottom-line on decision making; sleep on it and don't let your emotions get in the way of it.

And one more thing, Dr. Bybee says the worst time to make decisions is when you’re depressed, upset or anxious. The Dutch study is in the Journal Science. In the newsroom, Dr. Deanna Lites, 7News

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