Question of the Week #1: Insomnia - creative gift or unfortunate curse?
Yeah... I have insomnia. I've known about it for years. Doctors have blamed it on my meds, and the epilepsy. But I remember always having problems going to sleep and sleeping for longer amounts of time. As well as having horrible dreams. I usually get about 4-7 hours of sleep a night. (7 if I'm lucky...)
Some people say that a creative mind never sleeps. Even though it feels like a curse most of the time, I have written a lot of stuff in those late nights. Songs, poems, stories that no one will ever read...
Now... I've always loved the night time. I'm fascinated with the moon and feel most alive at night. Maybe just because I'm just used to this insomnia... But it gives me my quiet time and plenty of time to create things that bounce around in my head constantly.
I don't always have a great creativity moment when I'm awake until 3 AM, but I'm usually at least working on something due to the sleeplessness and boredom. That's usually when I write lyrics for my band Sacrifice The Truth or my solo stuff.
In fact a few nights ago, I was hit by a bad case of insomnia. So to pass the time, I painted. I don't draw or paint often, because I'm my own worse critic, but this one came out ok! I was looking for a picture to use for this very contest and just couldn't find what I wanted. So I made it! This is the pondering woman thinking on all this yunk for the Question of the Week Contest! 😉
Don't get me wrong, there are down sides to it as well. I'm extremely tired in the mornings and sometimes bored while everyone else is asleep. It can also feel quite lonely at times too. But after dealing with it for so long, it's almost become my schedule. Which can be helpful on those nights when I'm up drinking all night with friends. 🍻
So my question of the week is: insomnia, do you think it's a creative gift or an unfortunate curse?
I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences! And remember to comment, upvote, and resteem before 12 AM (CST) Wednesday, July 26th for a chance to win 5 SBD!!! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
More details here:
https://steemit.com/newcontest/@rockchickjen/another-contest-hell-yeah
I'd say it's a curse. Your case is very familiar though; I used to get maybe 4 hours of sleep a night when I was more of a night owl too. I think it's partially a societal problem. Some people are just built to stay up during the night. If you look at tribal society, someone has to be the night watchman, right? Not considered acceptable anymore.
I balanced out as I got older. Only 28 now, but for the past 2 years I haven't been able to keep myself awake past 12/1am. Hopefully it'll improve for you over time as well :)
Haha! Well... I'm past that age so I'm thinking it won't ever balance out. Thanks for playing!
Just roll a fat doober before bed. That's what helps me! Lol love you jen!
Yes friend, the cannabis helps me as well with insomnia. I find that my dreams shift into waking life and I have trouble recalling where I went in the dream world if I medicate within an hour before falling asleep. Much better remedy than taking pills, however.
Unfortunately it doesn't seem to help anymore. I still try though... 😝
I would call insomnia a curse. I don't experience it as an inability to fall asleep, for me, it, the difficulty with staying asleep. I'm not sure if that is considered insomnia or not. Anyway, I tend to sleep for about 4-5 hours, and then I wake up. Once I get back to sleep, it's another 4-5 hours.
I'm a night owl, I'm usually up until at least 2 am, fairly often, it's later than that. Of course, that means I don't get up before 10:30-11 am, and sometimes at about the crack of noon. When I was still working, I worked afternoon shifts, so I didn't have to get up in the morning, which was a good thing for me.
Nice! Thanks for participating! I'm definitely a night owl too for sure!
I think it could go both ways. I think if your creativeness comes out when your insomnia is active embrace it... But I also see the down side of the condition. I don't have insomnia. Actually I can't stand it when I can't go to sleep. So I think embrace the time you have while your most creative. And may you sleep well when you sleep.