by Court Moss

Created on: November 15, 2008

Ah, insomnia. Lots of people experience it. I've been through it myself. It's an irritating game of 'how long can your eyes refrain from closing'. A deeper look into insomnia may cause frustration and even anger, but for me the most interesting of things came away from the experience. Creativity. So does insomnia actually help or hinder one's creativity? I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you how much I have gotten done because of insomnia.

I have written so many texts that I couldn't have done so without not being able to sleep. To explain, I think that the quality of my writing was different when I had insomnia; different meaning better. I was able to view things differently that I might have missed during my days of procrastinating and forcing myself to write. When I was forcing myself that wasn't the best time to approach creativity. In the end everything appeared tense and unintelligible.

However, I can see how it might affect someone. I've seen it affect someone as far as creativity is involved. I've witnessed someone not wanting to do anything because of their lack of sleep. Insomnia can really do a number on some more than others. I have experienced this a few times in my life, but thankfully I get past that 'going nowhere' feeling. I think one has to find out what works for them. Maybe insomnia could be a way of telling someone to slow down. Or it just could be a power boost for some.

Personally, I have begun to welcome insomnia due to my lack of ideas when it comes to writing. However, it wasn't always like that with me.
I remember back when I first had insomnia. I believe I was still in my early to mid teens, which was when I began taking my writing seriously. There was this long period of time where I couldn't force anymore ideas out of my head and I was basically in limbo for some new material. Looking back I'm sure that it served it's purpose for the insomnia. I was desperate for something to change.

My sleeping time was becoming more and more strained and it did a number on me in school. I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulder and I couldn't shake that feeling. So every night I would sit with one of my many notebooks and just stare at a blank page, willing something to take place. Eventually, a little light shine through and I had this new found inspiration that came seemingly from nowhere. And it was a great feeling.

I was happy that in my case my insomnia was the cause of me moving forward and starting something new. I still get it sometimes and I eventually make my way out of it with fresh ideas. Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones or maybe it's just what I need so my brain can focus for a bit. So long story short, insomnia does not hinder me in any way. I think I see it more as a relief.

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