Chronic Insomnia: The New Normal?

Black Swan

It's half past 4AM Pacific, and I am fully awake. I typically wake up as such many mornings during recent years. The National Sleep Foundation labels this condition chronic insomnia, and was supposed to result in "fatigue, low energy, difficulty concentrating, mood disturbances, and decreased performance in work or at school," none of which plagues my performance by day. I used to fight waking up early, but now I just get up and do something. Sometimes I drift off after awhile, other times my day just starts early.

To compensate I'll sometimes take cat naps for about 20 minutes during the day, and feel fully refreshed after doing so. This napping was cause for some of my department members to inquire if I suffered from narcolepsy, but since most of my work was project-driven and not 8 to 5, my overall performance was not affected. If anything, my wee hours waking up and doing work often put me ahead, so my dean told the others to let me do my thing.

If you are not required to punch a clock, rather project driven, and meet or exceed all your goals and deadlines, what's the bother? Do others share and benefit from this alternative lifestyle (maybe "benefit" it not the right word)? Could this be the new normal for a small segment of our rapidly changing world?

Or does all my wee morning babble fit some sleep deprivation syndrome? Do you wake up early and frequently? What do you do? Outcomes? Comments?

Fox_In_Socks

If it doesn't effect your performance, then I don't think its a condition.

I guess for every thing we do, there will always be outliers, compared to the majority and this is just evolution in action, throwing up different variations and some will be more successful than others.

The circadian rythym is for the majority, but alternative sleeping patterns may have had a benefit to tribes/groups in the last couple hundred thousand years? And this benefit, whilst never dominant, has been in the population as a support role?

Black Swan

RM Vaughan in Bright Eyed: Insomnia and Its Cultures (2015) suggested that "society has normalised the symptoms of insomnia," be it not falling asleep, not staying asleep, or waking up early. Short naps by day were no longer considered laziness, rather a method to compensate.

Gremlinertia

My sleep hours have always been massively distant from what would be considered 'normal' i was never given to sleeping a full night though so working unsociable hours etc doesn't phase me.. My main bugbear is the lack of flexibility for people like myself who may need a restorative nap at times.This time of year especially, when i see very little natural daylight, time means next to nothing to me..

Black Swan

Gremlinertia wrote: »

My main bugbear is the lack of flexibility for people like myself who may need a restorative nap at times.

Perhaps in time such naps may become more acceptable in our rapidly changing society?

Gremlinertia

Black Swan wrote: »

Perhaps in time such naps may become more acceptable in our rapidly changing society?

It has been mooted before on some forward thinking companies management structures but not taken off totally as yet. I think employers are worried about possible loss of activity due to people who may abuse the idea..

Fathom

Gremlinertia wrote: »

It has been mooted before on some forward thinking companies management structures but not taken off totally as yet. I think employers are worried about possible loss of activity due to people who may abuse the idea..

Lazy management. Provide productivity objectives. Deadlines. If met, nap all you like. If not. Performance issue. No matter 8-5 or flexible w/naps.

Black Swan

Fathom wrote: »

Lazy management. Provide productivity objectives. Deadlines. If met, nap all you like. If not. Performance issue. No matter 8-5 or flexible w/naps.

Dream on: Enlightened management an all too often rare commodity.

Gremlinertia

Indeed, it's a fantasy land to hope for any thinking like that.. Luckily i'm left alone usually as i get everything done with no fuss..

On topic, i've just woken up too early, maybe three hours sleep.

Black Swan

Gremlinertia wrote: »

On topic, i've just woken up too early, maybe three hours sleep.

Nap time?

Gremlinertia

Black Swan wrote: »

Nap time?

Nope, on duty in a few minutes.

Fathom

Gremlinertia wrote: »

Nope, on duty in a few minutes.

Duty calls.

Black Swan

Comparative studies of mammals across species by Jerome Siegel (2005) in Clues to the functions of mammalian sleep, Nature 437, pp 1264-1271, suggested that the functions of sleep remain unclear. Theories suggest energy conservation, nervous system recuperation, and emotional regulation. Needs for sleep were correlated with mammal age, body size, and ecological variables. So who knows for sure if 8 hours of continuous daily sleep was necessary, or if alternative sleep cycles would satisfy needs?

Fathom

What's normal?

Black Swan

Fathom wrote: »

What's normal?

Grand question.

Black Swan

Fathom wrote: »

What's normal?

Where do the Millennial generation chronic insomnia people fit in a normal distribution curve of the population?

Fathom

Black Swan wrote: »

Where do the Millennial generation chronic insomnia people fit in a normal distribution curve of the population?

University study. Undergrads. Most exhibited sleep disturbances. Women more than men. I can identify with that. Ref: Walter C. Buboltz Jr, Franklin Brown & Barlow Soper, Sleep Habits and Patterns of College Students: A Preliminary Study, J American College Health 50 (3), 2001, pp 131-135.