Insomnia

Abstract

Human nature being what it is, poor sleep has always been with us. In Victorian times ‘sleeplessness’ was a topic of much medical debate, with forgotten insights from physicians of that era, included here, to give pause for thought, even today. Diagnosis of ‘insomnia’, and the term itself, is largely a 20th century convention, mostly heralded by new hypnotic medicines, allowing ito become ‘medicalised’ rather than a more benign ‘fact of life, as it was then seen to be. Using recent findings, this chapter looks dispassionately at insomnia, its various phenomena, especially the ‘over-wakefulness’ and ‘non-sleepy’ tiredness-cum-weariness that can pervade it, that are distinct from sleepiness and the propensity to fall asleep. Less likely to be remedied by more sleep, insomnia is better treated by psychological methods promoting better wakefulness and peace of mind at bed-time. Although sufferers usually have sufficient sleep, albeit not to their satisfaction, this insomnia, alone, is unlikely to cause serious physical or mental illnesses.