Why can’t I sleep??

Sleep is pretty mysterious. If you take a poll of a group of average adults, you'd probably find that many have trouble sleeping. Yet, most of us sleep on comfortable beds in relatively safe and secure homes. Why is sleep so elusive?

After about thirty years of fitful sleep, I finally consulted a sleep doctor. He was a kind man who listened carefully to my complaints. He ordered a sleep study which took place one rainy night in a drab, windowless, cave-like building. For the study, a friendly technician attached me to 27 different wires (I counted) in order to record my brain waves, monitor my heart, test for restless leg syndrome, and, with four wires emanating from my nose, screen for sleep apnea. As I lay in bed, an infrared camera mounted in one corner of the room continually blinked on and off. Time passed; I slept briefly but then woke and remained awake for much of the remainder of the night. To amuse myself, I kept opening and closing my eyes since I knew my brain waves would change every time I opened my eyes. Would the technician in the other room notice? Sure enough, she came in to ask if I was comfortable.

Fortunately, the sleep study revealed nothing ominous. My sleep patterns, though abbreviated, were normal. I met again with the doctor who asked me many questions about my lifestyle, my health, and my caffeine intake. He covered all these areas very thoroughly and took careful notes, but he never asked me any questions about one sleep-related topic: he never asked me about my dreams.

Here is my theory, admittedly based on sparse anecdotal evidence, about why some people can't sleep. They regularly have disturbing dreams. My dreams are generally frustrating (I'm on a boat and can't get off), frightening (I've just unwittingly set off an explosion) or sad (someone dies). If, night after night, your dreams are distressing, why would you fall or stay asleep? On the other hand, if you consistently have pleasurable dreams, you'd probably sleep well. Curious, I began to poll my friends. Most did not describe themselves as good sleepers, but two boasted that they rarely had trouble falling or staying asleep. What were their dreams like? One always fell asleep with the same dream playing in his head, a story in which he was the hero. The other said to me "My dreams: oh they're wonderful. It's like every night I have this whole other life."