Posted by F43 on March 12, 2009 at 13:28:53:

In Reply to: Re: Overactive Mind posted by M4rc on March 12, 2009 at 08:01:14:

Your post wasn't offensive. It was thoughtful and provocative, which is what makes this a great forum. Probably my reaction was unfair, since it was directed at your comment.

I get frustrated with the repetition of the CBT/overactive mind etiology of insomnia to the neglect of the trauma/psychological distress etiology (to make up a name for it). Doctors, especially. "It must be anxiety. Do you lie in bed at night and worry?" Argh! "No doctor, as a matter of fact, I don't. But my life was turned upside down when my parents passed away and I took on the responsiblity of caregiver, executor, property manager, lawyer, and accountant, while trying to work on my phd and live in two provinces at the same time. The stressors haven't relented, and I haven't felt right since."

I think that forums for all health problems, not just sleep disorders, draw the subset of the population that are thinkers and analyzers. That's just the nature of the beast. Probably the quiet minds don't frequent the forums as much. I bet that the active, curious, inquisitive minds amongst the insomniacs are overrepresented here. Go to a forum on irritable bowel syndrome or eating disorders, and I think you'll find people on those who are the end of the curve in terms of being reflective, insightful, curious, and analytical. These kinds of people congregate on health forums.

Your question about comparing 10 different folks with similar stressors is interesting. Here's my response. Take two sisters. One responds to stressful life events with irritable bowel syndrome. She has to cancel travel, work, social activities, because she literally can't move away from the bathroom for 5 minutes. The other responds to stressful life events by developing chronic insomnia. She can't sleep most or all of the night. Which of the two sisters is the analytical one? The answer is...both. My sister and I are equally analytical. We both have wired nervous systems and respond to stress by somatizing it. The difference between us lies in how we somatize it. I think of this as where the fault lines lie. Her faults lines are her digestive system. Mine is my sleep. She's a comatose sleeper and will be her whole life. She'll never develop insmonia. I have a cast iron stomach; I'll never develop bowel problems as a response to stress. But I've always been a light sleeper with a long sleep onset. A friend of mine who's analytical never has a problem with sleep; she breaks out in eczema under stress.

I think I've beat this horse to death and it's time to give it a break. Thank you for the provocative posts M4rc, and best wishes with your sleep!

Follow Ups:

• Re: Overactive Mind M4rc 05:51 3/13/09 (1)
  • Re: Overactive Mind F43 10:14 3/13/09 (0)
• Re: Overactive Mind tiredmom 15:15 3/12/09 (1)
  • Re: Overactive Mind F43 15:30 3/12/09 (0)

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