The two main stages of sleep are rapid eye
movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM),
which itself has three different stages, each
showing different kinds of brain activity.
In a typical single night, we each cycle
thrthrougoughah allll thetheststageagesos ofRf REMEM andandNRNREMEM
sleep several times. These cycles change
subtly as we age, with REM sleep time
decreasing as we grow older.The first stage, NREM, is the light sleep as
we move from wakefulness to sleep, and
lasts a few minutes in which our heartbeat,
brebreathathingingg anandd eeyeye y movmovemeementsnts slslowow
down and the muscles relax, occasionally
twitching; while the brain waves slow
down fromtheirusual“awake” patp terns.
The second NREM stage is the lighter
sleep prior to deep sleep in which muscles
relax further, body temperature drops and
eyeeyemomovemvemententscs ceaseaseae asbs brairainwn waveaveacactivtivityity
slows further. It’s this stage we spend most
time in during NREM sleep.
The third and finalphp ase of NREM
is the deep sleep that we all need to
awake refreshed and rested, and is far
longer than the other stages during the
first half of a typical night’s sleep. Here, the
heartbeat, brain waves and breathing are at
their slowest and the muscles are at their
most relaxed.The first time we enter REM sleep pis usually y
about 90 minutes after falling asleep. It’s
characterised by rapid eye movements
(wi(withth thetheeyeyeses cloclosedsed, oof cfcourourse)se)asaswewellll asas
brain wave frequencies that are more active
than in other stages of sleep. This is why
REM sleep is mostly the stage in which we
dream (although some dreams can occur
in NREM sleep), and as such, our arm and
leg muscles become temporarily paralysed
to stop us “acting out” our dreams –
something that anyone who’s ever had to
endure the trauma of sleep paralysis will be
painfully aware of.How sleep
cycles work
psychology, published an article titled
Could Creativity Be Associated With
Insomnia? They found that young
children deemed to be highly creative
suffered more sleep disturbances and
went to bed later than others their age.
Many suggest that insomnia is
more common in those who are more
creative because their brains are highly
active, and less likely to find it easy
to switch off from an influx of ideas
to take the time to rest. It stands to
reason that the same cognitive sparks
which ignite creativity keep it burning
once the bedroom light goes off.
Bedtime for many is becoming
increasingly late. Creative agency
workers in particular often feel obliged
to work far beyond the hours of nine
to five. That’s before we even get to
the recent-ish trend that leaves many
feeling they ought to have a creative
‘side-hustle’ outside of their day job,
or the difficulty many freelancers
face in being able to switch off and
stop working in what can feel like
a precarious industry. However,
this once-deliberate burning of
the midnight oil can often tip into
involuntary sleeplessness.
DEALING WITH INSOMNIA
AS A CREATIVE
George Douglas, an illustrator and
artist based in Glasgow who we featured
in 2015’s New Talent special issue, was
affected by sleep difficulties on and off
for most of his adult life. However, for
the past two years he’s finally been able
to enjoy a good night’s rest, although
it’s taken a lot of work and discipline.
George has changed his diet, ensures
he exercises daily, and always wakes up
at 8am, even on weekends or when he’s
had a late night. His sleep patterns were
also aided by a change in his part-time
job working as a carer, moving from
shift work to set hours.
In early 2017 George staged an
exhibition of Risograph works called
Contents Insurance that explored his
intermittent bouts of sleeplessness.
“The show featured a personal
symbolism to express the challenges
and frustrations of sleeplessness,”
George explained shortly after the
show. “Figures dressed in gloves
and socks represent the sensory
deprivation. These figures appear to
exist somewhere between lying down
and standing up, living in a state that
isn’t sleeping but isn’t completely awake“When you have it, insomnia is
just so all-consuming, you can’t
really ignore it”
GEORGE DOUGLAS
Glasgow illustrator George Douglas.