Insomnia and Creativity

In small doses, there's something unique about sleep deprivation. Staying up till the next morning working on a project in quite focus can bring about a shift in perspective. It's just enough of an interrupt from your daily routine to allow you to gain unique insight. Free from the noise and interference of the day time world, late night - early morning solitude has a clarity, a purity of thought, a potent moment for inspiration and optimism. These are some of the possibly good things that occasional sleep deprivation may bring about. Musicians, writers and artist frequent these fertile and creative times. But any temporary gains from burning the midnight oil are quickly lost when it becomes a regular habit. Simply put, our bodies need sleep to process the days events, for learning, assimilation and regeneration. By repeatedly depriving ourselves of this needed resource, we lose most of what we think we are gaining.