PSYCHOLOGICAL CAUSES OF INSOMNIA

By far the most frequent source of insomnia is some form of mental or emotional disquiet. Since one primary biological reason for sleep is to provide the brain with a chance to rest, it is perhaps not surprising that one consequence of a troubled mind should be troubled sleep.

I must hasten to point out that in using such terms as "mental disquiet" or "psychological disturbance" I am not suggesting, by any stretch of the imagination, that people with insomnia are thereby crazy, or that their sleep troubles are "all in their minds." Quite the contrary. Insomnia is a very real, and very widely experienced, phenomenon. Insomniacs really do sleep less than other people, as measured not just by their own perceptions but clinically and scientifically in sleep laboratories. Nor do victims of insomnia have unrealistic expectations or beliefs about what constitutes a good night's sleep; studies have shown that insomniacs desire only the same amount of sleep as other people.

While it is true that insomnia is a feature of a number of severe mental disorders, including clinical depression, it may also appear when a psychologically healthy person's life is unusually stressful or tension-filled. Often people with sleep disorders have endured troubling situations over which they had no control—an unhappy home life during childhood, for example/ And the increasing pressure and pace of today's society adds to everyone's mental load. The primary purpose of labeling insomnia as largely psychiatric in origin is not to suggest that the disorder is illusory or that its victims are mentally disturbed but to call attention to the types of therapy that have the greatest chance of succeeding.

With that in mind, then, let me proceed to describe some of the behavioral patterns and mental attitudes that are frequently associated with insomnia. Perhaps you will recognize one or more of these traits in yourself or in a loved one who suffers from sleepless nights. If so, you will be better able to focus on the cause of the problem—the first step toward resolving it.

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FEMALE STRESS SYMPTOMS: INFERTILITY


The Lerners were anxious to begin a family and tried without success for at least one year. Diagnosed as functionally infertile, Mrs. Lerner became more and more frustrated. She began to feel inadequate and helpless. She turned to the experts, but no organic problems could be found. Her concern with her infertility spread to a concern with abandonment. She felt pressed to take action, to take control.

An adoption seemed to be the next logical step. It restored her sense of decision. It provided her with a new focus of activity. It was a goal that she and her husband could share.

The Lerners did, in fact, adopt a girl and begin to parent together. Within the year, Mrs. Lerner became pregnant!

Most psychologists know couples like the Lerners. How do they explain a case in which the woman seems infertile, though no organic reason presents itself, until after she has adopted a child? The answer can lie in the Female Stress Syndrome. Fears and conflicts about mothering can produce stress, which in turn interrupts and alters hormonal functioning, which in turn affects ovulation, which in turn provides a solution to the conflict—no pregnancy. After hidden and unconscious fears are dispelled by parenting the adopted baby, stress is reduced, endocrine functioning returns to normal, and conception is more likely.

Great-grandmothers knew a lot about this Female Stress Syndrome symptom. They knew that tension could create temporary infertility. Their recommendation to a couple like the Lerners would have been, "Take a vacation together." It is still worth a try.

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