the Science of Sleep

the Science of Sleep

Ever since I was a child I have had an aversion to sleep. The insomnia, though not sure the term is accurate, is really a willful state, due to an overactive mind or just the sense that long periods of sleep are a tremendous waste of precious time. There are obviously varying levels of sleep needed per individual, and I would say that I am probably good with six hours per night, but there are periods where I get four or less per night. The science of this sleep deprivation is pretty much known and academic at this point, and I certainly do feel it physically, especially as I get older. There is a feeling that I might miss something, there is a sense of helplessness in that state. Most of the time, I cannot shut my mind off and quiet it.

I have never tried sleeping pills nor do I intend to. I also cannot conceive of wanting to sleep so much that a full third of your short life is unconscious. This piece was intended to be part of a little series about sleep and dreaming, a troubled mind, but I decided there was not enough material to warrant a series. This was the first one I completed, and I decided to shelve it and did a variation on it, which I did publish, called "Dreaming In Metaphors." You will see the similarities if you seek out that one, and although I liked this one better, I felt that image was more successful at conveying disturbing dreams. This one was intended to illustrate insomnia, and the wire running through his head feeds an endless stream of information, cutting through his mind, preventing sleep. The orbs floating about could be sleep drugs, thoughts idling by, or even all the concerns of his world that distract from succumbing to sleep.


A Before and After version of this image is available on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MichaelBilottaPhotography

Model: Ed Barron