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Insomniac

by Gayle Greene

3.73 · rating details · 67 ratings · 18 reviews

"I can't work, I can't think, I can't connect with anyone anymore. . . . I mope through a day's work and haven't had a promotion in years. . . . It's like I'm being sucked dry, eaten away, swallowed up, coming unglued. . . . "These are voices of a few of the tens of millions who suffer from chronic insomnia. In this revelatory book, Gayle Greene offers a uniquely...more

Paperback, 503 pages

Published April 1st 2009 by University of California Press (first published March 10th 2008)

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May 28, 2009

mark rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who are not in perfect health

Shelves: nonfiction

"Insomnia" sometimes haunts me. Last night it did, after finishing this book, which is, fascinating and well written. So what is Gayle Greene's problem? She has trouble sleeping, so what? Most people do, don't they, sometimes? She takes pills and that helps her get "enough" sleep. She's happily married and successful in her career. Love and work, what else is there? I think this book is mostly about psychology; but Greene makes the case that insomnia is mostly about biology-...more"Insomnia" sometimes haunts me. Last night it did, after finishing this book, which is, fascinating and well written. So what is Gayle Greene's problem? She has trouble sleeping, so what? Most people do, don't they, sometimes? She takes pills and that helps her get "enough" sleep. She's happily married and successful in her career. Love and work, what else is there? I think this book is mostly about psychology; but Greene makes the case that insomnia is mostly about biology--hormones and genes. She gets about 2-4 "natural" hours of sleep a night, and a drug gets her another 3 to 4, if she chooses to take it, which she doesn't sometimes, and then she ruminates all the rest of the night, worrying about sleeping. She says she is not neurotic, that she has a hormone imbalance and has always had it. And the medical profession is wedded to profit (it is); which is a barrier to funding for proper research regarding sleep, and sleep disorders--which consume one third of our time on earth; and we ought to know more about it. I agree; but what I want to know more of is dreams. If she's not neurotic, what's her problem?

This year, I have watched two people, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, campaign for the presidency of the United States for the past eighteen months. They each get about four hours of sleep a night. I have never, ever, known of two more highly functioning individuals--persons "on their game." Are they on drugs? Adrenaline. Ill effects? I don't see any.

Greene denies she gets any "secondary" benefit from her insomnia. Really? How-a-bout a great book? She is witty, smart, articulate, loved and successful ... and neurotic and obsessive. I think she's fortunate. I hope she reads this. I'm glad she wrote the book. The book details a lot that is wrong, and right, with the practice of medicine. The story she tells does an excellent job of describing how people are different, and that what "works" for one, might not work for another. And also, that what "works" most reliably is belief, or the "placebo effect" (a sugar pill.) The placebo effect IS the most reliable (it explains the success of alternative medicine's sometimes efficacy); and that people often report getting better to please the professional (even when they're not.) But that doesn't work for her ... seems she is stubborn. So I think ... hmmmm.... Her father is a physician. I have/had a friend, an old one, who is mad at me for calling her out, who's father is this great doctor ... and she suffers from chronic pain--nothing works--NOTHING--to the point she contemplates suicide from time to time. Now, that is anecdotal evidence (if evidence at all) of the possibility of unconscious motivation; and I can't help but think that both my friend's, and Greene's, incidents of incurable malaise are related to daddy. And, moreover, that belief in being cared for is a powerful treatment for what ails a person. Nice work, Gayle. Get some rest, now.(less)

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Nov 28, 2009

Sally rated it

· review of another edition

This is a great book for anyone who struggles with insomnia. It doesn't promise any miracle cures for this condition, but it does provide a very thorough review (from the perspective of an insomniac) of the current state of understanding of the causes and treatments for insomnia.

Gayle Greene is a literature professor who spent years researching this book, in an effort to understand her own struggle with insomnia. Her stories in the chapter about what she learned by attending slee...moreThis is a great book for anyone who struggles with insomnia. It doesn't promise any miracle cures for this condition, but it does provide a very thorough review (from the perspective of an insomniac) of the current state of understanding of the causes and treatments for insomnia.

Gayle Greene is a literature professor who spent years researching this book, in an effort to understand her own struggle with insomnia. Her stories in the chapter about what she learned by attending sleep conferences and interviewing sleep researchers are enlightening and often humorous.

Greene has little patience for the medical establishment that has for so long "blamed the victim" by focusing on the psychological contributors to insomnia rather than on the physiological and genetic aspects of this condition. This will no doubt strike a chord with many insomniacs who read the book, but I felt that she overemphasized this point a little bit too much throughout the course of the book.

As an insomniac myself, I found the early chapters of the book a bit depressing, as I realized how much worse my insomnia could get, how little doctors know about the causes and how ineffective most of the treatments are. I think these chapters are designed to wake up medical practitioners and researchers to reality of living with insomnia. If you are insomniac, however, I suggest that you start with the next-to-last chapter: Bedding Down with the Beast. In this chapter Greene gives some tips about what sometimes works for her or for other insomniacs she has interviewed. Although there are no reliable treatments that work all the time for everyone (or anyone?), there some things that do work sometimes for some people, and reading about these gave me hope. Once armed with this hope, I found the other chapters much more enjoyable.

She really has done an incredible amount of research for a layperson and outsider to this field, and she presents it in an engaging, easy-to-understand, story-telling manner. I haven't finished the book yet, and I can't wait to get back to it tonight.(less)

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Nov 02, 2010

Greg Heath rated it

· review of another edition

Gayle Greene's exhaustively researched "Insomniac" was certainly eye-opening for me. Equal parts memoir and collected research & analysis, it reads as both harrowing personal tale and desperate call to action. A chronic lifelong insomniac herself, Greene approaches the subject with an appropriate mix of scorn and whimsy, keeping things deadly serious but injecting some humor and optimism in as well. The book covers an extraordinarily wide range of information on the oft-overlooked cond...moreGayle Greene's exhaustively researched "Insomniac" was certainly eye-opening for me. Equal parts memoir and collected research & analysis, it reads as both harrowing personal tale and desperate call to action. A chronic lifelong insomniac herself, Greene approaches the subject with an appropriate mix of scorn and whimsy, keeping things deadly serious but injecting some humor and optimism in as well. The book covers an extraordinarily wide range of information on the oft-overlooked condition, running the gamut from insomnia's impact on a person's life, what goes on behind the scenes at sleep conferences, what's known about sleep architecture, what one can expect from a sleep clinic, and the myriad treatment options available to sufferers. The latter, in particular, chilled my blood. As the reader will come to discover, none of the treatments come without a price, and none have worked for Greene herself.

I devoured most of this book in one sitting, dog-earing pages left and right. I wish I had no interest in this subject, but unfortunately I've recently become a chronic insomniac, myself. For sufferers like me, this book will serve to both calm and infuriate you. Greene gives voice to the insomniacs of the world, quoting them directly throughout the entirety of the book, and as such, sufferers will feel much less alone and likely very calmed with Greene's underlying warm tone and empathy toward her fellow insomniacs. The horrifying outrage, though, is that the medical community gives little to no attention to insomnia, and that insomniacs themselves continue to go unnoticed, unappreciated, and oftentimes even seen as a nuisance. As shown through Greene's conversations with psychiatrists, doctors and drug reps, there's a common "blame the patient" attitude among professionals in the medical community, particularly when it comes to issues of medication and dependence.

The chapter on medication options and the author's own experiences with them is particularly sobering, as it quickly becomes clear that many, if not most, of the drugs prescribed for insomnia have the potential for addiction and long-term cognitive damage. What's even more terrifying is that very little is known about how sleep works or why we need it, and as such, these drugs are barely understood and their long-term effects have not been studied thoroughly. Of the studies that have been done, though, a few things are indicated: the cognitive impairment caused by benzos and similar meds can take a very long time to subside, and may not diminish completely. It is also indicated that sleep meds do not induce natural sleep, thus leaving potential for damaging sleep architecture and suppressing deep & REM sleep (necessary for replenishing the body and mind for waking hours). This chapter is a must-read for any insomniac considering medical treatment, and is easily worth the price of admission alone.

The real meat of the book, however - beyond the overwhelming amount of information and research data - is Gayle Greene, herself. An English professor by trade, she inspires hope in sufferers and stands as something of a poster child for insomnia, calling for action and giving voice to insomniacs the world over whilst drawing attention to the neglect and stagnation in progress on behalf of the medical community. She is honest to the core, and her book is very well-written, despite her having a condition that essentially bludgeons the mind. She even admits, at one point, to her rough drafts having been chock-full of spelling and grammatical errors, to the point where editors and spellcheckers had to ask her what she meant. Despite this, though, she's written perhaps the best book to date on the subject - a realistic look at the condition and what's being done to treat it by someone who actually suffers from it. Any insomniac who's pored through the many carbon-copy, outside-approach books on fixing sleep can tell you that this, alone, sets it in a field all its own.

As a writer, I've actually learned a lot from this book. Not necessarily having to do with technique or structure - though this would certainly serve as fantastic reference in outlining a memoir or research book - but regarding doggedness and force of will. I've only had insomnia for a few months, and my writing and cognitive processes are already starting to suffer. Gayle Greene, though, has had it for her entire life, and has had it worse than I have - and she's written a powerful, passionate, highly-acclaimed book in spite of it. So, in closing: this book will not offer you any definitive answers or perfect treatment options, because there aren't any. It will, however, serve to comfort, entertain, and hopefully inspire any suffering insomniac who reads it. Highly, highly recommended.(less)

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Oct 20, 2008

Judith rated it

· review of another edition

This is a study of insomnia. The author's suffering from the condition is all too apparent. She has the tone just right----somewhere between sleepy crankiness and sleep-deprived hysteria. It's hard to like this book, but it is enlightening. I thought I suffered from insomnia till I read this book and then realized I just have occasional sleep problems. The insomniacs described here are like characters from "The Night of the Living Dead". I feel so sorry for them that it's hard t...more

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May 04, 2008

bea rated it

· review of another edition

I often imagine a book promises more than it actually delivers (a friend once asked kindly, somewhat perplexed: "what were you *expecting* from 'A History of Dust'?") However, this book delivers. Gayle Greene answers all the questions that I, as a sometime-insomniac, have asked myself as I lay awake in the wee hours. She writes well and critically, as one might expect from a feminist Shakespearian scholar; she writes intelligently about the science of sleep; and she writes with welcome...more

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Apr 17, 2009

Holly rated it

· review of another edition

This book was pretty interesting...all about people who suffer insomnia and how little is known about the disorder. The author has struggled with it her whole life and is desperately trying to determine what causes it. The book consists mainly of her research of the disorder in the different aspects of it - medically, psychologically, physically, etc.

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Jan 07, 2009

Carolyn rated it

· review of another edition

Once i got about half way through, I was having some trouble continuing to read this book. The first few chapters and the last 2 or 3 are fascinating, the middle drags and is a bit repetitive.

However, an English professor who suffers from insomnia but with no scientific background thoroughly researching and writing about this personal disorder is extraordinary. She really has done her research: attending sleep conferences, speaking to doctors of all sorts, researching treatment wit...more

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Jul 07, 2008

Darshan Elena rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: insomniacs, their lovers and sleepmates, and popular science fanatics

Snore, snooze, and slumber when it comes to the science, this book is best when describing the author's own struggles with insomnia. I reckon that Greene would be pleased that I fell asleep (!) twenty pages into her book. It's a keeper for that simple reason. When I began this book, I startled, thinking that I was not that bad, as bad, so bad as those folks Greene introduces. But no. I'd just had several excellent nights. Alas! I remain insomniac... and somewhat proud of it. As a coping ...more

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May 20, 2008

Staci rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: pharmacists, medical professionals, insomniacs & friends of insomniacs

All that I have read on the subject of insomnia has said the same thing, over and over, until now. This book is written from the point of view of a sufferer of chronic insomnia, who has explored the subject from every perspective possible and finally says what no other medical article on insomnia dares to say: science doesn't know why we sleep and so why some of us don't sleep is equally a mystery. It has given me much-needed insight into my insomnia patient's struggles and seeming "overu...more

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Sep 12, 2008

Jean-claude rated it

· review of another edition

This is a candid review of Greene's relationship with sleep and insomnia. Anyone who has had that problem will relate with her frustrations and quest to find relief.

She brings up several interesting obervations from her research. The one I liked best was the theory that humans are not adapted to sleep in a continuous 6-8 hour stretch. Before electric illumination, apparently people used to refer to the "first sleep" followed by a period of awakeness then a "mornin...more

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Mar 27, 2010

Matt rated it

· review of another edition

I felt like I was reading my autobiography

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Nov 12, 2008

Topmar rated it

· review of another edition

What better reading for an insomniac (at 11:30pm) than this book? Reassuring to know I'm in such abundant good company. Exhaustive research on the subject that doctors ignore and restful sleepers minimize. Identifies sleep deprivation as a factor in emotional distress, joblessness, suicide, divorce and overall humorlessness. Identifies all drugs, alternative therapies, sleep lab operations...Author is scathing, cynical, and TIRED.

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Aug 28, 2008

Julie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

As someone who suffers frequent trouble with sleep I found this a very informative book. My only reservation is that the writer focuses solely on what works for her so that chapters on methods she didn't like are scant and poorly researched. This is more a "state of the research and lack thereof" than a self-help type book.

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May 07, 2011

Nienke rated it

Shelves: nf

Though it's a little old by now, I recommend this book to anyone who is or lives with an insomniac. There's really nothing else out there like it for insomniacs, and it sums up the plight of insomniac research quite well.

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Oct 13, 2009

Carrie rated it

· review of another edition

anyone who is suffering from chronic insomnia, or loves someone who suffers from it, needs to read this book! good argument for the possibility that it is a physiological problem, as opposed to a psychological one...

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Mar 10, 2010

Jenn rated it

· review of another edition

Thank you, Gayle Greene, for writing the best book ever written on insomnia. It's rarely taken seriously and this book is remarkable.

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Jul 29, 2009

Jill marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Alright, I haven't read this book. I'm just an insomniac. It's been a terrible 3 days without sleep and I can't take it!

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Jun 19, 2010

Mike Hooker rated it

· review of another edition

Excellent book! Every insomniac should read this one.

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Feb 11, 2012

Sue marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Feb 07, 2012

Desirea Packard marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Jan 28, 2012

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Jan 25, 2012

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Jan 24, 2012

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Shelves: books-for-insomnia

Jan 24, 2012

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