9/11/2023 0 Comments Eidetic imagery and insomniaJess spent the night in a children's sleep clinic, where tests revealed that she wakes up to act out her dreams - usually an almost exact version of what she has done during the day. Then in March this year - over two years after her problems began - doctors discovered the cause. Jess has seen dozens of doctors, who have all been baffled by the cause of her insomnia. 'Most parents manage to help their child develop sleeping patterns, but sometimes this goes awry and a child will either sleep too much some nights and cat nap the rest of the time, or will nap through the day, leading to a repeated lack of refreshing sleep.' Reassuring: Tanya and Jess with husband Chris and son Ryan, who is a good sleeper ![]() ![]() 'Over time, they are trained to sleep for longer periods. If they slept for long periods like adults, they'd end up under-nourished. Babies are born with the desire to sleep, but they are not "designed" to have regular sleeping patterns. 'Sometimes it is just that they have never learned sleep discipline. 'Only rarely will insomnia affect children - although it is, I think, more common than we recognise. 'Whatever age it starts, insomnia tends to become chronic - you don't just get bouts of it, it becomes constant,' says Professor Paul Morgan, director of the Sleep Research Unit at Loughborough University. It is most common in older people, partly because our sleep becomes lighter and more fragmented as we age. 'The doctor assured us it was nothing to worry about and said she would grow out of it - but she hasn't yet.'Īround 10 per cent of the population suffer from insomnia. Then, as she got older, she'd come in on her own. Initially, we were worried she'd hurt herself, so we'd bring her into our room, where she'd continue for hours, completely oblivious to us. 'She didn't cry - it was as if she just didn't need sleep any more. But when she was about a year old, she started waking up and making funny little actions as if she was pretending to eat or drink, or laughing and playing with imaginary friends. 'Ironically, Jess was a really good baby and slept through the night from around six months. 'There have been times when she has slept for only an hour or two, and once she was awake for 36 hours,' says Tanya. ![]() Breaking bad habits: JessTinsley with her mother Tanya
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