Published 10 May 2009 · Main Posts writers and insomnia Jeff Sparrow John Elder wrote in the Age this morning about how often sleep disorders are wrongly diagnosed. One of the interesting points in the piece related to questions of causality in insomnia and mental illness: insomnia tends to get treated as a symptom of depression rather than the other way around. Anyway, it made me wonder about the number of writers you run into who suffer from crippling insomnia. When you think about it, writing seems to be designed to prevent you from ever sleeping. It’s a job that’s never finished, so you always go to bed thinking about what you’re supposed to be working on. It encourages all the habits you are supposed to avoid: a sedentary lifestyle, caffeine, alcohol, etc. And most people do it on top of another job, and so the perpetual struggle to find time means lots of early mornings and late nights. Of course, the Australasian Sleep Association claims that 80 per cent of Australians experience an issue with sleeping that adversely affects their waking life, so it may well be that writers are no more tired than the rest of the nation. Personally, though, I’m perpetually thinking that, if only I get a good night’s sleep, I’ll suddenly be writing pages upon pages of luminous prose. And then, of course, it happens — and it doesn’t make the slightest difference. Jeff Sparrow Jeff Sparrow is a Walkley Award-winning writer, broadcaster and former editor of Overland. More by Jeff Sparrow › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays First published in Overland Issue 228 5 March 2024 · Main Posts Andrew Charlton’s school assignment Alex McKinnon Australia's Pivot to India exists for three reasons: so that when Andrew Charlton is interviewed on the radio or introduced on Q+A, his bio includes the phrase "he has written a book about Indian-Australian relations"; to fend off accusations that he is another Kristina Keneally engaging in electoral colonialism in western Sydney; and to help the Albanese government strengthen economic and military ties with Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. First published in Overland Issue 228 29 February 202429 February 2024 · Cartoons Why won’t they rise? Sam Wallman Sam has an explanation for why wages just won't rise.