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Last week, I had a (big) night anxiety. It hasn't happened to me in a while. But this time, I did everything I could to analyze what was happening and not let myself be carried away by anguish. And for the past 10 days, I've been trying to figure out if it could be related to HIP.
Here's what I found.
Theme: Are night terrors linked to the High Potential?
Here we go for the nice email of the week. 💫
My recent experience
Okay, so after many investigations, here's what I felt happened.
On a "normal" night, I pass from the state of awakening to sleep more or less quickly.
And there, for a reason I don't know, I didn't fall asleep and then wake up again... but not completely. I was stuck in a sort of state in the middle: mid-sleep. Not really awake but not really asleep either.
And, for another reason I don't know, this muddy space is terrifying. I woke up in bursts, panicked, sweaty. Then after I calmed down I went to sleep... to wake up terrified a few minutes later. It lasted several hours.
It took several passages dodo – muddy state to understand that I was not really awake but in this state of floating.
I then tried to wake up once and for all to start the whole process again and to fall asleep "normally". It worked after:
- A few minutes spent on the balcony for fresh air
- To be put moisturizing cream (yes yes) to "reconnect to my body". I remembered Sabine's advice that when it went up there, you had to re-focus on her body. Well, it worked. #ThanksSabine
- A few pages of a book
Sleeping HIP Is he special?
The next morning is the beginning of the investigation. Does the HIP Sleep differently?
When you go online, you realize that two main theories come out:
- The HP has a degraded sleep and therefore needs more sleep to be so rested
- HP has an intellectual hyper-efficiency that also translates into sleep. We sleep better and faster. So we need less time in bed to be so rested.
But these two theories are just that: theories. When we try to validate them scientifically, it gets stuck. For the moment, no one has succeeded in having a significant result in either direction. Some scientists have shown that early children sleep a little more. Others sleep a little less. In any case, it is marginal. And above all, it doesn't get me on my anxieties.
My investigation is starting!
And then I came across this study that talks about the link between creativity and insomnia. The 2 New Zealand researchers/psychologists found that creative children sleep less well than others (untimely awakenings, insomnia, etc.).
Even if the results are not directly transposable to HP (because not all HP are creative), we have something, right?
Does the HIP Are you sleeping less well?
Okay, so basically HP sleeps as much as others (in time), and it seems that creativity poses problems for sleep.
I decided to be interested in the quality sleep rather than sleep quantity.
For that, I come across what is called parasomnia that are sleep disorders that happen during sleep. They include:
- Sleepwalking: It doesn't match what I did, so I'm leaving this idea aside
- Nightmares: I don't feel like it fits either, unless I have nightmares I don't remember and wake up every time
- Nocturnal terrors: that speaks to me!
And then, according to James Webbearly children are more prone to night terror (and sleepwalking) than others. I'm on the right track.
Only nenni! When I read more about the subject, I see that it's about children who wake up screaming, doing big gestures and not remembering the next day because they're not really awake (just exaggerating).
I recognize myself in the fact that the whole thing happens by being more or less asleep, but on the other hand I do not look like the Exorcist in those moments.
Anyway, I finally dig into the nightmare track.
The HIP and nightmares
Two theories would explain nightmares in zebra children.
(1) The first comes from the idea that early children are intellectually ahead of others. So they have the same fears as older children (death, social rejection, misery, disease, etc.)... but they don't have their masturbation to handle all this stress. They understand frightening realities, but are not able to protect them.
(2) The second would come from "hyperexcitability" (which basically corresponds to what is now called hypersensitivity): PIEs live their fears more intensely... including in dreams and nightmares.
In short, the early child is confronted with the same fears as others, but earlier and reacts differently. He doesn't suffer anymore. That would explain a greater presence of nightmares... at least in the child.
But I'm not a child anymore.
As you can see, I haven't really found a solution to my problem.
I feel closer to the principle of night terror, but then a little terror. Although mine last longer than I read online.
Or are these nightmares repeated for the same night? I don't know.
If you have any ideas, I'll take it!
See you next Tuesday,
Paul