Could Creativity Be Associated With Insomnia?

Abstract

There is a possible link between creativity and insomnia. No research on the influence of creative talents exists, although there are several reasons to predict that creative tendencies could increase the likelihood of insomnia. There are, for example, anecdotal reports of persistence and single-mindedness in creative persons and in descriptions of creative work. The aim of this study was to look at the incidence of sleep difficulties in 30 highly creative children compared with 30 control children. The hypothesis was that there would be a higher incidence of sleep disturbance in highly creative children than in control children. Results showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups, with the creative children reporting more sleep disturbance, thus suggesting that creative ability may affect an individual's sleep patterns.