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These pictures show how a sleep disorder really feels

The photo series "To Dream a Dream" by Jenna Martin shows how a person with sleep disturbances really feels: always on the edge of the abyss.

Just go to bed and sleep?

The photographer Jenna Martin suffers from insomnia and has captured her illness in surrealist pictures.
Photo: jennamartinphotography.com
Not an option for Jenna Martin. She has been suffering from insomnia for years. "I might get three hours of sleep a night. In bad times, I can not sleep for five days, "says the photographer.

There is nothing she can do about insomnia. Medication, do not eat before going to bed, do not watch TV, do not drink coffee - she has already tried everything. Nothing helped. "I am now 30 years old and I have always had that.My mother has told me that as a baby I lay awake forever, only now that I am pregnant I can fall asleep without any problems." The desperation of sleepless nights has now turned Jenna Martin into surreal images.

The photos in the series "To Dream a Dream" show how people with a sleep disorder really feel: constantly on the edge of the abyss.

Jenna Martin lives with her husband Chris on a small farm in Montana. She studied psychiatric rehabilitation. But shortly after graduation, she finally discovered the photography for herself and began to create her surrealistic images.

"When I can not sleep much, the reality and my dreams blur for me. The real life becomes very glassy, ​​while my dreams seem very vivid to me. Everything blurs, I see things like a third person and at some point I can not say whether I'm awake or dreaming. "

"Insomnia is a strange disorder. It's like an obsessive-compulsive disorder that everyone casually mentions when they're not a big deal. It is to be crazy. People who do not know insomnia assume that the body could get used to it ....

... but the body never gets used to it. You are always tired. Sleep becomes an obsession. You would do anything to sleep. Sleep is everything you can think about. "

Around one third of all Germans suffer from sleep disorders, reports the pharmacies Umschau: "They just want to sleep properly again: Not too little and not too much, fall asleep straightaway, sleep through without interruptions, wake up in the morning, focused, active and in a good mood Shaping the day. "

The experts recommend that you consult a doctor if there are no obvious triggers such as stress or an infection for acutely occurring sleep problems. "Then it's important to look for other possible causes, especially if your sleep disturbance lasts longer, if you have not been through a full night of restful sleep for three nights or more a week, feeling tired and powerless or nervous and irritable during the day Doctors usually refer to chronic sleep disorder, but even if you think you are sleeping well but are suffering from severe daytime sleepiness, it is often an indication of a bad night's sleep. "

The causes of insomnia can be very diverse. Is the thyroid gland behind? Another illness? Does the street lamp in front of the bedroom window disturb you? Or does it need a new mattress? To find the cause is worth a try. Get help from a doctor.

More pictures of Jenna Martin are available on her website: jennamartinphotography.com

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