The solitude of eve, seeing the world while others sleep. 15% of the population suffers from chronic insomnia. Stuck in a state of N1, the body releases a stress response of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormones throughout the bloodstream into the late hours or early morning. During these hours, effected induviduals go into a state of high stress, analyzing the world without the burden of knowing it. In this state of rampant reflection, our mind opens up to creativity, nostalgia, and sonder. As you look out your window and notice the quiet set in, you start to fill the silence with the symphony of your thoughts. This isolation connects the subconscious brain with the cognitive brain, making passed-up thoughts more interesting. After just 16 hours of wakefulness, the body and mind start to become impaired leading to a natural state of intoxication. While to many experiencing these effects during late hours feels like mental freedom, it is far from it. Most emotions present at night are negative, more intense, and control emotion drops. There is tension between creativity during these hours and the detriment it causes. In this project, I wanted to encapsulate my colleagues and my personal experience with insomnia. Representing the heightened body energy, heart rate, and blood pressure as a visual form. Each person in this series was photographed after being awake for longer than 16 hours and is captured in the setting they resort to during the troubles of sleeplessness. 

The sleep epidemic has overtaken the world without us knowing. In Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker discusses how sleep is the most important health regulator our bodies have. More than half of the population does not get a full rest of sleep every night, affecting global health in fatal illnesses by over 145%. With a lack of sleep, our immune system's response is reduced by 70%, and 70% of our weight loss comes from lean body mass and muscles instead of fat. In addition, there is a build-up of the toxic protein beta-amyloid which blocks our ability to create new memories. A regularity of 4-5 hours of sleep increases the chance of a fatal heart attack by 200%. Hopefully, this now puts into perspective how important sleep is for our health. The medical industry’s solution of sleeping pills is one of the top leading causes of cancer and yet they do not even produce naturalistic sleep. This may explain why caffeine is the most widely used addictive substance in the world. Yet awareness and education on the topic is scarce. The current curriculum of medical school devotes 2 hours to sleep education which seems shocking when you think of how sleep is ⅓ of our lives. My hope is that this project will bring awareness to this epidemic that most of us do not see and will start the conversation about natural treatment.

Each model is a close friend or a family member whom I have shared experiences of insomnia with. While each of our journeys with insomnia and paths to recovery has been unique, we all find common ground in our chaotic tranquility.