Problems falling asleep and staying asleep are common complaints. Both children and the elderly can suffer significantly from this. The group in between — roughly between the ages of 15 and 70 — generally seems to be less susceptible to it.
This does not mean that insomnia is easy to solve. However, as with many complaints, the following applies: when insight is gained into the cause of the problem, the structure involved, and its history, the chance of recovery often increases.
A practical example
On September 16, I saw an 84-year-old lady with problems staying asleep. She woke up every night around the same time, would toss and turn for a while, often got up to go to the toilet, and then tried to fall back asleep. This was usually difficult.
My examination revealed that a part of the emotional center possibly played an important role. It was suspected that old memories were being “played back” at night, as it were, linked to a strong emotion of fear — even mortal terror.
This emotional stimulus then activates the sleep-wake center, causing the body to become alert again and enter a state of readiness. It is as if the body must prepare itself for danger once more or be able to flee.
I suspected that this emotional burden had originated at a young age, around her ninth year. When I asked her about this, the patient told me that she had experienced the bombardment of Rotterdam at that age.
That was no minor event. Completely unexpected, at the beginning of the war, in a time when people were not yet familiar with the harsh reality of wartime violence. The sound of explosions, collapsing houses, and the panic of people around her must have made an enormous impression — especially on a nine-year-old child.
I can well imagine that such deeply suppressed emotions can resurface later in life and eventually influence sleep.
And then my work as an osteopath begins: searching for ways to help the body find more peace again.
