Chris Lee wrote a very interesting article in the Los Angeles Times, claiming that Jackson would stay up all night, "channeling god" all of the time. According to Travis Payne, associate director/choreographer of “This Is It,” “He’d say, ‘When the phones stop ringing at night, that’s when I can have really, really great thoughts. I’m not being interrupted. I can just be one with God. And then the ideas would come to me,’” The director of "This is It", Kenny Ortega (“High School Musical,” “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Tour”), was quoted as saying “He used the word 'channeling,' ” said Ortega. “He would say when the information was coming, when the idea was coming, it was a blessing. And he couldn't turn his back on a blessing. These were important ideas that were nurturing his work.” Ortega also said “I would say to him, ‘Can’t you make a little pact with your higher power to have this put on a shelf for you until a later date? We need you healthy. We need you nourished.’ He’d laugh at me and say no. ‘When they come, you have to be ready for them and you have to take advantage of them when they’re there. Or they won’t be yours.’”
It is reported that Jackson has suffered from insomnia for over 30 years. By definition, insomnia is "difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or both" and it may be due to inadequate quality or quantity of sleep. According to Thomas Roth PhD and Timothy Roehrs PhD The Chief, and Director of Research Sleep Disorders and Research Center Henry Ford Hospital, respectively, "Insomnia is a symptom of difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep or experiencing nonrefreshing sleep and is associated with daytime consequences. Although insomnia is typically secondary to a medical, psychiatric, circadian, or sleep disorder, it can also be a primary disorder. Primary insomnia is estimated to occur in 25% of all chronic insomnia patients. It is hypothesized to be a disorder of hyperarousal, which has been supported by research on the autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function. Chronic insomnia is prevalent in 10% of the adult population. Age, sex, medical and psychiatric disease, and shift work all represent an increased risk of chronic insomnia. The morbidity of insomnia varies as a function of etiology. While transient insomnia produces sleepiness and impairment in psychomotor performance, chronic insomnia is associated with absenteeism, frequent accidents, memory impairment, and greater health care utilization. The most consistent impact of insomnia is a high risk of depression."
According to Chris Lee's article in The LA Times "Jackson’s difficulty falling asleep took on crisis proportions in the final weeks leading up to the concerts" In this article from the NY Daily News, by Rich Schapir, "Jackson suffered from such an extreme case of insomnia he once traveled with a personal anesthesiologist who plied the sleep-deprived singer with meds and kept an IV pole in his hotel room...Dr. Neil Ratner regularly helped "take down" and "bring him back up" during the pop icon's HIStory tour in the mid-1990s, sources told CNN. In an article from MTV.com, Jackosn's caretaker, Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse and nutritional counselor, told The Associated Press that Jackson repeatedly asked her for drugs, Propofol, but she denied his requests. "He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she told the AP. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest."
Much has happened since the death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009. Here are some of the highlights as reported by the LA Celebrity Headlines Examiner related to the King of Pop with the release of 'This Is It'! You can follow everything Michael Jackson and see what people are talking the most about on Examiner.com's Real-Time Michael Jackson Tracker.
Words by LEE KLAWANS: Please click here for more great stories
Comments
It's so sad that such a gifted person is no longer with us for something that could have been avoided. I understand the depths one may go to out of desperation but I wish someone in his life would have properly dealt with his insomnia at some point in the 30+ years he suffered from this. Dr Neil Ratner needs to be held accountable - if it weren't for him, Michael probably wouldn't have known or attempted this again. RIP Michael. We love you more.
Jackson certainly wasn't the first, and won't be the last, insomniac celebrity who died seeking sleep. There was Heath Ledger, and a long list of others as I wrote in Los Angeles Times,March 30, 2008.
Many insomniacs know what it feels like to be that desperate for sleep.
Gayle Greene, author, INSOMNIAC
sleepstarved.org
I think part of that 30 something years of suffering from insomnia had come from the pressure to be perfect, the needing to always have to answer for himself ( since the world constantly had him under a microscope), and the fact that Michael did not have that one and only special and significant person in his life. Now, do I doubt when the noise dies did the thoughts flow? No! Of course I believe that this was Michael's time, it makes sense, it's peaceful. But, I think if his life was generally different , meaning dynamics, then I don't think Michael would have suffered so much. Besides, I think he adapted and made night his time to create, that would be one way to block out all of the other painful thoughts. Plus didn't Michael say he hated touring because it left him exhausted and he would go through hell? I remember seeing it and someone off stage said to him "Michael you need to be possitive". What crap! He was ignored then too. It was OK to say he hated it! Others said no!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!