FL
I’ve been awake almost my entire life. I have had insomnia since I was a child.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 June 2022 source ↗
The question
What thought won't let you sleep?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A long-running fixed question in The Guardian's weekly Q&A questionnaire.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Others on this question
View all 196 →People singing in the street.
Björn Ulvaeus
Swedish musician
Nothing, really. But without little sleeping pills, I’d go crazy.
Sadie Frost
English actress, producer, film director and fashion designer
Eight years ago, I didn’t sleep for more than two hours a night and was very skinny. I went to a sleep clinic, and learned techniques to switch my mind off.
Madhur Jaffrey
Actress, cook, and TV host
Unfinished work and caffeine.
More from Fran Lebowitz
View profile →I just hate to work, so I can’t choose one.
Rodents – including the tiniest mouse.
At the moment, Ukraine’s president.
The supreme court. Specifically the case Bush v Gore, which is where Sandra Day O’Connor – one person – decided the presidential election.
The moment I realised I knew how to read. I was five.
That I’ve never killed anyone – and I’ve been tempted numerous times. My other achievement is that I went to Australia, which meant I was on a plane without smoking for almost 24 hours, and I didn’t kill anyone on that flight.
More on daily life
- What one change would most improve the quality of your daily life? 206 answers
- What is an unusual habit or small pleasure you are oddly fond of? 31 answers
- When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do? 23 answers
- In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to? 22 answers
- In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life? 21 answers
- What does the first hour of your day look like? 17 answers
Also answered this
Ian McEwan, Jack Whitehall, Lionel Shriver, Tony Judt, Kate Mosse, Ethan Hawke
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All daily life questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject