While some are especially careful about their sleep hygiene and even look forward to the time of day when they can lie down in their bed and enjoy a peaceful and restful sleep; For others, this is the worst time of the day. This is the case of people who suffer from somniphobia, also known as the fear of sleeping. An anxiety disorder characterized by experiencing an exaggerated and irrational fear of sleeping. It is a phobia with serious consequences for the health of those who suffer from it, since the need to get a good rest is key to staying physically and emotionally healthy.
However, it is common to wonder what exactly these people fear. Psychologist Marta Garrido explains that the common fears of people with somniphobia have to do with something bad happening to them during their sleep, such as stopping breathing or even not waking up. That is, it tends to be directly linked to death. Therefore, these patients avoid sleeping, which has a whole series of consequences for their quality of life.
The reasons behind a person suffering from somniphobia can be varied. One of them has to do with it being a consequence of certain diseases, for example, sleep apnea, which is characterized by breathing interruptions occurring throughout the period in which the person sleeps. This causes people to be afraid of stopping breathing during sleep and that something bad will happen to them.
However, another reason may be having suffered a traumatic experience, such as someone breaking in during the night while you were sleeping. The consequence is to suffer a constant state of alert that will cause this somniphobia in people, who need to be awake in case something happens. However, there may be other reasons, such as experiences related to sleep paralysis, enuresis, or nightmares.
Psychologist Marta Garrido explains that it is “very important to lose this fear” due to how somniphobia, and not sleeping, affects the quality of life. To achieve this, the first thing will be to identify this disorder. Some of the most common symptoms that give it away are sweating, labored breathing, feeling short of breath, experiencing irritability and mood swings, and excessive tiredness. Of course, it is also usually revealed by a weakened immune system, difficulty concentrating, and the anxiety and panic that result from this disorder. If the diagnosis is affirmative, psychological therapy will begin to help the patient accept, deal with and overcome this phobia.
