What is Fear of Sleep Disorder (Hypnophobia)?

Sleep phobia, one of the common phobias, is an anxiety disorder also called fear of sleep disease or hypnophobia. Hypnophobia is seen as a very serious disease that requires treatment, as it disrupts sleep patterns, which are of great importance for the body in every aspect, from the immune system to mental health. Fear of sleep can be caused by many different reasons. Constant nightmares, fear of death or other fears can cause fears about falling asleep. With the right treatment, hypnophobia can be largely prevented. For this reason, people experiencing this problem must undergo a detailed examination and then begin a treatment plan deemed appropriate by psychiatrists.

What is Fear of Sleeping Disease?

Fear of sleep disease is a type of anxiety disorder that occurs due to concerns such as nightmares, finding the time spent sleeping unnecessary, and fear of dying while asleep. Fear of sleep is much more common in people who frequently have nightmares, nightmares, or sleep paralysis. The disease generally negatively affects the person both physically and psychologically.

Lack of sleep at night as a result of fear of sleep makes the social life of the individual difficult during the day and negatively affects work performance. In addition, sleep-related concerns also affect the person during the day, and sleep anxiety can continue throughout the day. In some cases, fear of sleep can be seen as a psychiatric disorder on its own, but sometimes it can be seen along with problems such as panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and depression. When creating a treatment plan for the disease, identifying such other accompanying problems and planning a comprehensive approach is very important for the success of the treatment.

Causes of Fear of Sleeping Disease

Fear of sleep disease can develop due to many different reasons. Although the exact cause is not known exactly, the two most important factors thought to play a role in the development of hypnophobia are sleep paralysis and nightmares. Sleep paralysis, a sleep disorder, occurs when waking up from sleep and makes it difficult to move. In case of waking up during REM sleep, which is one of the stages of sleep, the paralysis of the muscles in this stage may make it impossible to move for a while after waking up.

Even though this situation is very short-term, it can cause serious fears and uneasiness in the individual. Sleep paralysis can also be perceived as very frightening hallucinations combined with nightmares. If the situation in question is constantly repeated, people develop anxiety about being afraid of sleeping and the disease of fear of sleep comes to the fore. Nightmares, another common cause, may develop due to reasons such as negative events in the person’s subconscious, memories, psychological problems and stress.

Constant nightmares are in most cases an indication of a psychological problem. However, some medications, alcohol use, or factors such as stress and fatigue can also cause frequent nightmares. When nightmares come to the individual’s mind intermittently during the day, fear and anxiety about sleep become stronger and lead to the emergence of hypnophobia. Apart from the two sleep disorders in question, fear of sleep may occur due to post-traumatic stress disorder, along with anxiety disorder caused by traumatic factors such as theft, natural disaster, or fire while sleeping . However, in addition to all these, it can be observed that some individuals develop fear of sleep disease, although no triggering cause can be determined.

Symptoms of Fear of Sleeping Disease

One of the most basic conditions for a healthy life is adequate sleep quantity and quality. For people with hypnophobia, it becomes almost impossible to get regular and quality sleep. Although the main symptoms are fear of not being able to sleep or fear of sleeping, the disease can also bring different mental and physical symptoms, depending on irregular sleep and the concerns in question. Some of these can be listed as follows:

• Negative emotions such as fear, panic, and anxiety that come with the thought of sleep
• Anxiety and distress increase as bedtime approaches
• Trying to go to bed as late as possible, sleep less, or avoid going to bed
• Panic attack -like symptoms experienced at bedtime
• Difficulty concentrating on different events by avoiding emotions such as fear, anxiety and restlessness
• Mood swings and irritability
• Confusion and memory problems
• Shortness of breath and rapid breathing
• Sweating, drowsiness and dry mouth
• Nausea, other stomach and digestive problems associated with anxiety
• Tremors, irregular heartbeat and tachycardia
• Feeling of tightness in the chest when thinking about sleep
• While going to bed, turn on the television, light or music to distract attention and leave them on throughout sleep.
• Constant crying in children, fear of separation from caregiver or mother and being alone

In addition to fear of sleep, some patients may also experience symptoms of different types of anxiety disorders. These may include many different situations such as fear of the future, avoidance of social environments, feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness, and test anxiety. In order to achieve the targeted success in treatment, it is important to learn the problems experienced by the patient well and determine the treatment plan by considering all the problems experienced together.

Treatment for Fear of Sleeping Disease

Being afraid while falling asleep has a huge negative impact on health by causing the person to get insufficient sleep and not be able to get efficiency from sleep. For this reason, it is beneficial for patients experiencing this problem to immediately undergo a psychiatric examination and receive treatment. When starting the treatment process for fear of sleep or fear of falling asleep, necessary research should be done on the reasons that trigger this situation. Most of the patients who consult doctors with the problem of not being able to sleep due to fear have experienced trauma such as theft, accident, earthquake, or losing a relative.

To eliminate hypnophobia in these patients, the underlying anxiety and fears must be eliminated. Practices such as meditation techniques, yoga or listening to relaxing music can be used to help the treatment process. At the same time, avoiding consumption of caffeinated beverages such as coffee, cola, and alcohol before bedtime will help reduce the fear of sleep. Patients who are afraid of something bad happening to them while sleeping should be motivated to believe that they are safe. If these people feel safer sleeping next to a relative, care can be taken to sleep this way for a while.

Depression and anxiety disorders may be underlying psychological problems of fear of sleeping. If such a situation is detected, treating depression or other psychiatric disorders is the most important step in eliminating the fear of sleep. There are two basic treatment approaches in the treatment of hypnophobia. The first of these is drug treatments, and the second is psychotherapies. The use of antidepressant medications or drugs that make it easier to fall asleep may form part of the treatment. In addition, speech therapies and cognitive behavioral therapies that aim to replace the thoughts that cause anxiety with correct thinking techniques can be applied. In most cases, fear of sleep can be completely eliminated with psychiatric treatment. Support from the person’s spouse, family or relatives will facilitate the treatment process.

If you are afraid of falling asleep and are worried about something bad happening to you while you sleep, it would be beneficial to consult a psychiatrist about this issue. You can overcome this fear and prevent other diseases that may occur due to insomnia by receiving the necessary treatment as a result of the evaluations made by your physician.