Do you know what hypnophobia is? Also called somniphobia or clinophobia, it is the phobia of sleeping.. It is sometimes related to having nightmares during the act of sleeping, and that can lead to emotions and disorders such as panic, anxiety and sadness.
In this article we explain what this disorder is, what are its symptoms, causes and treatments.
- You may be interested in: “Hydrophobia (fear of water): what it is, causes and symptoms”.
Hypnophobia: a type of specific phobia.
A phobia is a fear of high intensity and lack of reasoning, towards a person, thing or situation. which is considered “the stimulus”. There are phobias towards practically everything, but undoubtedly, there are very peculiar and often dangerous phobias, which can affect in a very noticeable way our day to day life.
Hypnophobia is a very disabling phobia, since the act of sleeping is fundamental at a biological level to maintain our healthy circadian rhythm, regulate homeostasis (regulation of the body at an internal level), as well as the vital functions of the organism.
People who suffer from hypnophobia see their quality of life and well-being profoundly altered, both physically and mentally, due to fatigue, tiredness, lack of concentration, etc.
Characteristics
Hypnophobia can occur at any age and is not characteristic of any particular age group. This phobia is exacerbated when the person has to go to bed. The thoughts surrounding hypnophobia are related to the fear of dying at night or having nightmares in general. or suffering from nightmares in general.
This leads to extreme anxiety where the person suffering from hypnophobia ends up experiencing panic and insomnia that often becomes chronic.
Symptoms
The following are the most frequent symptoms and the most common ones. we show you the most frequent and characteristic symptoms that can cause the hypnophobia:
- High levels of panic
- Anxiety and anguish
- Nausea, fatigue, vomiting and pronounced dizziness
- Sadness and depression
- Rapid heart rate
- Dry mucous membranes (mainly lips)
- Insomnia and nightmares
- Hallucinations and delusions (which can last for hours).
- Fear of the dark and of being alone.
- Concentration problems and irritability
- Difficulty breathing well
- Loss of consciousness
- Stress and physical exhaustion (due to lack of restorative sleep)
It should be noted that these symptoms are named in a general way and therefore, they appear (or not) more or less frequently, and with greater or lesser intensity, depending on the patient and each situation.
Causes
There are different causes that can trigger a pathology such as hypnophobia.. It is necessary to bear in mind that the emotion of fear is something that is learned, therefore, hypnophobia can appear due to a learning. This learning can be through observation.
Other causes would be related to the fact that hypnophobia patients have lived bad experiences during their sleeping hours.
Another reason why hypnophobia develops, and which we have already mentioned above, could be the fear of dying while sleeping.
And finally, hypnophobia is sometimes considered to be idiopathic in origin. This means that its origin is unknown or spontaneous.
Treatment
Treatment is variable and specific to each situation. The most essential thing, first of all, is to have a clear diagnosis of this pathology.. The planning of the most appropriate treatment or treatments must be carried out by experts and taking into account all the characteristics of both the disorder and the subject who suffers from it.
The most direct and evident consequence of hypnophobia is the fact of not sleeping. It is necessary to treat the phobia from a multidisciplinary perspective. This involves psychological treatment, often in conjunction with pharmacological treatment.
1. Psychological treatment
Basically, the most important techniques are relaxation therapies or techniques.. Hypnosis sessions, as well as neuro-linguistic programming, also play a role.
All this increases its benefits if it is accompanied by psychological therapy or coaching where symptoms of anxiety, panic and depression or hypnophobia itself are generally treated through cognitive behavioral therapy. The latter method uses relaxation and exposure techniques.
The exposure technique is a technique frequently used to treat phobias, and consists of exposing the patient to the stimulus that produces the phobia, gradually (in this case the fact of sleeping).
Mindfulness
As an adjuvant to these therapies, cognitive therapy based on “Mindfulness” can be used.which consists of the practice of Mindfulness, through which the patient acquires a series of healthy habits and promotes the knowledge of their own personal strengths to cope with the situation.
This type of therapies are more and more fashionable and are a type of therapies that treat from the deepest part of the individual in order to have tools for the resolution of problems or conflicts.
The results are usually seen after a few weeks to months, depending on the degree of severity of hypnophobia and the patient, as well as their level of commitment to therapy and predisposition. However, obviously the duration of treatment and recovery time are also variable factors.
2. Pharmacological treatment
Although the treatment for hypnophobia par excellence is that which involves psychological intervention by experts, pharmacological treatments can be used.. These treatments are coadjuvant but in many cases, essential for the person to overcome hypnophobia.
It must be taken into account that pharmacological treatment is used to treat the symptoms that hypnophobia can cause, and not to cure the pathology.
The most frequent anxiolytic drugs related to this pathology are those to treat anxiety such as anxiolytics, sedatives, sedatives, sleep aids (to treat insomnia), tranquilizers, etc.
What to do if hypnophobia is suspected
Hypnophobia is a rare but complex disorder, which can have multiple and serious can cause multiple and serious consequences for our life, affecting its rhythm and quality, affecting its rhythm and quality.But it can be cured if you know well the characteristics of your situation and you turn to expert hands.
If you have several of the symptoms we have mentioned and/or the characteristics and details we have mentioned fit your case, do not hesitate to act, either by notifying your family doctor so that he or she can refer you, or by going to a center specializing in sleep disorders.
In this way you will undergo the necessary tests and questions to obtain a diagnosis and thus guide and treat your case in the most effective way.