Somniphobia, phobia of falling asleep

The body must rest to restore the energy that has been wasted all day. Therefore, for some people, going home and resting sleep is the most awaited thing. Unfortunately, somniphobia sufferers do not experience this.

What is somniphobia?

Source: Odyssey

Somniphobia, also known as hypnophobia, is an excessive fear of falling asleep. The reason is, they are afraid that this activity will make them lose control of their bodies.

Those who experience it will feel worried about bad things that happen during sleep. They are also afraid that they can't get up and open their eyes again.

For these reasons, they do everything they can to stay awake. No matter how tired the body feels, they will keep trying to open their eyes. When they finally fall asleep, the quality of sleep they get is very low and it is easily awakened by the surrounding environment.

Sometimes, people with somniphobia also have other specific phobias such as related things that can trigger their drowsiness.

What causes somniphobia?

In general, phobias can be obtained from several factors such as genetics, life experiences, or other things that can affect the development of the brain in judging something. Some of the causes of somniphobia include:

• Nightmare. The nightmare that occurs is a dream that is very scary and feels like real. So that somniphobia people don't want to sleep for fear of having similar dreams.
• Anxiety disorders. It is reported that people with anxiety disorders are also prone to developing this phobia. When anxious, people tend to think about the worst case scenario that will happen and this can lead to fear of a number of things.
• Fear of death. As already mentioned, some people don't want to fall asleep because they are afraid that they will die and can't wake up again.
• Traumatic experiences. This fear can also result from the experience of seeing or hearing the closest person who died while sleeping.
• Parasomnia. This sleep disorder can make people do unwanted things while they sleep. Somniphobia people may fear doing dangerous things while sleeping.
• Horror genre films or books. Usually this cause is found in children. They are afraid that the creepy creatures in the movies they watch or the books they read will haunt them.

Symptoms that can appear

Most of the symptoms that will appear first are panic attacks. What's more, these symptoms can occur suddenly without any warning. Symptoms of somniphobia are:

• a cold sweat
• body trembling
• chronic fatigue
• goosebumps
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, can lead to effects such as choking
• faster heart rate
• pain and heaviness in the chest
• nausea
• dizzy
• dazed
• feeling sad and hopeless
• lose control of yourself
• drastic mood swings

People with somniphobia don't have to be in situations that encourage them to fall asleep. They can produce symptoms just thinking about it.

Somniphobia can be dangerous if left untreated

Sleep is important for human survival. This activity occupies the top list in the body's needs other than food. During sleep, the body will make repairs for all the functions of the organs in it so that they are ready to work during the day.

Sleep also provides an opportunity for the body to produce hormones which will act as an immune system that will protect against various infections.

If you are sleep deprived, your body cannot work optimally. The body will feel tired all the time and have a big influence on the activities that are being undertaken. You find it difficult to concentrate, get sick more easily, and can end up causing harm to yourself and others.

Somniphobia can still be treated in many ways. In order not to keep bothering, you must immediately seek help from professionals, it can be with various therapies such as talk therapy which includes counseling.

This therapy session will help patients to change their mindset every time they face the feared thing. Counseling can be a safe place for patients to talk about their feelings without fear of being judged.

Another therapy that is also often done is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This therapy aims to identify the patient's mindset on the feared thing, after which the patient will be faced with the phobia and try to overcome the fear with the given strategy.

There are times when patients are also given drugs in the form of antidepressants or others. However, the use of this drug is only recommended for the short term or when symptoms recur. CBT remains the best way if the patient really wants to get rid of the phobia.

Sleep hygiene to help overcome this phobia

In addition to expert handling, patients must also make efforts by applying it sleep hygiene. This term refers to a set of healthy habits that can help you fall asleep faster.

Practice sleep hygiene is also part of CBT therapy and has been an effective long-term treatment in people with critical insomnia. Various steps sleep hygiene include:

1. Create a comfortable and conducive room atmosphere

The amount of distraction will make it even harder for a person to sleep. Therefore, create a conducive atmosphere by only placing items that are really needed in the room. Without a TV or other entertainment equipment, make the room a room that will only be used for sleeping.

Reduce the lighting in the bedroom before going to bed. The best way is to turn off the light. However, another way if you are not used to the dark is to install a table lamp with dim lighting.

2. Get used to sleep with a regular pattern

Try to start sleeping at the same time each day and sleep for the recommended few hours. Set alerts and alarms after waking up. This will train your body to fall asleep when it's time to rest.

Patients can also carry out routines that can help them fall asleep quickly, such as turning off the lights in the room, cleaning around the bed, or reading books until they are sleepy.

3. Avoid caffeine

Reduce daily caffeine intake. Avoid consuming it in the afternoon or evening. Caffeine is a stimulant that blocks the receptors for adenosine, a hormone that makes you sleepy, from working. Therefore, limit consumption or switch to other alternatives such as herbal teas.

Also avoid drinking too much water before bed because it can encourage urine production which can interfere with your sleep.

4. Fulfill healthy food intake

Sometimes hunger strikes at night in the hours before bedtime. To avoid this, eat healthy foods with balanced nutrition between vegetables, carbohydrates and protein, eat regularly.

If your hunger is unbearable, you can eat healthy light snacks such as fruit slices or protein bars.