Clinophobia (fear Of Sleeping): Causes, Symptoms And Treatment
Clinophobia is an irrational phobia whose sufferers feel an unjustified fear of sleeping or going to bed This fear can manifest itself as a specific response to resting in bed or more generically, to falling asleep in any context.
This phobia is also often called “oneirophobia” or “somniphobia”, although they have distinctive nuances. The term clinophobia refers to the fear of going to sleep, and comes from the Greek klinein (bed) and phobos (fear).
Although the fear of going to sleep is not usually a well-known or studied disorder, we are facing a really common phobia that affects people of any age and from any social and cultural background.
As with the vast majority of phobias that human beings suffer from, those affected by clinophobia are aware that their fear of going to sleep is unjustified and causes them irrational anxiety. Nevertheless, They cannot manage these psychological and physiological sensations that their brain produces in response to fear so they enter a vicious circle.
If this phobia is not treated and persists over time, the person may begin to worsen both physically and psychologically, and their well-being may be in serious danger.
Causes
As usually occurs in most phobias and fears, clinophobia is based on certain events in the individual’s learning. The associations that the person makes with their environment give rise to their learning history, and in the case of these patients, they may have associated certain negative sensations with the behavior of sleeping or going to bed. This generates fear, anxiety and ends up leading to phobia.
Several traumatic events in childhood can lead to this phobia As an example, a child who wets the bed (enuresis) can develop clinophobia by relating these two events that cause low self-esteem and unpleasant sensations: going to bed to sleep and involuntarily urinating during sleep.
In adults, having nightmares, bruxism, restless legs syndrome, some type of sleep breathing disorder, and other psychological and medical conditions can also cause clinophobia.
However, the truth is that the most common cause of clinophobia is linked to chronic and serious insomnia problems. Also as a result of the psychological association, those affected link the fact of going to sleep with the bad psychological experience of having insomnia, a situation that causes anxiety and, therefore, avoidance.
Symptoms
The symptoms of this phobia usually appear at bedtime, or while in bed, trying to fall asleep. Anyway, There are cases in which the simple idea of sleeping can generate anxiety and nervousness
The most common symptoms are agitation, nervousness and discomfort in the moments before going to bed. In more severe cases, those affected may suffer great anxiety and even panic attacks.
In remote cases, some patients have reported that during nervous breakdowns associated with clinophobia they may experience symptoms such as heightened senses, even stating altered states of consciousness.
As with any phobia, fear and anxiety are the two most common symptoms. Also notable are nausea and dizziness, agitation, muscle tension, hyperventilation, hot flashes, tremors, oral dryness, vertigo, sweating, confusion… In severe cases, the affected person may be afraid of losing control or even dying while asleep.
Of course, patients also experience a lower quality and quantity of sleep, and this phobia may correlate with medical problems, such as insomnia, apathy, reduced quality of life… In this sense, it is worth highlighting that Insomnia can either be the cause of the problem or a consequence derived from the phobia.
Treatment and therapy
Clinophobia is a phobic disorder in which a series of persistent symptoms appear, linked to fear and anxiety, as well as the effects that these generate on the quality and quantity of sleep. Therefore, it is also frequently associated with insomnia problems.
In this sense, the different therapeutic approaches seek to combat the phobia from different sides. Let’s learn about some of the forms of therapy and tools most frequently used to treat clinophobia.
1. Techniques to manage anxiety
People practicing relaxation techniques are becoming more and more common. Some are really simple and have great effects on anxiety management. Both breathing techniques and other techniques proposed by psychologists have had a special interest in this area.
2. Psychoeducation
If the patient knows perfectly the psychological and physiological mechanisms behind their irrational fear, it will be easier for them to understand the ways they can reduce their discomfort and fear.
With this tool, The patient is able to understand the causes of the phobia, how it has been generated, what factors limit his ability to overcome it and a good number of psychological tips to manage it. To this end, the patient must have all the relevant information linked to clinophobia.
Another effective technique for treating specific phobias is systematic desensitization. It is a combination of relaxation techniques with a gradual approach to the object, situation or context that causes the phobia.
This technique helps you go to bed without anxiety and the bad feelings that used to be associated with that behavior.
