What is the disease of ‘somniphobia’? In common parlance and in the language of health experts, it is called a strange fear of sleeping. Let us try to explain it to you with an example. Suppose you have to catch a flight for some important work early in the morning. You do not sleep the whole night thinking that if you fall asleep, you will miss your flight. Something unfortunate will happen. Many kinds of questions come to mind. The mind gets so entangled in so many things that you feel that it is better to stay awake the whole night than to let something unfortunate happen.
Symptoms of somniphobia
This is a minor thing but such fear takes a serious form in some people and makes them a victim of the disease of somniphobia. Patients of this disease do not sleep at all. They are afraid of sleeping. They feel that if they sleep, something untoward will happen. Even if they lie down on the bed, strange things will appear on their body. These are called symptoms of somniphobia. Such as sweating from the forehead, moist palms, fast heartbeat.
31-year-old Basheer Ahmed of Bangalore (name changed) has not been able to return to his old lifestyle after Ramadan ended. Earlier, he was used to sleeping at 1 am and waking up at 8 am to go to work in an IT company. Now Ahmed is afraid of sleeping. Doctors have told him that he is showing symptoms of somniphobia. That is, he has been found to be suffering from the fear of falling asleep.
Symptoms of somniphobia include extreme fatigue throughout the day due to lack of sleep. However, apart from such physical symptoms, there are psychological symptoms as well.
Hyperventilation, chest pain, cold flushes, shaking and tremors, nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat
According to Bangalore Consultant Psychologist Satdeep Som, phobia in people suffering from diseases like Parkinson’s, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Dementia, Depression is considered a symptom of a more serious illness.
60 percent of the population suffers from this disease
Dr. Sudhir Kumar, Professor and Head of the Department of Neurology at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, says that about 60 percent of the population suffers from sleep problems, but in his work he meets at least two people every month in Hyderabad who have somniphobia. He says that this is a mental and psychological problem, which is related to the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain.
The psychological symptoms that a person may have are:
Fear of catastrophizing, feelings of isolation, anxiety and panic attacks, delayed sleep, avoidance of bedtime
Do this to avoid somniphobia
Exercise daily, take a good diet and read a book before going to bed. Use caffeine as little as possible. Avoid napping during the day.
Disclaimer: Some of the information given in the news is based on media reports. Before implementing any suggestion, please consult the concerned expert.
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