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Re: fear of sleep

Posted by Roger on May 24, 2001 at 11:53:46:

In Reply to: fear of sleep posted by Eliza on May 22, 2001 at 06:16:39:

Eliza-

Fear of sleep is a condition known as hypnophobia. It is pretty rare, so there is not much information on it.

I know, I have it, and have had it for about 5 years. It came right out of the blue.

Here is my own theory. I think it is not sleep that we fear. I think we fear the loss of control when we fall asleep.

We fear that when we have no control, something bad might happen. We might die in our sleep, or we might have a bad dream in our sleep. Sleeping can be wonderful and refreshing, or it can be miserable and scary.

Why do some of us fear what most people enjoy? I don't know. But examine your own life up to now. Has anything happened that was out of your control? Such things as divorce or death of a parent or sibling can cause the fear of sleep.

There are meds that can calm you down, such as ativan, and therefore help you to get the sleep we all need. Of course, the meds are just masking the real problem. Counseling or therapy is probably what is needed to get this problem permanently cured.

Good luck, and know that you are not alone.


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