We used to associate the fear of the dark with children. In fact, it is very common for children to need to keep a lamp on at night in order to sleep. The cause of the fear of the dark or scotophobia is another fear: the fear of the unknown. But we are astonished by the figure of 10% of the adult population who are also afraid of the dark and who suffer from insomnia and other sleep disorders, in addition to exacerbating their anxiety as a result of this phobia. Children are afraid of the monster in the closet, what are we adults afraid of in the dark?
Fearing the night
- The truth is that at this point in life we convinced ourselves for a long time that no monster is hiding in our closet and that our dolls are not going to come to life while we sleep and, nevertheless, there are still many people who, when they arrive at night he begins to notice insecurities and fears that he does not have during the day.
- It seems that we are “day animals” and the night increases our weaknesses. Thus, people who suffer from anxiety, depression or who are having a bad time in life fear the arrival of night, because it is the moment in which their fears resurface.
- Fear of loneliness, fear of the unknown, fear of starting a new stage, insecurity about the future… the fact is that in the dark we become more vulnerable people. And almost all of us have spent those sleepless nights overwhelmed by worries thinking about problems.
Insomnia as a consequence of fear of the dark
- Those fears that assail us in the dark of night have their answer in insomnia, with all the health problems that this entails. And it is that people who are afraid of the dark are much more sensitive to any noise at night, apart from the fact that they take much longer to fall asleep.
- As adults, we experience a certain shame in recognizing the fear of the dark and we think very long before leaving a lamp on like when we were children. However, it is proven that light therapy helps a lot to overcome scotophobia.
- If your fear of the dark prevents you from carrying out your night and day life normally, it is best to go to psychological therapy. But if what you suffer is a certain fear when night falls and you stay in your room in the dark, nothing happens to leave a small lamp on. After all, what counts is that you sleep well and get rest.
