All About Hypnophobia, the Fear of Sleep, and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling

What is Hypnophobia?

Hypnophobia is the Fear of Sleep and, like all other fears and phobias, can cause significant anxiety and stress if you suffer from it.

Sleep is a crucial component of mental wellness and a lack of quality sleep can lead to a number of problems such as depression and anxiety.

There may be a number of reasons why you developed Hypnophobia, for example:

• Having lots of nightmares..
• Worrying that you might not wake-up or die in your sleep.

Although phobias are often described as ‘disorders’, there is no valid scientific evidence that Hypnophobia is the result of any kind of biological fault or chemical imbalance as proposed in the biomedical models of mental illness.

On the contrary, Hypnophobia is much more likely to be the result of your own, subjective evaluation (what you think your experiences mean) of what happened to you and is therefore better described as a psychosocial symptom.

Hypnophobia Symptoms & Behaviours

All phobias, including Hypnophobia, create feelings of anxiety because phobic objects or situations are always perceived as a threat.

Consequently, the symptoms of Hypnophobia are both specific and generic and may include:

• Avoiding sleep by taking stimulants such as caffeine.
• A fear of dying – Thanatophobia.
• An elevated heart rate.
• A sense of dread about what might happen.
• Worrying that you might pass out.
• Feeling dizzy or disoriented.
• Having heart palpitations.
• Having a dry or sticky mouth.
• Hot sweats.
• Feeling Stressed.
• Difficulty breathing easily.
• Feelings of panic.

Moreover, you may have all, some or even different symptoms to these listed here and this is due to the subjective nature of Hypnophobia.

Furthermore, you should also be aware that many of these somatic symptoms (symptoms felt in the body) listed above WILL subside over time and rarely last for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

What Causes Hypnophobia?

It’s possible that your Hypnophobia may be the result of traumatic events or adverse situations that you experienced at some point in your life.

For example, losing a close relative or loved-one who died in their sleep could leave you fearing the same might happen to you.

However, because a Fear of Sleep is relatively rare, the most likely explanation for your Hypnophobia is the way you understood and made sense of your earlier experiences around which you have built a set of beliefs.

Counselling and Therapy for Hypnophobia

We offer a number of different types of therapy and counselling for Hypnophobia the Fear of Sleep.

Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:

• How long you have had your phobia.
• Your personal preferences.
• How your phobia is affecting you today.

You can read more about the different types of therapy for Hypnophobia on the following links:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Hypnophobia
• Counselling for Hypnophobia
• Pluralistic Therapy for the Fear of Sleep

Although all forms of psychotherapy use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.

Furthermore, research also suggests that the therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about overcoming Hypnophobia or recovering from related mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular phobia and the different types of mental health counselling we offer without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.