I sadly suffer from (self-diagnosed) Nyctophobia and experience the following symptoms
- overwhelming feelings of anxiety or panic
- an intense need to escape the situation
- feeling like you may die
- feeling powerless over your fear
This phobia causes really troublesome and annoying impacts on my life as it can keep me awake at night and cause trouble sleeping especially in my bedroom which is a REALLY creepy room at night and sometimes I have to switch to a different room just to get to sleep
Fear of darkness and night often starts in childhood between the ages of
3 and 6. At this point, it may be a normal part of development. It’s also common at this age to fear:
- ghosts
- monsters
- sleeping alone
- strange noises
For many children, sleeping with a nightlight helps until they outgrow the fear. When the fear makes it impossible to sleep, causes severe anxiety, or continues into adulthood, it may be considered nyctophobia.
Additional risk factors include:
- An anxious caregiver. Some children learn to be fearful by seeing a parent’s anxiety over certain issues.
- An overprotective caregiver. Some may develop a generalized anxiety if they’re too dependent on a parent or caregiver, or if they feel helpless.
- Stressful events. Trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident or injury, may also make a person more likely to develop a phobia.
- Genetics. Some adults and children are simply more susceptible to fears, possibly due to their genetics.