What is the fear of turning off the lights while sleeping? How to overcome the fear of turning off the lights while sleeping?

We all know that many people have various habits when sleeping. Some people are used to drinking a glass of water before going to bed, some people are used to going to the toilet before going to bed, some people are used to listening to music before going to bed, and some people are used to sleeping without turning off the lights. Once the lights are turned off, they are afraid of being unable to fall asleep. So what is the psychology behind being afraid of turning off the lights when sleeping? Let’s take a closer look below!

Is it common to be afraid of sleeping with the lights off

It is relatively common, both children and adults have this phenomenon.

In our daily life, when children sleep at night, they may be afraid of crying and making noises, so they will only sleep when the lights are on. This happens mainly because they are afraid of the dark, but this situation also exists in many adults. When sleeping at night, the lights in the room are turned on, and only in a bright room can they sleep peacefully, otherwise the fear of the dark will increase dramatically.

What causes the fear of sleeping with the lights off

In fact, sleeping with the lights on is a very bad habit. It has become a bad hobby for some people. Its pathological essence is the fear of the dark. The formation of this fear mostly begins in childhood. During the growth period, children are very curious and like to listen to stories about ghosts and myths. The background and content of this kind of story involve characters who move at night or in darkness that ordinary people cannot see, which highlights its vividness and mystery. For a long time, children have been associated with the fear of so-called monsters and ghosts and darkness. They are afraid of walking on the dark road. As long as it is a dark place, a kind of fear can be formed. Therefore, it also forms a dependence on lights, leading to the fear of turning off the lights when sleeping at night. In addition, it is also possible that they have been frightened in dark scenes of trade, or slept in a dark room, and had some kind of nightmares, especially if these frightening things are not resolved in time, which will also cause a fear of the dark. This fear is also accumulated in the process of growing up. This habit is still maintained in adults, and a disease called "sleep with the light on" is unconsciously formed.

How to overcome the fear of sleeping with the lights off

In fact, this habit of sleeping with the lights on has formed a serious psychological problem. From a psychological perspective, two methods can be used to solve it.

1. Cognitive comprehension therapy is used.

That is to educate patients on dialectical materialism and atheism, telling them that there are no demons and ghosts in this world, and letting them fully realize these. In fact, the so-called demons The fear of the dark caused by the fear of monsters fully reflects the childish emotions in childhood. Therefore, the patient must cognitively reduce or alleviate the fear of the dark, and eliminate the fear of the dark cognitively and subconsciously, in order to achieve the therapeutic effect.

2. Systematic desensitization therapy can be used

Generally speaking, we need to establish a fear level based on fear of the dark. We can then educate the patient in order of importance. Only through training can we continuously improve patients' behavioral abilities and make them suffer. Those who gradually reduce their fear of the dark have a systematic desensitization therapy built into their training. They are not allowed to interrupt the patient, but insist on completing the training program until they can consciously turn off the lights and go to sleep.