Nyctophobia

Nyctophobia is a type of fear of dark and night. The people living with this phobia avoid facing darkness and like to remain in bright surroundings. Nyctophobia results in symptoms of stress, depression, and mental pressure when exposed to dark.

This phobia usually starts at the beginning phases of life, during a person’s childhood. Mostly, all children fear being in the dark. However, people with Nyctophobia sustain this fear for their entire life. Researchers have tried to deduce the main reason for this kind of phobia, and many have concluded that it results from a deficiency of visual stimuli. Due to this deficiency, these people cannot see their surroundings in the dark. 

Nyctophobia symptoms 

According to research, all types of phobias contain similar symptoms. People living with this phobia usually face extreme depression and fear resulting in the generation of mental stress. They usually face health issues and problems due to their fear. Such health issues also interfere with their day-to-day lives. Nyctophobia symptoms are categorised into two parts. These are:

• Physical symptoms 

• Emotional symptoms 

Let’s understand both these symptoms separately.

Physical Nyctophobia symptoms include

• Facing problems while breathing 

• Increase in the heart rate 

• Feeling a sensation of pain in the heart and surrounding area of the chest. 

• Feeling dizzy and weak.

• Random pains in the stomach 

• Random cold and hot sensations 

• Sweating at a normal or cool temperature 

• Lack of proper sleep 

Emotional nyctophobia symptoms 

• The uneven feeling of stress and anxiety 

• A sudden urge to run away 

• Feeling of loneliness 

• Feeling apart from the world. 

• Losing control over nerves and muscles

• Suicidal thoughts 

• Feeling weak and powerless. 

Nyctophobia treatment 

Medical professionals have researched many treatments for Nyctophobia. Nyctophobia is very broad in scope as many individuals are faced with it, even at a young age. People living with Nyctophobia also face difficulty sleeping and usually remain confused in their lives. They feel different and apart from the world; that’s why they have low self-confidence. Some treatments, which can attempt to cure this phobia, are listed below. 

Exposure therapy 

The victim has to face the darkness in exposure therapy treatment until his fear of darkness disappears. They have to face the darkness in this treatment until it stops triggering their emotions and anxiety. They are forced to face situations that are not favourable to them. The main aim of this therapy is to make the person mentally strong to face all the circumstances easily. There are many methods of applying this therapy. These are:

• Forcing the victim to think about their phobia 

• Victims have to face the darkness. 

• Doctors use stimuli to give the same feeling of darkness. 

Cognitive therapy 

In this type of therapy, some practices are performed to identify the actual cause of the fear. After identification, some practices are performed to replace feelings of fear with positive thoughts. Mainly, doctors try to replace patients’ fear with confidence. 

Meditation 

It is one of the best natural treatments for curing any disease. Meditation is the practice of understanding internal thought. While meditating, the person living with Nyctophobia tries to understand the main reason behind his/her weakness. After that, the victim tries to change his/her thinking patterns. Meditation is considered one of the best permanent solutions to Nyctophobia. 

Medication 

In this treatment, people living with Nyctophobia have to take pills. These pills induce the mind to relax by stimulating relaxation hormones in the person. These hormones relax the victim’s mind and make them feel happy. Individuals who have Nyctophobia have a deficiency of visual stimuli in their brains. So, in many cases, pills are provided to fulfil the requirements of these visual stimuli in the body of a nyctophobia patient. These help the patient to see properly in the darkness.

Nyctophobia’s Impact on Lives

The condition of Nyctophobia results in stress and anxiety even in youngsters. It affects the lives of individuals very badly. Here are some major risk factors of Nyctophobia listed:

• Children with Nyctophobia face anxiety due to the disputes between their parents. Along with this, they also face stress if their parents are not happy. 

• A person with a fear of darkness usually faces different kinds of traumas. Many times, he/she goes out of his mind and loses control of their body parts. 

• Nyctophobia is also known to affect the genital code of the affected person. 

Conclusion 

Nyctophobia is a severe condition in which a person feels uncomfortable being in the dark. The main reason behind this disability is the lack of visual stimuli in the person living with Nyctophobia, but it could also be due to other reasons. The person living with Nyctophobia is unable to watch his surroundings. He/she cannot even face darkness for a couple of minutes. However, various techniques and therapies are introduced for curing Nyctophobia, like psychological treatments, medication and meditation. Anyone having the symptoms of Nyctophobia must seek medical attention.