Nyctophobia - Scared of the Dark?

Nyctophobia - Fear of the dark or of the night.

Being scared of the dark is one of the most common childhood fears, one that many people carry with them into adulthood, but perhaps are afraid to admit to anyone?

Why would your fears continue into adulthood... you know there are really no monsters under your bed or hiding in your wardrobe - right? There are in fact a number of reasons why you may be afraid of the dark. Perhaps your parents were not very understanding or tolerant of your fears when you were a child? Maybe they just closed your bedroom door, turned the lights off and left you to cry in the dark, hiding under your sheets. So you lie there watching the shadows, your curtains move in the slightest of draughts and the house around you where you are supposed to feel safe, settles down for the night with all its creaks and strange noises. Your imagination runs wild and you end up even more scared than you were before the door closed. We all know that our imaginations are much more creative than reality - how many times have you been watching a scary movie and the camera angle changes so you cannot see what happens, but you can hear it and you imagine a scene more terrifying than the director could ever recreate on screen for you?

Often our fears our passed on from our parents - if Mum screams whenever there is a spider in the room - then naturally her children may well develop their own fear of spiders or something else. However irrational our fears may seem to observers the feelings of anxiety and panic that you may experience are very real. A full phobia such as Nyctophobia (fear of the dark or night) may have many causes and some people never really grow out of it. If you now have children of your own and want to help them sleep peacefully - there are many possible solutions without having to resort to shutting them in their rooms to just deal with it. Talking about their fears and providing reassurance, leaving a light on in the hallway, coloured light bulbs, glow in the dark stickers and there are so many different night lights and torches on the market these days. However you could end up spending a small fortune on batteries. You may have heard about creating a relaxing environment in which to fall asleep. One possible way of doing this is to create an amazing night sky on your very own bedroom ceiling - is there anything more relaxing than stargazing from the comfort and warmth of your very own bed!

Nyctophobia is a phobia characterized by an acute fear of the darkness. It is triggered by the mind's disfigured perception of what would or could happen when in a dark environment (definition from Wikipedia).

Remember that you are not alone with your Nyctophobia!