Canadian scientists have found that insomnia in adults is often associated with … fear of the dark, writes WebMD.
The first suspicion about the relationship between sleep problems and phobias came to scientists after analyzing the information received from many people that they prefer to sleep with the lights on.
Researchers from Rierson University conducted an experiment in which 93 volunteers were invited. Based on the insomnia severity index, the researchers divided the participants into two groups: 42 suffered from insomnia of varying severity and 51 people slept quite normally.
During the experiment, the volunteers took turns in a lighted or dark room where extraneous noise was heard. Scientists “measured” the reaction to sound by the rate and intensity of blinking: people with insomnia blinked more often and harder, and people with healthy sleep quickly adapted to the noise.
According to the survey and the results of the experiment, the number of people with fear of the dark in the first group was 50%, and in the second 25%.
Thus, scientists conclude that the root of problem sleep, not only in children but also in adults, lies precisely in fear.