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Fear of the night.

Nyctophobia (or noctophobia) is a phobia characterized by a severe fear of the night. It is triggered by the brain's disfigured perception of what would, or could, happen when in a night-time environment.

Fear of the night is usually associated with a fear of darkness, but fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by darkness. Some degree of fear of the dark is natural, especially as a phase of child development. Most observers report that nyctophobia seldom appears before the age of 2. Nyctophobia comes from the Greek νυκτός (nyktos), genitive of νύξ (nyx), "night" and φόβος (phobos), "fear". Other terms for the phobia are achluophobia, scotophobia (from σκότος - "darkness"), or lygophobia (from λυγή - "twilight").

The unnatural fear is commonly caused by negative experiences, like getting scared in the dark or even by watching ghost and horror films where darkness is often portrayed. It may also occur from the visual hallucination of the ceiling closing in on whoever is in a dark room, Being a branch of Claustrophobia.

Sufferers may have symptoms including dizziness, trembling, fast heartrate, shortness of breath, and panic attack. Some even scream when the lights suddenly go off.

A popular and effective treatment for the fear of darkness is cognitive-behavioral therapy, specifically exposure therapy. Medications and self-help methods may be necessary to cope with the worst symptoms.

Examples of Nyctophobia[]

Real Life[]

  • American inventor Thomas Edison

Celebrities[]

  • British Singer/actor Harry Styles

Fictional Characters[]

See also[]

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