Can't Sleep? Afraid of the Dark
For some adults, insomnia may be caused by a fear of the dark, finds a new study by researchers at Ryerson University in Toronto. In the study of 93 students, nearly half acknowledged being afraid of the dark, and they were more likely to poor sleepers than good ones. "We never thought we would see this," says Dr. Colleen Carney, assistant professor of psychology at Ryerson University. "We didn't think people would admit or acknowledge this fear. They would say it's for kids, or be too embarrassed." The participants filled out questionnaires on their sleep behavior, whether or not they had been afraid of the dark as children and they were still afraid of the dark. They also completed an insomnia assessment; based on their responses, the researchers divided the participants into two groups: good and poor sleepers. Following the questionnaires, the participants confirmed the participants' fear of the dark by putting them in either a dark or lit lab r...