#85 - Insomnia and Fear: So Scared to Sleep

Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

It's hard to find insomnia without a healthy dose of fear or anxiety. Few individuals make an appointment to see a sleep specialist only to let them know that the situation is no big deal and frankly enjoyable. Fear not only plays a huge role in the development and worsening of insomnia, it also offers an insight into a potential solution. In this episode we will:

• Review the incidence of anxiety in this country and the percentage of individuals diagnosed with anxiety who also have insomnia
• Define anxiety and how it works in insomnia
• Look at the role fear plays both in insomnia and how it functions as a central target in CBTi
• Consider how some aspects of CBTi can often create fear as well as alleviate it
• Look at the insomnia cycle within social media and popular media and how it creates its own fear
• Understand the role of fear and the fear response amplitude within our neural circuitry as a potential risk factor for developing insomnia

Produced by: Maeve Winter
More

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• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!