Insomnia is accompanied by fears that if the sufferer does not sleep for a certain number of hours each day, their body and health will begin to deteriorate, or that they will go mad or even die.
These fears lead sufferers to avoid engaging in their daily lives – such as going out for social gatherings or travelling – for fear that their sleep pattern will be disrupted.
Sufferers also associate the importance of sleep with the number of hours slept rather than the quality of sleep.