hi, I am a 23 and i have sleepless nights. i m scared of darkness. is it normal?

Question

I am scared of darkness and i feel v insecure during the nights. i feel someone is around or watching, or i feel like some ghosts or spirits are around though in the mornings i laugh about it and dont believe in them. even the smallest noise freaks me out. i m not able to sleep during the nights, as a result i get up v late in the mornings. sometimes i try switching on lights during the night. can someone tell me is this normal???? is there something i can do about it? HELP!!!!!

Answer 1

If it's not normal, than we're both not normal cause i get scared as hell when i'm alone at night. Sometimes i even wake my hubby up so that i can go to the bathroom, i've even made him walk me in there a few times and i'm 29 years old. I have four kids and i'm worse than they are about it. They wouldeven go outside in the yard at night if i would let them. Not me. Not unless someone's with me.

And just between us, i do think there is something under the bed.

Answer 2

You mean the type where you don't wanna look out from under the covers, only enough to be able to get fresh air in, maybe tuck your feet in on the bottom so no one can touch them. Or just to have one light on in the house so you can make your way through. Maybe sleeping with some sort of noise, IE the fan etc, that way when you might here the little noises it won't spook you so bad.

I know what you said made alot of sense. Do you cat nap also at night. Play peek aboo with the clock anxiously awaiting for morning, knowing you're going to be so damn tired but you're scared at night.

You're not alone far from it, far from it. I was and still afraid of the dark. It's gotten slightly easier, nights I'm alone it's alot worse. People don't' understand how it is, it's sometimes terrifying in a way. It's not like being schizo or nothing.

It's your so anxious from being scared, you can't go to sleep. You think you're almost calm them another noise, something, the cat, dog something.

I think it has to do with anxiety. I now take Seraquile for my sleep problems. It helps alot. And it's non addictive. You might want to check into it. Also might want to get checked for anxiety. There's nothing wrong with having it either if you do.

Answer 3

I used to be like that when i was younger.I still don't like the darkness of the night.But i am not as afraid as i used to be.Nothing was done about it,i just grew out if it.About the ghosts,i believe in them.What you can do is tell them to go home.Tell them they don't belong there,they need to go to the light.Have a night light on when you go to sleep.It always helps me to feel better.And have like a baseball bat next to your bed.Check the whole house before you turn off the lights.Doors and windows.You can also install an alarm system trough out the windows and doors.You can set it before bed.All of these things make me feel better.And finally the last solution is not to live in a single family house.Townhouse or condo feels much safer,since there are people living next to you.

Answer 4

Get a couple of nightlights and have them throughout your home. There are no such thing as ghosts and spirits, if you truly feel that way, you need to get some professional assistance in dealing with your fear and anxiety issues. You can also get some medication to help you sleep all the way through the night. Good luck to you.

Answer 5

I'd say something happened to you when you were younger that put that fear in you. Maybe something you don't even remember. Or it could be a fear of being alone more than the dark. You know like something will happen & no one will know. It's not rational but few fears are.

I was the same way at your age. But I discovered through therapy most of my fear came from when I was young, deeply loved my granny & when she died I was told she went to sleep & the angels came to take her to heaven. She died in the early morning hours. In my mind I associated night time & darkness with death.

Rationally I knew you could die anytime. But emotions are rarely rational. I worked graveyard shift so I wouldn't have to be alone at night & on days off I'd go out until everything was closed & hang out at a 24 hr. restaurant until daybreak. When I had no choice but to be home at night I'd always leave the tv on & all the lights. For some reason being outside at night I wasn't afraid, even if it was dark. So we came to the conclusion that the real fear was of dying.

Through the yrs. I've gotten over the worst of it. But I still don't like to be in, nor sleep in total darkness alone. If alone I'll sleep on the couch still with the tv on low. If I hear sounds I go through the house until I can identify where it's coming from. But I only keep on enough light to see by. I also have a dog who is very jittery so that helps me stay calm because he hears any odd sounds before I do.

But short of therapy I don't know what to tell you.

Answer 6

I'm 31 and still have to sleep with a light on (usually from the computer monitor). Your eyes play tricks on you (though I actually do believe in spirits and such). Yes, it's normal. Just because you're not 7 anymore, doesn't mean that you can't get scared still. My mom is 64 and has a nightlight. Try relaxing or meditating before bed to get yourself into a good frame of mind. If you are religious or spiritual, pray for goodness to wash over you. Try playing soft music or sleeping with the TV on (set the sleep timer on it). LOTS of adults go through this and are like this. You are not alone- and I don't mean that in the spooky, underworld sense ;).

Answer 7

Yeah, that's not so normal. Maybe a couple times a year after really scary movies, but not on a regular basis. Maybe if you got a dog and had it sleep in your room with you (or a gf/bf), then you'd feel more secure. Good luck!

Answer 8

I was the same way up untill about 17 years of age, I still was frighten of ghost, but you learn to live with it and not be afraid. trust me, I was really bad with fear as a kid and teen, it was not normal, I would sleep on the floor in my moms room. then I winged my self off my sleeping in the hall way near her room, thean at about 13 years of age, I was able to sleep on my own.

then the fear goes away, I became normal.

Answer 9

i'm an entire insomniac. I merely frequently tuck in with a physically powerful e book and study til I relax sufficient to pass to sleep. I learn 5 books a week or greater each so often. i think I cope with them nicely as long because of the fact the e book is nice. : )

Answer 10

your going to laugh but I am 31 now and still sleep with a light on and when I was married, we both had to have the light on because we were both weird about the dark.