Fear of darkness

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I know this may sound kinda silly coming from a 14 year old, but I am really scared of sleeping alone in a room or being alone anywhere which isn't lighted in the house at nighttime. I had this fear since I was younger and I'm not sure why it isn't gone.

Usually, I get this fear because frightening thoughts are floating in my head. Those frightening thought don't even make sense either. Usually, those frightening thoughts are: the word "hoax", the word "sweatshop", thinking about ghosts (though I don't believe in them), thinking about awkward stuff in general, etc. I am not only frightened about darkness, but also about why these thoughts are freaking me out. Almost makes me feel like I'm going insane.

Even while I'm typing this right now in the afternoon, I am still frightened just from posting this. I've tried many methods of overcoming this fear: distracting my mind to a thought that isn't frightening, taking deep breaths, using humour, etc. But even with those methods, I still choke under fear. Can anyone suggest any methods that can help me overcome this fear?

Why should this sound silly? I'm 25 and afraid of the dark. It feels like there is someone else there and the feeling gets worse and worse until I turn on the light. Then it begins to fade away.

That's why I always keep a light on somewhere in my apartment when sleeping. Usually in the bath or the kitchen. It's bright enough to see everything (I have a small apartment) but not bright enough to keep me awake. Even so, I'm a bit scared sometimes. Then I lie down on my bed with my back touching the wall and keeping my eyes open so they (whatever they might be) won't get me by surprise. Works for me.

I'm 32 and I still sleep with a nightlight (and a stuffed animal) . . . what I've done in my house is put nightlights (really cool ones - they are like those old bubble lights for your Christmas tree) through the house so that I can just turn those on when it gets dark and can see well enough to be able to navigate my house but not with enough light to make my eyes hurt (I'm very sensitive to light - I keep my house like it is dusk all the time) . . .

This is a good idea and if anybody says anthing you can tell them it is for safety

I have no problems sleeping in a fully dark house. However, if I have a nightmare (very rarely) or something else scares me in the middle of the night, I literally jump from the bed and run to the nearest light switch.

I'm 22 and sleep with a night light. It's one of the ones that have the scent things in them--you know, the old "Disguise the Night Light" ploy.

My night routine consists of turning every single light on in the basement (where my room is), putting the dogs to bed, and then turning off each light as I exit the area into my bedroom, where I close the door, turn on my reading lamp, then turn off the main light, then get into bed, and THEN turn off the reading lamp. Sometimes, though, I just sleep with it on, too.

I do this too, except I use adjustable lamps with those GE Reveal light bulbs turned down low. It gives me a contented fuzzy feeling to wander from one warm pool of light to another.

I'm still scared of the dark too.. (I'm 17). I did revert away from sleeping with a nightlight and stuffed animal for a few years but I worked my way back into the stuffed animal because it was company when I was depressed. I can manage without a nightlight now though, I now find that if it's too light I can't sleep. My window is at the front of the house so I get some light coming through from streetlights as well. If I'm getting really worried about the darkness I just turn my radio on and either leave it on a very low volume or mute it - it glows light blue so it's not that much light (nothing compared to a light) but it's not too dark either. I find that the music often works well if I'm getting freaked out by random noises from outside or rats in the roof because I concentrate (at least try to) on the sound rather then the noises which are keeping me awake.
There are some pretty cool nightlight things which just plug straight into the power and glow, I remember we had a few orange ones around the house to provide a little bit of light.

I'm not scared as such, not usually - but I will frequently spook myself really badly, and I have to turn a light on just to reassure myself that there's nothing and nobody there. I can spook myself when I'm alone anywhere, even if it's daytime - like now, I'm getting a bit spooked so if you don't mind I'll go now ...

Not make you sound even more as if you're a younger child but I have to admit this I still sleep with stuff animals or just one. Do you have any? Do you have a lamp or some type of light that you'll be able to keep on all through the night? I fear silence at night I have to have some music or the ceiling fan on to be able to sleep. Either that or do you have a TV in your room that you can leave on with the sound muted? Hope this helps.

I have generaly liked darkness. just not the eary kind. it always gave me a sense of cover especially if their were trees around.

Right now, I don't have many problems sleeping in the dark. Then again, I dont't sleep in the dark. Directly outside my bedroom window, there's a parking lot for an apartment building. The lot is brightly lit at night by those yellowish high-pressure sodium lamps. As a result, my bedroom is bathed in the glow from the parking lot lights, even with the blinds closed. This works perfectly; my room is lit brightly enough not to provide any dark "hiding places", yet dark enough to sleep in. Also, unlike a nightlight, it doesn't cast any weird shadows.

You're not the only 14 year old with this problem - I've got the SAME EXACT THING! I thought I was the only one myself, really. I can't go out in the dark of night by myself either. I mean, I can't take out the trash, or walk my dog - I just get spooked. When I'm alone in the dark, and I see a car's headlights - I run inside.

Thinking about certain things freaks me out as well. Like, "alien abductions". When I think of that, or something similar, my mind falls into a very bad place, as I call it. At night, I sleep with the TV on and a light or two on, because I absolutely need it.

To overcome the fear, though? My suggestion, get an over-the-counter sleeping pill, Melatonin based. It worked for me up until I stopped taking it. Try a smaller dose, though, like 3 mg, anything else will make sure you're out of school the next day.

Glad I could be of service!

BTW, with keeping the TV on, if you want to go that route, keep it on a channel you like to watch, so when you go to sleep, you have warm thoughts of something good, and when you get up, you have a reason to be awake. Also, leave the sound on, but turn it down to a lower volume. I know it may sound strange, but the sound has a calming effect - you begin to be engrossed in the sound as it becomes a lulling noise, thus putting you to sleep. But it has to be something you like.

Fear of darkness is basically fear of the unknown.

Try thinking things like

"with the flick of a light switch the ghosts can't stay"
You could ask your guardian angel to protect you before you go to bed at night
Hoax is a wimp and sweatshop is a crybaby - maybe sort of try to belittle your bad thoughts

Or perhaps yell something (not too loudly) to break the silence of darkness. I know this seems stupid, whut when I'm afaid and alone, I call the cat really loudly.

You could play music when you go to bed.

I keep both the TV on and a light on in the hallway or bathroom. I don't like a totally dark house and I don't think it is abnormal or childish. And I need to keep the TV on to block out all the sounds.

I am 16 and i sleep with a whole load of plushie toys ,lion a pacifier and a fibre optic nightlight every night. also recently i have also tacken to putting on some musci so i can hear it all night to stop the silence, i also from time to sleep with the main light on if i am particully strtessed. Although this is not a suggestion, because i use to wet the bed alot i use to often wear nappy (diapers) to bed. i have found that if i get very scared now putting a nappy on and sleeping with it make me feel safer again. I like the warm snuggly feeling and the feeling of having somthing covering up my parts that is hard for people to take off. Ie it would not be possible to start to rape me before i woke up.

The nappy thing i think is a jamie thing, but the night lite, presense of lion and sheepy and dum dum and music, do wonder for my sleep.

Jammie