Blimey, I nearly fell head first down the stairs in the dark...

[NooNooHead1981]

... luckily I didn’t.

I was just about to go downstairs about an hour ago and couldn’t see properly in the dark. I assumed the stair gate was shut/locked, but luckily I double checked and didn’t just try to walk straight down.

God, the thought of what might have happened if I had assumed it was locked and then pushed it - but it hadn’t been and I would have gone head first arse over tit down the stairs in the bloody dark.

It gives me the chills just thinking about how critically ill I might have been, and how at this point I could have been in A&E fighting for my life.

Bloody Nora, I am a bit shaken up. Sorry for the melodrama but things like this really make me anxious.

Why is your house so dark?! That is very dangerous and unwise, no matter your age. Get a few Himalayan salt lamps. You leave them on all day and they emit a very soft warm glow.

Buy some glow in the dark tape.

I nearly feel out of a fourth floor window once because I went to lean against it to push it up, assuming it was closed. It wasn't. It really does shake you up.

Make yourself some sweet tea and distract yourself with something funny.

Maybe also channel the fear into something constructive; Buy some nightlights online - the kind that plug directly into sockets and come on at dusk?

I think my eyes were adjusting to the light after I had come out of a room with a light on onto our hall by the stairs. We usually have those plug in lights but we turned them off as my DD is asleep downstairs as she is ill.

I’m such a twit. It gives me anxiety to think what might have happened

You'll learn from it

Glad you are OK. I get the fear, I'd be very shaken if it happened to me.

It might be wise to have some sort of night light on - we keep a light on under the stairs as I have a fear of taking a tumble at night.

Thank you all.

I’m actually accident averse after I suffered a (self inflicted) head injury 4 years ago, so to think I could have had another serious accident makes me feel awful.😩

@RubberTreePlant that would really scare me too! I’m glad you were ok

I fell downstairs and hit my head on the wall as the stairs turned. My son was in his bedroom and came running downstairs to find me with a cartoon sized bump on my head. I thought I was going to die
As I hit the wall with such force I proceeded to tell my son where my share
Certificates and insurance documents were kept. My son (18) called for an ambulance and I was taken out on a stretcher with my neck held in a brace. I had nothing though apart from my cartoon bump. And we laughed about it later but as the time I thought this is lights out for me

We always leave a lamp on in the hall so the stairs and landing are never completely dark. Started when DS was little and still do it now.

Those plug in night lights are good too.

Near misses can be as scary as actual falls.

I fell (broad daylight!) on Friday and was shaky and weepy for a while. Now look like I’ve been beaten up as landed on my face. Kept thinking how much worse it could have been.

My DF died falling down the stairs. Got up for a wee in middle of night and didn’t want to disturb anybody by putting a light on and lost his footing