AIBU to think you don't need a TV blaring at night to get to sleep?

[Boomerwang]

Inspired by another current thread in AIBU.

We have some close friends who we often visit in the evenings (one of us at a time because someone has to stay with the sleeping toddler) and now and then we are toddler free and are able to stay overnight. They have a bedroom but don't use it as such. They sleep on a mattress in front of the TV, which is left on all night. If I want to sleep, I have to be drunk. I tried to sleep sober but the racket and moving light in the room made it impossible. Eventually when they fell asleep I turned off the TV and managed to get my sleep.

You probably want to know why I wasn't asleep in their bedroom if they were downstairs and I can't really answer that, because I should have been!

Anyway, how is it possible that people can only sleep when the TV is on? I have to have dark and quiet in order to settle to sleep. How come the TV doesn't interrupt your somnolence when it makes random loud noises?

I was dependent on VHS/DVDs to sleep for many years. It started in my teens when I was in the depths of depression, it was the only thing that could distract my thoughts away from bad memories (abuse) and wanting to self harm.

I remained fairly dependent on it for several years, it went in phases parallel to depressive episodes, although I managed to avoid it while cosleeping/BFing my DCs.

It got worse again when I got CFS/ME and was in so much pain that I often couldn't make it up the stairs to bed anyway.

I have worked really hard to beat the habit properly now, and now never do it unless I have a (thankfully increasingly rare) cold/chest infection and can't sleep for wheezing etc.

It was a really addictive habit, it was very hard to break! We don't have a TV in our room and the DCs won't have one either.

So is it like a sleep hangup then? It's a phrase I've given to things that stop you from sleeping. Mine are: crinkly pillows (I can't stand the racket when I sleep on my side); cars driving past where you can't sleep because you're waiting to hear when the next car will come; incessant swallowing/saliva refill circle; having cold feet; making sure your arms are below your chest for fear of waking up with a dead arm; having a very loud clock ticking and my most favourite, worrying if my RLS will start up.

I have a lot of sleep hangups.