Teen Ds still sleeps with light on

[CoolShoeshine]

I know this probably sounds a bit trivial but I’m hoping to break him of this habit. All his life he has insisted in sleeping with a light on because he is scared of the dark and being alone at night (he is fine if we are on holiday and he is sharing a room). He is quite a sensitive lad.
In the last few weeks he has insisted on sleeping with the main overhead light on rather than the bedside lamp, and his sleep patterns have become very disturbed.
What would you suggest I do? I’ve tried reasoning with him, said we are only just through the wall so he’s not alone, asked him to turn the lights off to save electricity etc. I’ve also tried turning the lights off after he falls asleep but he always turns them back on during the night. Any suggestions gratefully received- I fear if I don’t break him off this habit now then I never will!

I’d not worry about it unless it’s part of an overall anxiety Issue that is affecting his life. There are so many cool plug ins and nightlights that aren’t age specific. I’d let him choose one and just forget about it. Everyone likes a different amount of light at night ranging from pitch black, door open a chink, half way, etc. It’s a personal preference I guess. It can also depend where you are at the time. At home where everything is in a familiar place might result in someone being comfortable in a very dark room. In a different place where you could walk into something or can’t easily locate the door etc, you might want a bit of light. Certainly wouldn’t do anything during this lockdown period where everyone is a bit out of sorts to some degree.

My DD is 18 and likes the light on.
I would leave him for now, lots of people are having broken sleeping patterns, try a softer light when everything is more normal.

Lots of peoples sleep patterns are disturbed just now, teens in particular. There are many threads about teens sleep habits and parents wondering whether to try and force routine or let them be. Some turn day into night and others get up before dawn. It's not really a problem if he doesn't have to be anywhere. Routine can be returned when needed. As for the light being on, that's not something that would concern me at all. His choice.

I'm 49 and I can't sleep in the dark. I have a lamp on the upstairs landing and a salt lamp in my bedroom. I've had a fear of the dark ever since I can remember.

Precious poster

Oops

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012CMNO74/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&pf_rd_p=91bac49e-c2d1-4227-b6bc-b47dfda352fe&pd_rd_wg=bscon&pf_rd_r=GX76XNKBA2VCPHCAXZZJ&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE0WEEyV0IzQk1SS0omZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1MTc3MDkyN1dHNzREOURDVDcwJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5Njc1MDkzQVMzUFFGN1lXQUtSJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==&pd_rd_i=B012CMNO74&pd_rd_w=5KvIL&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&pd_rd_r=bf812448-3b31-41f7-84a0-565e3072adc3

I have one of these - it lights up when it senses movement or if the power goes off. You can lift it from the cradle and use it as a torch.

My son also uses the led bulb in the main light fitting like @cosmo30 which has a remote control to dim it quite low and many colours so he chooses a soft, low light.

I'm 40 and I sleep with a light on. I cannot sleep in pitch black at all. I have 2 different bedside lamps to choose from.
I don't see it as a problem, it's just preference.

Another fully grown adult who likes to sleep with a light on.

Over the years I have managed to get down to a dim light, such as the crack from the closed bedroom door if the landing light is on. I think I need to be able to orientated myself in the room.

Drives DH mad. He likes pitch dark. If I go to bed before him I'll go to sleep with the full light on. He comes in, turns it off at the door, and proceeds to get ready for bed in the pitch dark. Crashing and banging about. I've asked him why, and he says he turned the light off because I was asleep!

Have nearly 16 yr old who sleeps with light on, younger 2 who don’t, does it matter?

I don’t think that something that brings a child reassurance is something to be removed for no real reason at the moment with the concerns he probably has of the virus right now.

Would you object as much if his nightly routine was to have a bath or hot chocolate? All equally harmless.

Ds1 is 14 and similar.
He’s got a lava lamp now which is seen as cool enough and seems to have solved the problem and got him sleeping much better and for much longer.

I like a salt lamp as a night light. As a pp suggests.

They give a Nice warm pink glow. Mine is lit by led, so costs pretty much nothing to run.

I would go with getting a dimmer switch and see if he will agree to turn it down a tiny bit each night.

We've always left the landing light on - my dad hated sleeping in the dark. I still have the landing light on, or failing that, fairy lights!

We all have dimmer switches in our rooms. I don't like waking in darkness (like a pp I have very bad eyesight and the shapes are disturbing). One of my teens can't sleep without an audio book on unless they are sharing a room. None of us are concerned about any of these things.

I also sleep with the light on (aged 49) if my DH is away. And when he’s home It’s never pitch dark. I don’t feel like it affects my sleep. It’s worse if I wake up scared in the night and I can’t see the room.

Out of interest how do you know that his sleep is disturbed?

Can the landing light be left on instead ?

ds aged 23 still lives with us and sleeps with bedroom door open and landing light on. He says he is not scared of the dark.but just prefers a bit of light.

My dds both have a night light on. From Poundland believe it or not. Both aged 11 and 9.

I'm the opposite need complete darkness and quiet. I couldn't share a room with someone that needed light or white noise.

I'm 25 and sleep with the landing light on with the door open.

I just don't like the pitch black. I'm not scared. I just like to be able to see.

I also hate waking up in the morning in a pitch black room when its daylight, as happens in holiday cottages with blackout curtains. It seems very unnatural to me. At home we have thin curtains and I'm good at guessing the time when I wake up.

I would definitely get him a salt lamp to see if that helps, but if he still wants to sleep with the light on, let him. You making an issue of it will only exacerbate his anxiety. Honestly, it's not a big deal. He may grow out of it, he may not. It doesn't really matter.

Ds2 (13) will only sleep with a light on. He doesn't care which light. Sometimes it's his star wars 'fairy' lights. Sometimes his star wars projector light. Sometimes he borrows my projector light which casts butterflies onto the ceiling. Mostly it's his bedside lamp (a clip on LED from IKEA.)

DS1 wont sleep with a light on so we had to convert the playroom into a bedroom because I was sick of them squabbling