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!

Lots of you have mentioned about leaving the landing light on, unfortunately we have a large fitting with quite a few bulbs on the landing which is quite bright, when this is on my dh cannot sleep with the light shining underneath our bedroom door!
I was worried as my ds is quite young for his age so it is reassuring to hear that many of you need a light at night too. I definitely wouldn’t force him into giving up his light, especially at this time when normal routines are out of the window. However because he has been upset about not sleeping recently (he is usually a very good sleeper) I have tried suggesting to him that having the overhead light on all night might be contributing to this. He has agreed to trialling a plug in night light so I have got one on order for him and hopefully this will give him the comfort of being able to see if he wakes up in the night without being so bright that his body clock thinks it’s daytime!

I was the same as your ds, in fact I would go further, I was frightened of being alone at night until I was much older. The fear did leave me eventually but it worried me in case it never would.

My son was same as yours but eventually outgrew it.

Don't worry but let him have his light on in his bedroom and do anything he wants in there during the night, as long as he doesn't disturb anyone else. He's not doing anything wrong and can make up sleep during the day. People are often more creative at night time.

I feel that the current crisis puts so much strain on people, it's best just to relax the usual house 'rules', if you have them, and let others just be themselves doing their own thing.

I wouldn't even think about this as a thing. If he's not bothered don't worry about it, everyone has different preferences x

I'd be very cautious about leaving a lava lamp on - in my experience they get very hot and are easily knocked over.

I still sleep with the light on, and I am mid thirties.

I also feel scared in the dark.

Is sitting in a pitch black room, really natural?

I'm 46 slept with light on till I was 16/17 ,am lying in bed now main light is off and ensuite bathroom light is on and door open a bit.I dont think its harmed me in life.Its just a preference.

I'm sure I still slept with the door open and the landing light on until I was about 15?

The irony is now that I have blackout blinds or or I can't sleep!

It will pass

Night lights in all available sockets in his room? Some form of led light so your electric bill isnt bad?
I have night lights all through my flat, mainly because I cant be arsed to turn main lights on but also because it lights the way for sleepy people needing the bathroom. Also because my cat tends to wander in front of me and gets arsey if I trip over her.
I dont need a night light in my room because I have a sodium light opposite my window.